# Green water algae issue



## scags (Sep 22, 2003)

Hello all. I am having an issue with algae.

My tank is now just over a month old. For awhile things seemed good. Water only had the occasional day of green water, and a little spot algae on the glass.
Now almost every day I wake up to find the water extremely cloudy and green. The glass is becoming covered with green, and I think my moss is a lost cause as it too is covered in fuzzy green algae.
I have also noticed a weird type of algae growing in a couple spots. It looks like a green sea urchin, little bright green spikes all growing from one center location. Similar to hair algae but stiffer.

I have a black molly, an oto, a olive nerite, and some ghost shrimp, but they can't keep up with it.
I have been doing 20% WC twice a week. I have lowered my photo period from 10 hours to 7 and I stopped dosing ferts.

Here is my tank specs

29g
T5HO 4 x 24w 6700k @ 7 hours/day
Pressurized CO2 (got it up pretty high)
Stopped dosing ferts but was dosing Seachem Flourish, and Seachem iron/potassium- as directed.
Filtration- cheap little canister filter, penguin hanging filter and powerhead in tank for current. Lots of filtration. lol
Substrate- Seachem fluorite covered in Aquasoil Amazonia
Lots of plants, Java ferns, Taiwan moss Myaca, Myrio, giant hairgrass, vals, glosso, and HC.
All kinds of fish and inverts.

What should I do? I am afraid of doing a 3 day blackout.... are water changes the answer? I have been manually removing it and doing water changes right after. 
I thought the plants would eventually outpace the algae, but it seems like both the algae and plants are doing well. 

Another thing I was wondering. 2 of my light bulbs are brand new, and 2 are around 10 months old. Could old bulbs be the culprit? Not putting out the right spectrum of light?


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## Green024 (Sep 19, 2009)

http://www.jsctech.co.uk/theplantedtank/algae.htm

"Ammonia is often the main cause green water. There may have been an ammonia spike that isn't detected with test kits. Other possible causes are an imbalance of nutrients and/or low CO2 levels."

Your "sea urchin" like algae sounds like Cladophora. Nasty stuff, and hard to get rid of.

Two bulbs is all you need over a 29 gallon. Maybe even one T5 HO bulb will do.

I fought a green water problem for several days with no luck. So I purchased a UV filter, problem solved. Here is the thread i posted about my green water issue.


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## scags (Sep 22, 2003)

Hmmm, maybe I will look into a UV filter and cut back even more on the lighting. My ammonia level checked fine, but I don't check it every day.
I figured the water changes would solve the nutrient imbalance.


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## scags (Sep 22, 2003)

It seemed to get significantly worse once I stopped dosing Flourish Excel. I stopped dosing Excel because my shrimp kept freaking out and dying. People here said that excel does that and that it's poisonous, although Seachem claims it is shrimp safe.


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## Green024 (Sep 19, 2009)

I would also suggest switching over to dry ferts. I do not know much about liquids, but I do know that they will cost you more in the long run on a 30 gallon tank. Hydrogen Peroxide works just as well as Excel. There shouldn't be a need to dose with flourish excel, I only use it to spot treat algae nowadays.
Someone will correct me if I am wrong, but I am just going by exp.


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## NJAquaBarren (Sep 16, 2009)

+1 uv filter

Liquid fertz aren't the source. Liquid vs dry won't matter other than expense.


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## ValorG (Dec 27, 2003)

Uv filterrrrrrr


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## Beeps (Jan 5, 2010)

UV Sterilizer will work wonders. I went through a bloom in my new tanks first month after I messed with the canister filter. Water was like pea soup. 4 days after putting in a Sterilizer my tank is so clear it's hard to believe there is any water in there. I bought an inexpensive one from Petsmart but still cost me $49.


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## Buff Daddy (Oct 19, 2010)

X infinity on the UV filter... Too easy to setup with a powerhead. There have been some great deals on the Bay lately.


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## houseofcards (Mar 21, 2009)

Buff Daddy said:


> X infinity on the UV filter


X infinity and beyond. If you have GW, don't try to figure out the 'balance' if set properly the UV will keep your tank crystal and also benefit fish.


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