# purigen for green water?



## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

To get rid of green water you need less light and a UV sterlizier usually helps. I don't think purigen will remove green water. If you can go down to 1 bulb in your fixture until it can be hung, that may help a bit.


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

i can't afford to get a uv sterilizer right now. i don't know if i can take a bulb out, i don't really like the idea of having the open sockets above water like that. :S i am a little paranoid.

i can try to hang the light myself. i am worried that i will end up doing it crooked or something. 

i am pretty sure purigen is supposed to help green water...


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## livingword26 (Oct 28, 2010)

Green water is living algae, I dont see how purigen can kill it. I second the UV. Here are some inexpensive ones. 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_i=B001KP9B2W


http://www.amazon.com/Aquatop-UV-St...86TG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338140186&sr=8-1


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## radioman (Oct 29, 2007)

A UV light solved my green water problem and it never came back after. A blackout can also help but I never had success with it. UV lights have really come down in price over the last couple of years and there are a lot you can put in your tank. Also look into the causes of green water to keep it from reoccurring.


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

purigen doesn't kill the algae, it filters it out. or it is supposed to.

well, i hung the light myself. only hammered my thumb once trying to pinch the things that hold the wire... :S it is a touch crooked, about 1/2 inch past one end of the tank, but not too bad overall. the light is now 5 inches from the top of the water. i hope that is enough. i am going to keep the light at 6 hours and see how it goes. 

radioman, i am not sure if you read my whole post but i mentioned that i have been looking for the cause. it seems that cutting back the length of time my light is on has helped a lot. but, it is not enough. 

it is so funny that every time i post about my green water issue i always get different (adamant) advice as to what is causing my problem. i am trying so hard to follow the advice but it is hard when i get told something else will fix my problem every time... :S

here is a picture of my light and the horrible state of my tank...


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

mindy said:


> purigen doesn't kill the algae, it filters it out. or it is supposed to.
> 
> well, i hung the light myself. only hammered my thumb once trying to pinch the things that hold the wire... :S it is a touch crooked, about 1/2 inch past one end of the tank, but not too bad overall. the light is now 5 inches from the top of the water. i hope that is enough. i am going to keep the light at 6 hours and see how it goes.
> 
> ...



Green water as said, is living algae in the water column. It is usually fed by excess ammonia/nitrite/nitrates and/or phosphates. If it's fueled by too much nitrous food (ammonia/nitrite/nitrates), then purigen would help as it would absorb those excess compounds. If it's fueled by excess phosphates, then purigen won't do much. You would need phosguard or something. Doing water changes will help remove the food from the water column that the algae is eating. Excess light is going to fuel the algae more, especially when there is lots of food for it to eat. The problem is once the algae has a hold (as with any algae outbreak in a tank, it's hard because it can grow faster than plants and use the food faster than the plants).

I don't think purigen will help unless the problem is excess nitrogen based compounds.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Purigen will not kill green water or absorb it. BUT if you have a lot of nutrients in organics in the water column. Purigen will absorb a lot of those. Thus it may help you out it will just take some time. Do a few water changes and try to get the organic load down as well.


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## jeremyTR (Mar 21, 2012)

I'd do 50% water changes daily and definitely get a UV sterilizer for that...


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

i have been doing water changes. it gets better to a point but never gets all the way better. i guess i will have to look for a uv sterilizer. (amazon does not ship to canada, unfortunately)


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## Jadenlea (Sep 15, 2011)

if you put a UV sterilizer on there you will be astounded at how crystal clear your water gets in a very short amount of time. (within a day or two)


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## GeToChKn (Apr 15, 2011)

mindy said:


> i have been doing water changes. it gets better to a point but never gets all the way better. i guess i will have to look for a uv sterilizer. (amazon does not ship to canada, unfortunately)


Ebay has them, lots of pond/aquarium shops online ship/sell to/from Canada. Big Al's canada has them, although a bit pricey.


Do you fertilize your plants, how much? How many fish in the tank and size of the tank? Raising the lights should help if you keep up with the water changes. You may want to raise them higher for now.


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## livingword26 (Oct 28, 2010)

Ebay probably carry's all of these as well


http://truaqua.com/uv-sterilization.html
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2750628
http://www.petco.com/product/114522...e-Internal-UV-Sterilizer-with-Power-Head.aspx


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

GeToChKn, i answered all your questions in my op, except for the amount of fish in the tank. i use the recommended amount of flourish for a 60 gallon tank.

i have 20 neons, 2 amano shrimp, 2 kuhli loaches (unfortunately i lost a few in the past few weeks... :S), 5 albino cories, and a baby (about 2 inches) bristlenose pleco.

i found this http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c222369/p16535768.html it is pricey, a lot more than i was hoping to spend right now.


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## antbug (May 28, 2010)

Daphnia would eat the green water and your fish will eat them. A lot cheaper than a UV.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Do you have a gravel vac? I would clean up the surface of the substrate. Keep doing yoru water changes and reduce light levels A LOT. do two-three photo periods. While a UV sterilizer will solve your problem as a forum we have to be able to come up with ideas that are not always BUY BUY BUY.


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

i have no idea where i could get daphnia. i actually like the idea of something like that.

i do have a gravel vac but i have sand for substrate. i am worried i will just suck all my sand out. i don't know how to clean it. i usually put the hose down next to the sand and suck out the loose stuff on top of the sand. i don't disturb it much.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Thats about what I do Mindy. You can also reduce the flow a lot with your finger over the end of the suction tube. Then just dont suck the sand up very fast and the light particles will leave but will let the sand stay in the tank. I would keep your filter media cleaned up as well. Take some tank water and rinse out all of your sponges and replace any dirty floss you have. Again reduce your nutrient load and the green water should eat itself to death.


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

thanks  that is what i did on thursday. i rinsed all my filter media in old tank water and changed the white filter pad for new stuff. 

when i turned my filter back on it seemed to have air trapped in it. what is the best way to open the valves again on my ehiem intake and output hoses to ensure water fills the canister? i had to do a lot of wiggling of the canister to get the air out. i don't know if i should have done that or not. i am new to canister filters...

oh, about reducing the suction to lift the sand only a little is a great idea. unfortunately i have a 25 foot hose that i put out the door and off the end of my deck to take the water out (it is the kind that attaches to a sink but i hate running water so long to take the water out!) and i am not able to touch the end of the hose while i am using the gravel vac. i wonder if i could close the valve some on the hose? i will have to try it tomorrow when i do another water change.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

Yes, close the valve on the hose or you can crimp the hose in half to reduce flow. Easier on your fingers than trying to pinch the hose.

I got rid of GW by allowing my plants to fill the tank or allowing floaters to completely cover the surface of the water. It was actually so dark in there it was hard to tell the water was finally clear. That worked until the next time I got cocky and disturbed the tank too much. Whatever that was. Be nice if I knew this was okay and that was not but I never did figure it out.

Since I put in huge sponges in my sump no more GW. It has been since September and I have done 2 major upheavals in the tank and no GW. I had been subscribing to the plants are providing plenty of biological filtration theory but in my tank clearly the plants need a little help. Super easy bio filtration addition would be to add a sponge prefilter to your intake and only rinse it in tank water.


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

Floating plants might help..at least it will cut some light from above and floating plants are a lot cheaper than UV filters.


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## kalawai2000 (Jan 15, 2011)

Do you have a outside light source to? Like windows near the tank?


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

Kathyy, i do have a sponge prefilter on my intake... :S i also have so many plants in my tank right now that there is barely any space left for more. i wouldn't mind getting some floaters for a while (not overly a fan of them in general) but, unfortunately, the store is almost 250 km away... cheaper to buy a uv sterilizer and get it shipped with gas as expensive as it is. haha!

i do have outside light sources. i have my tank between my french doors to the backyard and my large living room windows. i have started keeping the curtains closed when the light is directly on the tank. i will not live in darkness with the curtains closed all day.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Whats your rough stocking list? I would also feed very lightly to help it clear up as well.


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

thanks. i will feed less for a while then.

i have 20 neons, 2 amano shrimp, 5 albino cories, 2 kuhli loaches (i lost some lately  they really didn't like me doing all the water changes, which makes NO sense to me), and a small (~ 2 inch) bristlenose pleco.


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Well keep your livestock in mind. Just do what you can and with cleaner filters, cleaned gravel, and less food it will hopefully go away.  Best of luck!!!!!! I hate it when my water params get all messed up and things die


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

thanks. 

i can't for the life of me figure out why the kuhli loaches don't like the water changes.  i use prime to treat the water and i measure it very carefully. the only thing i can figure out is the pH. my tap water is 7.0 but the tank water gets to about 7.4. a 50% water change should only bring the pH to 7.2, right? i don't know, i guess that is too much for them? i just feel awful but i won't be getting anymore. i can't do that!


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## Hcancino (Jun 18, 2011)

kalawai2000 said:


> Floating plants might help..at least it will cut some light from above and floating plants are a lot cheaper than UV filters.


this x's1000 they will not only block out light but they will suck up any excess nutrients in your water and outcompete the green water. This option will be the best and most cost effective option


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

it is the most cost effect if you don't have to drive 500 km round trip with gas at $5.48/gallon to get it!


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

ok, i did a water change (only about 30% this time, i don't want to kill any more loaches! it turns out i only lost 2 in the past month, not 3 like i was thinking. they only come out when i do water changes or early in the morning, but i never know if i see all of them) and cleaned the glass as best i could, i took out algae covered plants and took out any dead leaves and cory eggs.

it is still cloudy but it is looking much better. i also changed my light to be on for 2 three hour periods rather than 6 straight hours.

here is a picture of what it is looking like today (cell phone picture)


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## stewardwildcat (Feb 24, 2010)

Is it clearing up?


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## mindy (Dec 22, 2010)

yes  crystal clear since about 3 days after the purigen was added.

the water is a little cloudy from a water change, but here is the latest picture i have


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