# I have green water??



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

My tank has been set up for 3 1/2 weeks. For the past week the water is getting more and more cloudy. Visibility maybe down 40%-60%. Doesn't really look that green, hard to tell with all the green eheim and green plants reflections. It almost looks more like "smoke" is rising through the water, easiest to see where lighting and circulation are at their higest. 

Is this green water, or should I be concerned that something else needs to be considered and corrected.

thanks


----------



## Jason Baliban (Mar 3, 2005)

I would say it is GW. I UVS or a diatom will help you out.
jB


----------



## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

that's the beginning of green water. it will get thicker and greener.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

It's not a big deal. From what I have read here, it ought to disappear shortly, and apparently does no harm to the fish and plants. I could get a uv but why? Just the natural course of events - right? I hope the bga (I think it's bga) should go away too after things settle down? Am I right?


----------



## Biznatch (Mar 26, 2005)

lol no green water will not just go away. Once it starts it will keep going untill you get it all out with either a UV or diatom. My tank looks like pea soup because the guy I ordered my UV from took over a week just to ship it and it wont be here till tuesday. Even my diatom filter isn't doing much to it and I'm recharging it daily.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Green water is hard to get rid of. I should know. I had green water for more than a month. It just went away about 3 weeks ago. I did water changes like there's no tomorrow without making a dent in it.

I got so tired of seeing my tank green that I was going to buy the uv light thingy, but I decided to do a 3 day blackout instead (some people do 4 days) to see what would happen. Luckily it went away. I didn't fertilize for a week just to make sure.

Before the green water, I had BGA. I used antibiotics to try and get rid of the bga and instead got green water. I guess the gw managed to choke out the bga because it's gone. Now the water is normal again.

Try a blackout first before buying a uv or diatom. You never know if it'll work for you like it did for me and many other others.

Lissette


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

I'm fighting the same problem. Does'nt it hurt the plants to black it out for 4 days??????? How about algae destroyer????


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

A 3 day blackout will not hurt the plants (with the exception of a rare few). They'll become a little pale, but for the most part, they'll survive and bounce back within a day or so. 4 days is questionable to me, but some people have done it without problems.

Chemicals to get rid of algae such as "Algae Destroyer", is generally not recommended for a planted tank. This stuff could easily kill your plants just as well, I hear tell. 


Lissette


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

I think it has been around for about 2.5 weeks. It seems to get a _little_ better by the end of the night. Lissette, If things don't clear up in another week or 2 I'll try the blackout before I buy a UV.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Mikey,

GW thrives in the light. Having the lights on makes the situation worse (I know, believe me). That's why a blackout or a uv is a good option. 

Just remember, before a blackout, clean the tank real well, do a 50% w/c, dose your macros. After the b/o, clean the tank again and do another 50% water change, dose your macros, but take it easy with traces. Cut lighting hours; say from 10 hours to 8 hours a day for a few days and see what happens.

The water may look a tiny bit green for a few days, but that will go away after you balance the tank out.

Good Luck.

Lissette :wink:


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I blacked out my tank yesterday and checked this morning while I fed the fish. CRYSTAL CLEAR. I've got it blacked out again today just to be safe.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Rickyt,

Your very Welcome. I'm glad it worked for you.

Lissette roud:


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Wish me luck. Started my 3 day blackout this evening. I guess you must still feed the fish?


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

mikey,

When you do a blackout, you don't feed the fish.

The 1st time I did a b/o, I was also worried about the fish, but believe me, they will do just fine. Remember to completely cover the tank, and no peeking. 

Good luck.

Lissette :wink:


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

I guess I also cut off the CO2?


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Co2 shouldn't be running while blacking out the tank. The plants, at this stage, are taking a rest. 

Once you're finished with the blackout, you can turn the co2 back on.

Lissette


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Well, I did a three day blackout and my tank was clear but a few days later its worst. I'm only running four 25w 9325k normal lights (total 100w) on a 135g semi-planted tank with two fluvals. What now??????????


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Thanks for the encouragement ....lol. I uncovered my tank on sat night after 3 days blackout. Looked 90%+ clear. Had diatom algae growth (surprise) but things looked pretty good. I hope it doesn't go south from here but I will keep you posted.

Dosed KNO3 and K2SO4, (tap is 2-3 ppm PO4 already). I think it was Lissette who warned about adding too many traces the first week or so, so I have not dosed them yet.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Actually you just re-encouraged me, Mikey. I covered mine again last night. I'll uncover thursday morning. If this doesn't work I quess the thing to do would be to pull all the plants out and buy fake'ens but I thought plants aided the fight against algae.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Rickyt,

Sorry to hear that it came back. Green Water is a tricky thing. Once you blackout a tank, and the water has cleared up, you should be conservative when it comes to dosing ferts, just my opinion. Macros didn't pose a problem for me, but adding traces truly made it worse. I saw the water literaly turn thicker, deeper green in a matter of minutes. That's why I held back on the traces for at least 4 days after the blackout. I only dosed half the normal when I felt it was safe. Patience is a virtue when it comes to dealing with this thing.

I'm not saying that the same thing will happen to you, I'm just saying, "Play it Safe" because you never know. Make sure your co2 is running Big Time (25-30 ppm). This is very important if you want to stimulate the plants appetite to compete for nutrients, which in turn subdues algae.

Remember, w/c is very important, do at least 50% once or twice a week. If it gets worse, then my friend, you should get a uv light. That should definitely get rid of the green water, and maybe do a blackout during the time you're using it. I've read some people do this with very good results.

I hope this helps. 

mikey,

I wish you luck. Keep us posted.

Lissette

Lissette :smile:


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

I dont have co2. Should I turn off the air stone?


----------



## endparenthesis (Jul 13, 2004)

I've read Flourish Excel has some undocumented algacidal benefits. I guess there's something to it because I had a tank with GW that I happened to add some Excel to, and it was gone by morning.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

You need the airstone on while b/o your tank. I missed that one. Definitely important for the fish.

Lissette :wink:


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

*I'm thru!*

I'm thru! I've done two blackouts and everything else. Evidently my tank is cursed. 8 long months of cloudy nasty water.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

rickyt,

What works for some people doesn't always work for others.

Try the diatom or a uv. You didn't mention using any of them. Don't give up yet until you've tried everything. You never know. 

Lissette


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

A quick update -

Been one week since end of blackout. GW has slowly and partially come back. Doesn't look as bad as it did before blackout. Did wc after 4 days. Will do another tomorrow. Alagae is creeping around too. BGA and some kind of hair or brush algae on some of the plants. 

As far as I can tell I'm doing things according to hoyle (ala the planted tank general consesus's (not a real word)). Pretty frustrating. Dosing, CO2, lighting, substrate, wc, all match the average expert opinions.

Keep on truckin!


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Found inexpensive cure for the problem. I emptied my tank completely, cleansed with bleach, and started all over again. The only other option was to hit it with my baseball bat. Good luck, Mikey. Thanks Lissette.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you rickyt. 

Oh man, I know how you feel. I had to do the same thing when the eco-complete started going crazy changing my water parameters.

But sometimes, tearing it all down and starting all over again is better. You can correct mistakes that were made in the past by tracking every move you make. I keep a log (since starting over) of all the things that I do with my tank with regards to dosing, and making comments about how my plants and fish look. It helps.

I never thought about the bat; but if i keep having problems, I'll consider it. :icon_bigg


Lissette


----------



## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

I think Tom Barr has always stressed the importance of keeping NO3 up DURING blackout, and afterwards. Otherwise, blackout is not effective.


----------



## limz_777 (Jun 29, 2005)

*green*

my tanks water is greenish too, did the blackout thing ,didnt work. is it because my tank was place near the window where sunlight hits in?


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Baseball bat is a great idea. Don't have one but I guess ny 9 iron would do the trick?

Shalu...I used a heavier dose of NO3 just before I covered the tank. When I uncovered it 3 days later the NO3 was at 20ppm but I welcome any other observations or comments you may have.

I have measured, logged, and tested daily since day 1 of my setup. I know something ain't right, just don't know what. All my parameters have been fairly consistent from the get go. For the 5 weeks my tank has been up they have been

NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 5-20 ppm
CO2 30-50
pH 6.4 - 6.6
KH 4 - 6 (eco-complete fluctuation I think?)
PO4 1-2
K (don't know or test but dose 1/16 Tbs (3/16 tsp) 2x week)
Trace flourish 3 ml/ 2x week

I generally use both Salifert and AP test kits for each test just to be sure. Hey .... .what do ya want? This is my first tank and I need to get a feel for all these parameters.

What else can I do? I could break down the tank, but that would not make sense to me because it seems like I have things pretty right. Moderately planted.

This picture was taken one week ago, since then the algae has gotton a lot worse. Sorry for the inaccurate photo.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

What happens if your forced to add an average fish load right off the bat when starting over??

My old filters should still host bacteria.

The only thing I discovered that looked like a big problem was that my eight month old fluval 404's intake and exhaust lines were plum filthy inside. I ran a cleaning brush in them and then water; pure black water came out filled with all kinds of yuck!

So far even my new set up is cloudy; but I think its normal. I ran bleach thru it like crazy. 

For anyone dealing with the problem; my sugggestion save some money, time, and aggrivation - clean it good and start over. GET-R-DONE


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

*Oh, oh*

Hey guys,

Guess what? I discovered last night that I have bga again. What a bummer! Where's the BAT, darn it!?

But seriously though, this is getting to be a little too familiar for me. You know, when I first set up my tank I never thought that I've come across so many problems just to keep a planted tank. Like many other people, I thought that all you had to do was "set it, and forget it" (I think I've heard that somewhere).

I know that when you do a b/o you're supposed to dose no3 (Kent Nitro +) before and after, but this crap came back. I use Aquar/Pharm. test kits to test no3. According to Tom Barr, low no3 causes bga. He also says that test kits are inaccurate. My test kit shows that I have around 10 ppm no3. Could he actually have a point here? Could it be that I barely have no3 in the water but my test kit says that I do? Hmmm. I hate guessing games.:icon_conf

I'm going to dose more no3 after the blackout to see if I can keep bga in check. Right now, bga is in the beginning of its stage. I'm doing a blackout right now, and I'll be uncovering the tank on Tuesday.

Going Nuts In NY,
Lissette


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

rickyt,

Planning on doing that if this doesn't work out. I'm beginning to suspect that the eco-complete (a very bad batch) really did me in. I never had issues like bga, green water and many others until I added this substrate to my tank.

I remember that when I used Flora Max gravel, I never had these problems.

Darn.

Lissette

PS: By the way Mikey, nice tank.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Hey Lissette,

Maybe you are on to something. Maybe the eco is contributing to the problem. Would be interesting if we could post and correlate eco to increases in algae problems. We already know that if corrupted, it can add to KH & GH problems. It has in my case, although to be honest even though it is screwing up my KH & GH, that is not hurting my fish or plants I don't think.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

*Tell me about it*

Hello Mikey,

If you're interested, you can read about the problems that this crappy substrate did to my water. Here's a link: http://aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44206&highlight=eco-complete+high 

I really believe that this gravel is the biggest culprit regarding most of the problems that I've encountered. If I start all over again (very likely), I'll buy a different gravel. I don't care if there's a new batch of eco being sold, I'll never touch it again.

You're lucky, I had a few fish fatalities because of this gravel. I think that the water changes, kh, and gh fluctuations and such stressed out my fish and they couldn't take it. When Carib-Sea didn't answer any of my calls or e-mail, I complained to the bbb. I don't regret it. Afterwards, they gave me a refund for the product, which to me, is a small consolation considering what I went through.:icon_roll 

Lissette


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

OK Lissette (btw love the name)

Before I go off half cocked and start a ruckus, your opinion - same for you rickyt

Im starting to get pxxxxx oxx 

How can it be that we, being above average intelligence (this applies to most of the members of tpt I am sure) and able to follow general instructions - you know, how to choose substrates, dosing, maintaining water parameters, testing, CO2 additions, etc. can have so much trouble with algae.

We read the board diligently, follow as best we can, do the right things (mostly) and end up in algae hell. You would think that if most of the members have on-going and discouraging algae problems, this particular genre of the hobby (planted tanks) would not grow or even survive. 

What is up with that. Are we all being duped or misled by the nature or momentum of these forums?

It seems so unlikely that the hobby would flourish if a large percentage of the hobbiests had nothing but trouble. I don't claim to be a genius, but I think all 3 of us as well as countless others that post and experience these problems are pretty close to having things set up correctly as per the advice gleaned from reading these forums. So why is it that our reasonable expectations are so difficult to achieve? I just don't get it.


----------



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

A little thing I am missing in your interesting discussion... Have you measured your phosphate levels?

I know, I know, nowadays everyone just dumps in that powder without the need for test kits. But if you do have problems, you might just want to spend a few bucks on a test kit or two, you know, before whipping out the baseball bat or bleach bottle.

Green water, like other algae, is a sign for some imbalance. Often it occurs in new tanks, and goes away very easy on it's own. New tanks are not established with a variety of organisms that keep these explosions under control. Recently added plants don't grow too well yet, and adding too many ferts might just get you that tasty pea soup.

Getting back to the phosphates... no I am not suggesting they might be too high. As ppl have found out, if they are very low (zero) while nitrates are good or high, adding some can take care of that green water. Of course, every tank is different, etc etc so no guarantees here.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

I test everything daily. I have two full sets of test kits. One set is from Salifert, and the other is from AP. I kinda randomly pick a kit but I use them all about equally.

Phosphate out of the tap is between 2 and 3 ppm. In my tank it usually goes down to between 1 and 2 ppm before wc. Then back up to 2 - 3. I have considered raising the phosphate level (mostly out of desperation and not knowing what else to try). Up until now I have never added phosphate chemicals other than what comes out of the tap. I bought some from Greg Watson but have never added any yet.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Mikey, thanks for the compliment, he, he. I knew you'd like that for some reason. :tongue: 

You must have read my mind. I was thinking the same exact thing. Of course, you explained it a lot better than me.

I'm no brainiac. But I can follow instructions. I have read tons of information regarding planted tanks and it's like I can never get it right. Just when I think I'm making progress...Boom algae.

I'm hoping that this time, by adding more No3, things will get balanced.

Wasserpest, thanks for the input.

I do test for Po4. I try to keep it at 1.00 ppm or sometimes a little higher. I add, depending on the needs of my plants, about 5 to 7 mls of traces 2x or 3x a week. If I add too much, I get a lot of fuzz algae, which I want to avoid. I also dose 1/2 tsp of K.

I've got no problems when it comes to Po4. I have more than enough coming out of the tap, and the plants love it. But it's the No3 that I'm concerned about. I think that my test kit is wrong. I don't believe that I have 10 ppm. 

I'm saying this because I noticed that my L. Repens hasn't looked healthy in a long while. She's just pale green without a hint of red. I also noticed last night that 3 of its leaves were floating in the water. The tips of its leaves were yellowish with a little brown at the center. This plant is the only plant in my tank that easily shows deficiencies. There's something going on here. I think that if I add more No3, the Repens will respond (No3 makes her happy, Tom Barr says so). I think that this is the deficiency and may also be the reason the BGA is back. 

What do you guys think?

Lissette


----------



## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

I think NO3 testing gets countless people in trouble. The problem is often not that the test kit is "wrong" per se, but it reports both inorganic and organic(most of fish waste) nitrate. This is particularly problematic for people with substantial fish load. I had a few discussions with Tom Barr. How do I explain that I had NO3 deficiency when I had >40ppm NO3, Lamotte? My case is extreme: feeding 1lb of fozen food per week, organic waste buildup is tremendous, with no additional inorganic NO3 input(I wasn't dosing any). Skipping feeding for a day or two, and NO3 deficiency shows up, even though it still measures sky high. Solution for me is to change more water to reduce organic waste buildup(for fish health) while adding back inorganic KNO3. Yes, I did get a case of BGA even when NO3 was measuring high, now I know why.


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

shalu,

I appreciate your comments. I have a light to moderate fish load. I also feed my fish every other day. I felt as though I was over feeding them, so I've been doing this for the past 2 weeks.

Do you think there's an No3 deficiency in my case? I guess the only way to find out is to test it by watching the Repens. I'll add more No3. I'll note it down in my daily log just to see what happens, and I'll keep you guys updated after the blackout.


Lissette :wink:

P.S.: I get 0 No3 out of the tap.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

I have a non existant fish load. 2 cories, 1 skunk loach 1.5", and 1 krib 2" in a 50. And I feed real light. 2 shrimp pellets (tiny) and about 4 medium flakes a day. My nitrates are usually 10 - 20 with the Salifert (I think more accurate) and 40 or so with the AP. I don't trust the AP as well. Harder to read if nothing else. And yes I do shake for the requisite 1 min, and then the 1 min again.

Going to Key West this am with the family. See y'all next week. Maybe y'all can solve this before I get home LOL.

Good discussion if I do say so myself. LOL


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

SO far so good, My tank is pretty and clear! I spent hundreds of dollars over the past few months. Starting over was the best thing to do. Good luck Lissette. I quess I'll put my baseball bat back into the closet.lol


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Thanks Rickyt.

Lissette


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Well, its been 10 days since I restarted and my tank has never been better. I haven't lost a single fish and my water is clearer than clear!


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Fantastic! Keep up the good work.

Lissette roud:


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Hey rickyt,

Is your tank still clear? Been a week or more hasn't it?

My tank got worse and worse. Went on vacation for a week, came home this monday night. WOW! what a mess. Red, green, bba, everywhere. GW so thick you could barely make out the plants. On a better note however the plants seemed to have really grown well.

Anyway, on wed, cleaned the filter, cleaned the tank, trimmed, scrapped, rubbed, and covered. Maybe that will do it. Oh yeah, brought NO3 up to 30ppm for the hibernation.

Keeping my fingers crossed


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Hey Mikey,

Starting over was the best thing I ever done. Its crystal clear(PERFECT)! I still have not lost a fish. My tank has never been so great. Good luck!!


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Its back! My tank was crystal clear. I added a few more plants and woke up the next morning to the same ole nightmare.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

you and me both brother.

here is a pic taken tonite 6 days since my last 3 day blackout. Looked alomst completely clear on last sat night. Bought a 9w turbo twist. Got it today. Gonna do an experiment and see if like people say, that the gw water will "burn itself out" if left alone. No wc etc. Then its time to fire up the twist.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Please let me know if you find a cure


----------



## snake (Jan 11, 2005)

Rickyt,
I occasionaly get haze/gw when I move plants around. What I do is use an old powerhead that was designed to fit on tube of u/g filter. I buy those cylinder inline water filters( 2for3.99 at WalM) and with the use of duct tape to seal end of filter I put cone end of power head into oposite end of said filter and into tank for 24 hrs. Crystal clear with homeade "diatom.
In my opinion you need a lot more plants(fast growing nutrient sucking stems)
or GW and other algaes will return.
Dean


----------



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

mikey said:


> Gonna do an experiment and see if like people say, that the gw water will "burn itself out" if left alone. No wc etc.


Definitely try this. Give it 8 to 10 days. If it doesn't work, do the twist :fish:


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

what twist?


----------



## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

The twist... the twist... the turbo-twist!! 9W of algae-annihilating radiation, by Coralife!!

<<dancing around in the room>>


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

don't want to jinx myself, but it's been 1 1/2 days and so far it looks like "the twist" is one bad xxxxxxxxx.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

I did a 70% w/c and lowered lighting down to 100w on my 135g.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Mikey, I double dosed the tank three days in a row with algae destroyer from walmart and my tank seems to be clearing up pretty good.


----------



## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

My 2 month old 10 gallon has officially cleared up from green water. I did not use chemicals or blackout. I kept full dosing and full light(actually upgraded lighting to 6wpg with ahsupply reflectors before gw cleared up), but did this:
1) stuffed HOB filter full of polyester, turn filter flow to maximum. Rinse it only when flow is significantly impeded and the padding is dark brown. Slightly clogged polyester is more effective filtering out small floating particles.
2) added a few willow tree branches, after reading about it on the forums.

It took about a week for the water to turn crystal clear.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Bravo and all that!. I been thinking about all this lately in reguards to my tank. Was your 10 like a virgin? You know, sterile water, sterile substrate, sterile plants, sterile filter, glass, and whatever else there was? Just curious?


----------



## shalu (Jan 16, 2003)

I don't sterilize anything I put in the tank, you know, no bleach or anything like that. But everything was newly setup two months ago. The green water was probably caused by my putting way too much peat under the substrate. Decaying organic matter releases NH3/NH4, which is the cause of green water.


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Shalu - my bad - I didn't really mean sterilize, I just meant new, like out of the bag and out of the box new. No stuff from other tanks etc.

rickyt

On a happy note I will say that after one month of gw going from bad to worse, the "twist" has made my water pristine and clear as a bell. I know its kinda cheating, and I wanted to conquer gw "au natural" but since I am a newbie, with so many things to figure out I don't feel but so bad.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

so far it looks like I'm okay


----------



## conny1908 (Oct 26, 2003)

I have never had green water in any of my tanks - until a 5-day-blackout after Hurricane Dennis. My 46g and 130g are fine, but I have had green water in my 55g ever since. Have been doing 40% water changes every other day religiously since mid-July and haven't fertilized since, but it hasn't helped 

Should I try the blackout method?


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Yes, please try. There's nothing to lose, except the sight of your fish for 3 days.

I just recently had green water (again) like Mikey and Rickyt. After a 3 day blackout, the water was still cloudy, but, believe it or not, whatever was wrong, corrected itself, because my tank has been crystal clear for 2 weeks now.

Some people do more than one b/o (like I did). Whatever works. If all else fails, try a uv, which no doubt should work. That was my last resort.

Lissette

P.S. By the way, just to let you guys know that I continued to dose macros & micros although the water was cloudy. (keep in mind, however, that what worked for me, may not work for you. Only time will tell. 

I hope you guys get it worked out. I know how tiring it can be.


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Mine comes and goes, for three days its been hazy but not cloudy. I reduced the lights on my 135g to 1wpg. My plants seem to be okay. I've been using NO 9325k's but switched to a power glo/aqua glo combo(2 36" across front and the other 2 in back). 

What is the best light for fish coloration and plant growth: 50/50, aqua glo. power glo, 10k, 6500k????????


----------



## Lissette (Apr 2, 2005)

Rickyt,

It's just a matter of personal preference. I don't like the 6500k, it looks too green by itself. The 10,000k is very bright, I believe the 9325k is close to it except that the 9325k has a nice rosy pink color to it. I have the same one and it took me a while to get used to the color. 

I mix a 5,500k with the 9325k, and the color is soothing. I also added a black background to the tank which brings out the tank's overall color. Try mixing the bulbs that you have and see if there is a color scheme that pleases your eyes.

I wouldn't touch the 50/50. I hear this is for saltwater or reef tanks. You'll get very little benefit from using it in your tank with regards to your plants. I've never used Aqua-glo or Power-glo.

This is how both 9325k and 5,500k look mixed together.









Lissette


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Just to finish out my part of this thread. It has now bee 2 1/2 weeks since I hooked up my turbo twist, and not a hint of green water or cloudy water since. It sure has been a winner in my book!


----------



## rickyt (May 5, 2005)

Mikey,

Do you have to intergrate the twist into your filters inlet/outlet tubing or do you just place in the tank?


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

I had to hook it up to my filter. Eheim 2126 output into an Aqua Medic Reactor 1000, out of the AM into the Turbo Twist, out of the Twist and into the spraybar. 

Pretty easy if you have the 16/22 mm Eheim hose that comes standard with the 2126. I use hose clamps on all connections.. The Twist comes with 2 adapters for other size hoses (not sure the sizes). But man let me tell you, It will make your gw disapper within a few days!!! And I believe it will never return.


----------



## Kyle V (May 17, 2005)

Mikey, I'm thinking of breaking down and investing in a turbo twist, the GW battle is just getting to be too much. I blackout, start EI, and a few weeks later it comes back, I blackout again, adjust my ferts, and start over…then a few weeks later the GW comes back again…it’s been like this for a few months, and since the UV is a ‘cure’, I think I might have to go that route…my desire to fix the problem ‘naturally’ just isn’t working...anyway, my set up is very similar to yours too, in that I've got an eheim canister that flows into an aquamedic 1000, that flows into the tank. Per your setup, it looks like I can just add the twist into the system after the aquamedic, and everything should work well. I guess my question to you is where’d you get yours? Big Al’s seems to have the best price at about $78. Also, do you just run the thing 100% of the time…like, is it just part of the system at this point? Finally, are there any drawbacks to speak of, ie; does it require a lot of maintenance or replacement bulbs or cleaning…?

Thanks in advance for the info.

Kyle


----------



## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

One thing I think everyone is missing is AMOUNT of plants. Green water is a huge colony of single cell algea. Very effcient at getting rid of excess nutrients, however it is a cycle and forcing it out of the cycle is hard to do. All natural bodies of water have this algea, but when the plant density is high and balanced with the nutient input from the water then this algea is "at bay". Some of the pics of tanks that have algea problems seem to be pretty bare of plants. probably about one or two hand fulls. You need about 1 gallon of plants per 10 gallons of tank to really out complete the algea. ( what I mean by this is if I were to take out ALL my plants out of my 20L they would fill two gallon ice cream pails with the lids on...without smushing the plants...and then some. However, if i think the plant colonies too much algea will creep back in. I am fighting algea in my 20H now GWA... I have found that at one time I could keep it balanced HOWEVER, I thind the plants out and threw out too many plants, cause some were not physcally atractive specimins anymore...a bit deformed not picture perfect,...now the tank has more GW again. I put in amazon pennywort and let it cover the top of the water for abotu 2 weeks...it has kept the GW in check, but not eliminated it. I do not does the tank very often, I have shrimp im trying to breed in there, I do 50% water changes aprox and run a diatom filter from time to time... But i think that I need to put some plant spikes in the gravel and redo my plantings... NEVER EXPECT THIS TO GO AWAY OVERNIGHT.. you can mess up the tank so easily that even if you get rid of gw it may come back when you get dumb and trim to hardcore one day or another mistake i made on one tank.. i took all the plants out.... let them sit on damp surfaces, NOT IN BOWLS like i normallly would, and then replanted the tank... it took me about an hour but the plants sort of stunted and now I have a "fresh" tank to deal with again.. it has taken two weeks to get to a stable condition again.. and not totally algea free like before...

Check this site out...
http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/freshref/algaepa.html


----------



## Kyle V (May 17, 2005)

Thanks for the info Fedge. I'm not really sure I understood what you were getting at, but something that stood out is that you have had GW outbreaks after large prunings. 

My tank is heavily planted (but not a jungle) with Ludwigia repens, Rotala rotundifolia, Australian Ambulia, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Eusteralis stellata, Limnophia aromatica, Anubias nana, blyxa japonica, and Glossostigma elatinoides. The L. repens, R. indica, and Ambulia and are all very fast growing and need to be kept in check regularly. I wonder if I should prune smaller amounts, more regularly. 

Either way, I don’t think my tank is under-planted, or that the GW is a result of lack of competition from the plants. 

My water is perfectly clear now, and has been for about a week…once it turns bad again though, I think I’m going to have to opt for the UV sterilizer…thanks again for the info, and for the link.

Rgds, Kyle


----------



## mikey (Mar 14, 2004)

Hey Kyle

I got my turbo at premium aquatics. I guess I have always opted for the small family type business where I could. I think the price was about the same as Big Al's. Have used Big Al's and like them too! 

Yes just a straight hook up after the am 1000. Hoses are almost an exact fit (16/22 mm) but like I said before I always use hose clamps for insurance.

Have not touched it since installation about a month ago. I run it 24/7 and expect to have to replace the bulb one day. Have not really looked into that yet. And you're probably right, it probably needs some kind of cleaning one day?

Fedge -

your point is right on. I have often thought about the tank's plant mass and it's relation to all this algae crap. I sure don't have any intelligent answers to the question, but you do. Thanks.


----------



## rook (Sep 8, 2005)

Very good thread. My 300 gal has had GW algae for about 2 weeks now. Am going to try the blackout for three day method, then if that doesn't work, try the UV sterilizer. Will update when results are in.


----------



## bastalker (Dec 8, 2004)

I think Fedge hit the nail on the head! You need to stuff the tank full of plants!! Not a hand full, but a bucket full of fast growing plants. most fast growing stem plants are fairly cheap, so just get a butt load of em...

After everything calms down, an the plants are eatin everything in site, you can start replacing them an gettin the scape goin.


----------

