# How to make green water ?



## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this , I guess it could be considered DIY also.... Mods please move to appropriate page if need be.


I'm trying to make green water for my daphnia but I'm struggling ! I blended some lettuce leaves with tank water and poured it through a coffee filter into 2 juice bottles, 1 has the lid on so it's air tight and one has a sponge stuffed where the cap should go to allow air in and gave left both outside in full sun.
Fast forward 10 days and the airtight bottle looks the same with no change of color and the other has white mold/fungus floating on the surface, neither look right so what am I doing wrong ?


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

No pros on this subject ?


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## WheeledGoat (Mar 17, 2013)

well, so far as green water, I think I'm semi-pro, at least!! lol

what were the lettuce leaves supposed to do?

i might try seeding the tank water a little more - you gotta have some algae of some form or another in your tank - scrape it off and use it! also, why doncha try a large-mouth container for better gas exchange, instead of a bottle? maybe a clear tupperware container to allow sunlight in, with a cloth overtop to keep out debris?

... what are you doing, though, again? I had to google daphnia - is this what you're talking about? are they food for something else?


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## amberoze (May 22, 2012)

Feed the bottles with fish flakes daily. Leave the caps off to promote air exchange, you could even drop air stones in to help.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


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## MrEnglishMuffin (Mar 14, 2013)

So what you're trying to do is create diatoms and other algae in your tank? If so, just pick up some of Aqueon's plant food from your LFS, and drop it in!


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

WheeledGoat said:


> well, so far as green water, I think I'm semi-pro, at least!! lol
> 
> what were the lettuce leaves supposed to do?
> 
> ...


Im trying to grow green water to feed my daphnia and keep them reproducing. The water i left outside in juice bottles is from a planted tank which i EI dose. 



amberoze said:


> Feed the bottles with fish flakes daily. Leave the caps off to promote air exchange, you could even drop air stones in to help.
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


I have a sponge inserted in the bottle so it allows air exchange but stops bugs from getting in. Only problem is that the bottle has developed some white mold floating on the surface.



MrEnglishMuffin said:


> So what you're trying to do is create diatoms and other algae in your tank? If so, just pick up some of Aqueon's plant food from your LFS, and drop it in!


Its not for a tank, i just want to be able to grab a turkey baster and suck some green water out and squirt it into my daphnia container so they can feed on it.


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## MrEnglishMuffin (Mar 14, 2013)

Oh alright then! Go and grab some river rocks, specifically brown ones. They for some reason carry a lot of breeding grounds for diatoms. Go to your LFS and grab some Seachem plant fertilizer. Add some extra dosage, and add a lot of light. This will force diatoms to breed like crazy in there. (Even when you change the water)


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

I dont think Diatoms and phytoplankton (which is what i want) are the same algae.


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## Monster Fish (Mar 15, 2011)

Drop some ammonia based fertilizer in an open container of water and place it outside in the sun. You'll eventually get green water. The lettuce method is only good for insuforia.


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## stevenjohn21 (May 23, 2012)

Please explain why the lettuce method is no good for daphnia ?


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## thelub (Jan 4, 2013)

Can you feed daphnia spirulina?


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## Kai808 (Jul 19, 2011)

Good luck with the green water. I have 3 bins side by side, growing aquatic plants outside. They all have top soil mixed with Organic Miracle Grow as a substrate. 2 of them have green water and one is clear. I added a little more soil to one of the remaining green water bins to cover a some roots and the green water cleared up after a day. I'm still not sure what causes it. But this is what I know from my experience.

1. You need high light, some nutrients, and maybe soil.

2. You have to expect clear water. Green water doesn't show up when you want it to. Only when you don't. :icon_wink


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## Steve001 (Feb 26, 2011)

stevenjohn21 said:


> Not sure if this is the correct place to post this , I guess it could be considered DIY also.... Mods please move to appropriate page if need be.
> 
> 
> I'm trying to make green water for my daphnia but I'm struggling ! I blended some lettuce leaves with tank water and poured it through a coffee filter into 2 juice bottles, 1 has the lid on so it's air tight and one has a sponge stuffed where the cap should go to allow air in and gave left both outside in full sun.
> Fast forward 10 days and the airtight bottle looks the same with no change of color and the other has white mold/fungus floating on the surface, neither look right so what am I doing wrong ?


You should have Googled, how to culture daphnia, 
http://www.caudata.org/daphnia/




http://www.aka.org/wako/DaphniaCultureMadeSimple.htm
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fishfood/raisingdaphnia.php


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## vasol (Jan 22, 2013)

food coloring


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