Green water algae?!

[Danikay]

hello, so I have a 90 gallon tank with two viparspecras. I keep getting green water algae. I’ve only been running my lights at 1% blue and 1% white and my water turns green within a couple days. I have two and a half sides of the tank painted black. What am I doing wrong? The lights only stay on about 6-8 hours a day.

 

[Spare time]

That is a phytoplankton bloom. Add a UV sterilizer (avoid the cheap ones without shields) and it will go away. These are usually pretty rare as you would need to lack their predators (which is a huge list of microfauna and filter feeders which are common to all but the newest tanks). The only concern is at night when oxygen drops so make sure to have good aeration at night.


Do you dose anything? Do you know the phosphate and nitrate levels (and the test kit)? How old is the tank?

 

[Danikay]

I just upgrade the tank within the last month. So technically yes it’s newish but not at the same time. First go around with the green algae I lost well over a thousand dollars worth of coral. Ended up completely emptying the tank. And soaked up as much water as i could on/in the sand with paper towels, painted the side of the tank black thinking that was the problem since yes it is beside a sliding glass door in a basement but never does it get direct sunlight(it’s a straight north facing door so basically on the shaded side)

Another thing Ive noticed and its going to sound crazy but the water turns greener faster when I use RO/DI water vs just plain well water(I live in rural iowa)

Phosphate was .22 on Friday. Checked by using a Hanna Checker

i have not recently checked nitrates.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

That looks like a boatload of phytoplankton

 

[AydenLincoln]

What is your water source? That can be a huge factor for many problems.

 

[Danikay]

What is your water source? That can be a huge factor for many problems.

I have an 4 stage ro/di

 

[Danikay]

That looks like a boatload of phytoplankton

Right. Lol I seriously considered bottling it up and selling it

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Right. Lol I seriously considered bottling it up and selling it

I'd probably buy it, lol

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Going along with Spare time’s comment, do you have anything in the tank that would eat phyto (Pods, filter feeders, larval tank inhabitants, etc.)?

 

[Danikay]

Going along with Spare time’s comment, do you have anything in the tank that would eat phyto (Pods, filter feeders, larval tank inhabitants, etc.)?

My tank inhabitants include, a 1-2 inch blue hippo tang, a 4-5 inch humu humu trigger I just got Thursday, two clowns and an annoying butt damsel and 1 Mexican turbo snail, but prolly not for long. Beings I’ve already watched the trigger try to eat it.

 

[firechild]

I'd be inclined to dump in a bottle or 2 of copepods, rotifers and any other zooplankton I could get my hands on. You'd end up with a pretty well established population once the green water is sorted.

 

[gbroadbridge]

I have an 4 stage ro/di

RODI does not remove Nitrates and Phosphates from the water.

Check the Nitrate and Phospate levels in newly mixed salt water to make sure they are zero

 

[Danikay]

I'd be inclined to dump in a bottle or 2 of copepods, rotifers and any other zooplankton I could get my hands on. You'd end up with a pretty well established population once the green water is sorted.

RODI does not remove Nitrate and Phospate from the water.

Check the Nitrate and Phospate levels in newly mixed salt water to make sure they are zero

I checked my phosphate in my tank on Friday and it was .22. I’ll check. Again when I get home. I did a big water change this morning and I still have some new saltwater in a brute can with a power head. But If I have phosphate in my saltwater before even putting it in the tank, then what?

 

[firechild]

RODI does not remove Nitrates and Phosphates from the water.

Check the Nitrate and Phospate levels in newly mixed salt water to make sure they are zero

Are you sure about that? Manufacturers make claims such as this:

I would think that both the RO membrane and DI resin would reduce phosphates and the RO membrane at least would remove nitrates.

 

[Spare time]

I just upgrade the tank within the last month. So technically yes it’s newish but not at the same time. First go around with the green algae I lost well over a thousand dollars worth of coral. Ended up completely emptying the tank. And soaked up as much water as i could on/in the sand with paper towels, painted the side of the tank black thinking that was the problem since yes it is beside a sliding glass door in a basement but never does it get direct sunlight(it’s a straight north facing door so basically on the shaded side)

Another thing Ive noticed and its going to sound crazy but the water turns greener faster when I use RO/DI water vs just plain well water(I live in rural iowa)

Phosphate was .22 on Friday. Checked by using a Hanna Checker

i have not recently checked nitrates.

I would still use RODI water. Do you know if there is anythig rusting? Any rocks not meant for reef tanks? I am just curious because something is making that water a luxury resort for phyto plankton.

The phosphates are very high, so consider using phosphate reducing media. I'd also check nitrate. A (quality) ICP might be handy.

I think it would be best to add a UV sterilizer at this point, as well as a nice copepod blend (not tigrio). This would be your best bet to stop the phyto from blooming. Something like a green killing machine could work, or you could get something up a tier.

 

[Danikay]

Okayy what size uv light would you recommend. One that isn’t super expensive. I’m not working right now and my bfs child support just went up too over 1200 a month so been kind of tight on money

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I agree that you have some prime conditions for culturing pods in that tank - as long as you can offer the pods some safe places to hide (plenty of rocks, a pod hotel, etc.), they would likely help out quite a bit with that green water.

 

[Spare time]

Okayy what size uv light would you recommend. One that isn’t super expensive. I’m not working right now and my bfs child support just went up too over 1200 a month so been kind of tight on money

The larger green killing machine is a cheaper one. Aquaultraviolet (or similar) would be the next steup up.

 

[Dburr1014]

Thread 'VERY cloudy, green water' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/very-cloudy-green-water.102166/

I remember the time it happened to me.
They sold a product called seakleer, I don't see it now, it bound up the algae and was able to skim/filter it out.
Good luck, shouldn't take long to clear it up.