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green algae water

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  southafrica1001 
#1 ·
hey guys, long time no post. hope everyone's doing well.

i've got a 55 gal freshwater for my two goldfish. they're doing swell. a couple of weeks ago i wiped a whole mess of green algae out of the tank. it's gone now, except the water has retained this deep yucky greenish color. i've done two 15% water changes since then and it's not helping.

i'm sure this has been answered many times before but i'll ask again: what should i do?

i've already reduced their feeding by about 1/4 and also cut down the photo-period to just 6hrs a day. the fish seem to be healthy but it's really looking nasty.

any advice would be greatly appreciated!

take care,

eli
 
#4 ·
thanks for the replies people.

glad to hear for sure that the water's harmless. the fish are just as frisky as ever. i guess they don't really care about aesthetics.

herefishy- readings are normal. there is some sunlight that leaks into my room and shines on the tank, but apart from closing the blinds there's not much i can do about it. i will perform the water changes that you suggested.

okie- i don't have anything organic in the tank aside from the fish themselves. no live plants or fertilizer or anything. i thought that would help keep me algae free, but i guess as they say in jurassic park "nature finds a way".

thanks again guys, i'll let you know how things turn out.

-eli
 
#5 ·
Yeah, you might want to consider getting a low maintenance plant, like java fern, to eat up some of those extra nutrients. Fish create nutrients in their waste, etc. that plants feed on. Not enough for a planted tank, but certainly enough for a couple undemanding plants. I've got water lettuce in my tank, that just takes over. I take off a huge handful every week or so. It's a nice floating plant (kinda like a lily pad) and the roots suck up plenty of nutrients. Plus, you it's hard for them not to get enough light, as the leaves are above water.

I got a bunch from my LFS for $2 and it's not stopped reproducing since then. If you can't find any, I'll be happy to send you some if you send me a prepaid shipping box...but I doubt it would be worth it.
 
#6 ·
hey people.

my water's still green. i really want to clean it up and get it looking sharp. I know it doesn't bug the fish too much, but everyone who sees the tank wonders why the water's so nasty.

i don't really want live plants in the tank.

any tips?
 
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