[RexMundi]

My 29g is still cycling. Ph is at 7.0. Ammonia is zero but nitrites are high at 5ppm. Nitrates are starting to show up. But I'm looking through a haze of algae.

How do I clear this?
The filter is relatively clean.
There's an assortment of plants that seem to be doing well.
I've reduced the amount of food given.
Limiting light to about 10 hours.
I'm changing the water (while vacuuming the bottom) 10% each day.

None of this seems to make a difference.

The fish seem to be doing quite well; very active (or is that how fish scream?)

Any advice?

 

[Flear]

what color is the haze ?

 

[RexMundi]

The "haze" is yellowish to yellowish-green.

I just finished a 20% water change, which made a difference. Now i'll see how long that lasts.

Attached is a picture of the setup, as that usually helps with questions. The "haze" is visible but the color is washed out by the lights.

Thanks!

 

[Flear]

yellow/green ...

i would guess greenwater/phytoplankton

most people consider this an eye-sore and want it cleared up

as for clearing it up, ... hmmm, ...

i've heard just let it go, it will gradually darken, your water will get greener and greener, then suddenly one day it will all be gone

actually i had that experience in my tank to support it.

but with a bucket of greenwater i collected from a local stream i'm trying to recreate that so i can test "what is going on" (because i can't get any greenwater going in the tank again no matter how much new greenwater i add, it all dies, ... and this is many months later)

once your greenwater dies, your tank is pretty much completely immune to the stuff forever afterwards

---

if it is greenwater, ... you won't ever get rid of it with water changes, those are a waste of your effort in doing anything about it, it's always going to come back

you could try blackout, ... wrap your tank in a heavy blanket for 3 or 4 days, ...
this is hard on your plants, and harder on the greenwater i hear - it is expected to kill the greenwater and solve the issue
-having any source of light will feed the phytoplankton and undo what you wanted (to kill it off)
-make sure your fish are well fed before you start.

i'm not a particular fan of this.

but i'm a little strange

if you have a slight greenwater issue like you do, ... you could invest in a freshwater clam which will eat the phytoplankton, ... most people who try clams fail because it starves (no food), you've got food (phytoplankton)

could go for more exotic and hunt down freshwater sponges (i have no idea if other fish will eat these - i assume so, but almost no one has freshwater sponges in their aquarium - you could be one of the first)
-but i'm hypothesizing on freshwater sponges, ... you thought clams in aquariums was hard to find information on, ... try sponges

...

so it's up to you
most "cures" are usually successful (regardless what you pick), but like anything nothing is a guarantee (although water changes will never work for greenwater issues)

you do have options (if you want) on trying some more exotic things in your tank others simply can't (clams and/or sponges)

or you could try daphnia - not quite so successful i hear as they're large enough your fish will eat them all long before they could do anything to keep your greenwater issue manageable, ... then once these zooplankton are gone your back to square one - a greenwater issue

---

i don't have answers on what to do as it's up to you
i have ideas that say you've got lots of options and it's up to you how you wish to proceed.

 

[RexMundi]

Thanks for the help. Changing the water is accomplishing nothing, so I might not do it quite as often. We'll see...

 

[Flear]

right

either blackout, ignore it, or get critters that survive eating it, ... those are your options

 

[beaslbob]

My 29g is still cycling. Ph is at 7.0. Ammonia is zero but nitrites are high at 5ppm. Nitrates are starting to show up. But I'm looking through a haze of algae.

How do I clear this?
The filter is relatively clean.
There's an assortment of plants that seem to be doing well.
I've reduced the amount of food given.
Limiting light to about 10 hours.
I'm changing the water (while vacuuming the bottom) 10% each day.

None of this seems to make a difference.

The fish seem to be doing quite well; very active (or is that how fish scream?)

Any advice?

Kill the lights and stop adding food until it clears. Should only take a few days but it can take longer.


then resume with less lighting and feeding and adjust so the plants thrive but the water stays clear.


my .02

 

[Flear]

from what i've red and experienced, ... if your greenwater does die, you are not getting it back again, ever.

once your greenwater dies off it does something to the water (i don't know what) and even if you want, by intentionally adding new greenwater culture directly to the tank, you will never get any greenwater going again.

maybe a massive water change, maybe several months (3+ so far) wait before trying (if it's your intent)

but greenwater is not coming back no matter what you do otherwise. so it would be safe (as far as that "algae" is concerned) to give your tank as much light as you want with no risk