Green water invasion!!

[awesomeag]

Hi all
Returned home and saw my 2feet juvenile arowana fish tank invaded by green water. There's only one juvenile silver arowana inside, and I siphon out waste daily. The tank is placed outdoors though-is the light the only reason for the extremely green water? I can't move it indoors so if any bro know how to counter this problem please let me know!

[stormhawk]

It is likely that your filter is not capable of controlling the wastes that the arowana produces. Siphoning out the waste but without plants to help in the natural filtration cycle of absorbing nutrients, the green water will start, especially in tanks lit with sunlight. The only way of controlling this is to add in Moina (locally referred to as "ang boon), if all you are using is a sponge filter, or use a UV filter unit to kill any algal spores present in the water.

http://www.aquariumalgae.blogspot.co...een-water.html

[awesomeag]

Will the arowana eat the daphnia up? If it doesn't I don't mind trying the daphnia method

[stormhawk]

I'm not sure if it will eat them. They are much smaller in size and the Arowana may not consider them as food. Worth a try though. Just make sure you sieve the "boon" before use. The water they typically come in can be very foul.

[awesomeag]

Ok. I read online that adding snails and SAE will solve the problem too is that true? And where's a good place to get daphnia? I'm staying at bishan

[stormhawk]

Adding snails and SAE will not work for particulate algae of this type. Snail poop will cause the algae to explode and SAEs will only contribute to the bio load of the tank, and thus provide more nutrients for the green water to bloom.

Since you are at Bishan, perhaps you can try Y618. I believe they do stock them.

[tetrakid]

It is true that it is hard to 'cure' green water. I liked to have green water for my fish, but then, the algae can become so thick that the fish cannot see anything at all, especially food. The only way I overcome that is to do big water changes to maintain the visibility.

Using moina daphnia is a good solution, but it will be slow if you do not put it densely enough. But if you put too much daphnia in for a long period with your Arowana, it may irritate it. Furthermore, as the daphnia also poop, the more you put in, the more poop, causing water-fouling. And even after the daphnia have eaten a lot of the algae, you will still need to remove them. The Arrowana will eat any fish before the fish can eat the daphnia.

The best solution for you may be to do any or all of these to minimise gw algae:-

1. Block off your tank on 3 sides (to exclude light).
2. Change to a less wattage light.
2. Use a uv light (be careful as it may adversely affect your Arowana),
3. Do bigger water changes.
4. Siphon fish waste frequently, or as they appear.

[awesomeag]

Hi my friend is giving me his 5w UV filter. is that good enough to solve my green water problem? Or should i get a UV filter with a higher voltage?

[stormhawk]

What is the name of the UV model? If it is rated to handle a 2ft tank then it should be fine. Since it is a used item, it might be best to get a spare UV bulb for the filter.

[blue33]

Use UV filter, plug it with a timer, for the first time wait till the green water is clear(around 3-4hrs should see result) and subsequently everyday let it run for around 2-3hrs everyday since the tank is at outdoor. The only best method to cure green water is using UV filter. UV filter with higher voltage will gives faster result and shorter time to kill green water that also depends on the pump you are using also, try to control the timing with a timer.

DO NOT USE UV THROUGH OUT THE WHOLE DAY! Just couple of hrs in a day will do.

[awesomeag]

Haha ok i attached already. Will be uploading the progress soon

[.Hack]

Alot of people are using UV to clear green water.
Read from some who tried OF Super Green Away with satisfying results.