YAY!!! I got greenwater!!!!

[NyCzBuBba]

new pic

[E. Simpson]

I feel your pain.After dealing with green water for the last 2 weeks myself and trying everything I decided to do a blackout.I'm starting on day 2
of the process.

Hope you get your tank back in order.I know this really sucks...



Ernie

[mr hyde]

wasserpest
I recently got some nitrate and phosphate to dose with and did a test on a half gallon batch I made up with 2ml nitrate added (seachem nitrogen). I checked this with my hagen nitrate kit and got a reading of under 5 still. Looks like you may be right about my kit being inaccurate. If this kit was right then it would take over a hundred ml to get my 46 gallon tank readings to above 5. The green water still comes back every week after diatom filtering, starting to really bug me. I think I'll pick up a red sea or seachem test kit this weekend and figure out what my nitrates really are.

[hubbahubbahehe]

isn't green water from phosphates??? that's how i always got green water

[Wasserpest]

Having correct NO3 and PO4 numbers could help immensely. There have been some discussions about NO3 testing recently, not sure if you had a chance to read through them:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/vie...?p=36031#36031
http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4516

and especially that one:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forum/vie...?p=37899#37899

But Hubba is right, PO4 levels are just as likely to cause green water. Do you have a PO4 testkit?

[hubbahubbahehe]

the thing is , if you just rely on fish food, then you get a lot of phosphates and a lot of nitrates... but the correct ratio for a planted tank is around 10 ppm nitrates to 1 ppm phosphates right? so I'm assuming that if you add more nitrates, then your tank should be more balanced.

[mr hyde]

yes, I have tested for phosphates and got 0 also. Hard to say if that test kit is accurate either. I recently started dosing phosphates but after seeing how my nitrate kit is not reading right I won't be dosing that either until I get another type of kit and re-test. What brand phosphate test kit would you recommend? red sea?

[Wasserpest]

I use a Red Sea phosphate kit, and I am happy with it. It shows changes clearly and immediately. My tap water and tank water tests as 0.1 ppm, and I add PO4 to up it to 0.5 ppm, which the test kit confirms.

[mr hyde]

Just an update, the green water is finally gone, not sure exactly what did it but something must have worked. Started dosing nitrates and phosphates to the recommended levels, and also potassium, iron, and flourish. It didn't clear up right away. I was using the diatom filter weekly to clear the water of the algae. Finally after the last time I used it, 3 weeks ago it has not come back. The water has remained crystal clear, clearer than i thought possible without a diatom filter. I've had this green water for close to 6 months so I'm very glad it's gone.

[SCMurphy]

Originally Posted by mr hyde

Just an update, the green water is finally gone, not sure exactly what did it but something must have worked. Started dosing nitrates and phosphates to the recommended levels, and also potassium, iron, and flourish. It didn't clear up right away. I was using the diatom filter weekly to clear the water of the algae. Finally after the last time I used it, 3 weeks ago it has not come back. The water has remained crystal clear, clearer than i thought possible without a diatom filter. I've had this green water for close to 6 months so I'm very glad it's gone.

Congrats, have a beer (or your favorite beverage), isn't a clear tank a joy to behold? My ten cleared again, I now know that I can use Flourish to push it over the edge as well as just phosphate and LeafZone. More fun experiments to follow.

Post a new pic!