Green Water

[brentA]

I am having trouble getting an issue diagnosed...I have checked levels everything is within my desired range- Took a sample to local reef shop and they determined the same. Still no one can help with my issue. Green Saltwater. It is a 90 gallon reef and the fish are still very active but the anemone and coral seem to be keeping with their nighttime routine as the lighting is struggling to reach them. A UV sterilize has been suggested but I believe another answer is there...please help!

[Billybeau1]

A UV cured my green water within a few days.

I believe that is a good solution. :)

Make sure, if you purchase one, to make sure it is big enough to handle your tank size.

[Boomer]

Zup, Billy, I agree on that 100 %. Often it is the only way :)

[brentA]

Thanks. I guess I will just bite the bullet. Does anyone know what the cause is or what bacteria/ algae has filled my water?

[Boomer]

Usually Brent it is related to the tank getting direct sunlight and the right species of unicellar algae. In 30 years I never had it in any tank. Green Water in SW is kinda' rare and is much more common in FW.

[Icefire]

look at my avatar, that was in 5 day, took a UV and 3-4 day to clear up.

I have a thread about it "water is like fog"

[brentA]

From the conception of my reef, I do not allow sunlight to hit my tank. There are windows nearby but the sun does not directly hit the and there are quite dark shades. I reduced my light cycle about a month before this occurred to rid my tank of of some red slime. Thanks for the info guys on my way to pick up a UV sterilizer. I don't want to use it permanently though- what do ya'll think?

[Icefire]

use it permanently, it's good

[TheFishGuy,LLC]

Use either a UV sterilizer or a micron filter. Don't leave the micron filter on permanently though. A micron filter will clean it up in a couple of hours or less and will remove the algae and it's associated nutrients from your system. The UV sterilizer will kill the free floating algae but will leave the nutrients resulting from it's decay so that other algae can take hold. How about a good skimmer? Got one? A good skimmer should be skimming that algae right out.

[Icefire]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12242461#post12242461 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TheFishGuy,LLC
Use either a UV sterilizer or a micron filter. Don't leave the micron filter on permanently though. A micron filter will clean it up in a couple of hours or less and will remove the algae and it's associated nutrients from your system. The UV sterilizer will kill the free floating algae but will leave the nutrients resulting from it's decay so that other algae can take hold. How about a good skimmer? Got one? A good skimmer should be skimming that algae right out.

Not true, skimmer will do nothing and micron filter will not remove all neither the nutriment

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for the info guys on my way to pick up a UV sterilizer. I don't want to use it permanently though- what do ya'll think?

You can run it until the water clears up, and then try not using it and see if the problem goes away. :)

[HowardW]

I once had a green water issue from overfeeding DT's in my Christmas Tree worm tank and I solved the problem easily and quickly by using Seachem Clarity and a lot of filter floss in the Whisper HOB filter on that tank. The water was crystal clear again within a few hours without the need for buying more equipment like a UV.

[Boomer]

But you are adding more chemicals to the tank, not a good idea.