bright green water

after getting a new light i seem to have reoccuring floresent green water. there isnt any fish in the tank but there are 2 turbo snails 1 blue legged hermit crab i have been waiting to put in any more fish or inverts until i can get this problem solved.

i have done multiple water changes and gotten it completely clear but within a few days it becomes green again. would some filter feeders like clams be a good idea?

30 gal
192w (96x2)
aquaclear 50 (filterfloss and carbon)
live sand and very little live rock
 

sasquatch

Brunt of all Jokes~
PREMIUM
hmm sounds like the algae bloom thing, is there any direct sunlight on the tank? if possible could you check all your water parameters and post then, a pic might help too.oh , whats the new light? Steve
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't add any livestock until you know what is happening with the tank. Since you don't know what is causing it you could be exposing them to something harmful.
It is probably just an algae bloom as Steve suggested, but IMO it is always best to error on the safe side when it comes to the animals we keep.
A listing of your water parameters can help us a lot when trying to determine what is going on.
Also, how old is the tank and are you feeding anything to the snails and hermits? Are you using RO or RO/DI water for the water changes? What kind of filtration are you using other than the floss and carbon mentioned in your sig?
 

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
How much flow do you have in the tank? A diatom filter would clear it right up. How many hours a day do you leave your lights on?
 

BoomerD

Well-Known Member
That aquaclear filter is a major nitrate factory. Nitrates will help fuel an algae bloom. What kind of water are you using? Tap water may have nitrates and phosphates in it, both of which will cause/fuel an algae bloom. You really need more live rock, as it's perhaps the best biological filter your tank can have (1-1/2 to 2 lbs/gallon) and a good protein skimmer. For your tank, I'd recommend the Remora with a Maxi-Jet pump. Should do a great job on a 30...
 

DrHank

Well-Known Member
All good advice! I would also probably kill the lights until you have the algae in check. It won't hurt your snails or hermit crab. If you use a UV sterilizer, you will want a pretty slow flow to increase contact time.

Boomer is right on the money. You may want to re-read his post. It's a lot of great information in a short paragraph.
 
the type of light i have is as follows (it doesnt have any specific branding)
36" 192W (2-96 watt) Dual Strip Compact Fluorescent Light Fixture($80)

the lights are running 8-8acintic 10-6 10000k
i dont really want to turn off the light because i just got a peice of coral from someone taking down their tank and they were just going to get rid of it(it seems to be doing well so far even with the clouding) it has a solid base with a bulbous top that is purple and green.

tommorow at work ill have my water parameters tested and let you know, i may also be able to pick up a display model canister filter(ehime or fluval)

i havent been adding food, but we'll see where my nitrates are at tommorow.
 

blue_eyes53813

Well-Known Member
12 hours of light may be alot of it too.. You can cut the lights way back and still not bother the corals.. Around 8 hours a day would be good.
 

DrHank

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't add anything else to your tank until you have your current problem under control. Eight hours of light is adequate and it won't hurt the coral to be without light for a couple of days. Now that you've added a coral you need to be concerned with both Nitrate and Phosphate levels. Maximum acceptable levels of both are 0 for long term health.

Welcome to the world of reef tanks. If you haven't been using DI water in the past, you now need to start doing so for both make up and top off water. You should most likely start planning to get your own RO/DI filter. With the PC lighting that you indicate, you can keep corals requiring low to moderate light. I suggest that you start familiarizing yourself with the requirements for specific corals. You should also learn as much as you can about how to properly maintain a reef tank.

You are getting into expensive territory. Based on your initial post, you don't have enough live rock, you don't have a good protein skimmer, you don't have a RO/DI unit, You do have a filter (which isn't effective and is adding nitrate to your system), you haven't mentioned what your parameters, and you have just added a coral (from your description it's probably a LPS) into an environment that it has little or no real chance for long term survival.

I don't mean to be harsh but you are moving too quickly and are setting yourself up for failure. If you intend to continue in this hobby and have success you need to slow down and regroup. See if you can find a friend who has a reef tank to keep your coral for you until you have your current problem solved. Do what BoomerD said. You may want to consider completely starting over with 40 lbs of live rock, a good skimmer, and DI water. In the long run, it may be easier than correcting your current problems. You will also need good test kits for PH, Ammonia, Nitrate and Phosphate as a minimum. I would suggest Salifert for nitrate and phosphate.
 

big_vard

Member
i may also be able to pick up a display model canister filter(ehime or fluval)

Also, it is my understanding that this plan (canister filter) will likely cause more harm than good!! Again you'd be introducing a Nitrate factory to your system.

As far as filtration is concerned you want to focus (as has been said before) on LOTS of live rock and a GOOD skimmer.

Steve
 
im in the process of saving up money to get the things i need for live rock and a new skimmer (i do have a visi-jet skimmer, but its not very good) you guys would suggest a sump with a skimmer and more live rock?

these are both things that i have planned on getting as soon as i can but i am on a budget just like anyone else.

i will cut down the light time, i do use phosban after water changes

i will keep you guys posted
 

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
Why use the Phosban only after water changes? Personally I would run it all the time if I was having algae blooms or algae problems.
 
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