# Green Cloudy Water - Help Please



## Suzanne (Jul 29, 2007)

I have had my Cichlid Tank for a few years and all has been going well. Last week I woke up to a Green Cloudy Tank.....I have done some small water changes and I don't think I overfeed my fish. I have a 160 gal. tank and I remove about 15 gallons of water 1 week. Fish seem to be swimming fine, however I can barely see through the tank.....What can I do?I have reduced my lights to 1.5 hours in the morning and about 5 hours in the evening. All chemical tests are ok, no nitrites, amonia, Nitrates are at about 40ish which I have been told is acceptable..PH is about 7.8 - 8.0.....


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## Sub-Mariner (Dec 7, 2011)

Why do you only remove 15g once a week? Id do larger water changes to try and lower your nitrates.


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## Suzanne (Jul 29, 2007)

I used to do more, however i was told not to because i crashed ghe ph to nothing.


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## skurj (Oct 30, 2011)

15g a week will probably lead to crashing ph eventually...

you cannot go wrong changing 50% or more each week. If you have to add chemistry to maintain PH and such be sure to do so to any water you add. You will likely find the fish will cheer up and the tank will be cleaner if you adopt a 30-50% weekly regime and monitor nitrates.

I do about 30-40% weekly on both my tanks and scrub the glass in each, i'd do more if I wasn't hauling 5gallon buckets up and down stairs ... (no way for a python to work in this house, until the new sink is installed) The day it is, i start negotiatin' that 72" tank!


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Lower your nitrates and possibly decrease the amount of light on the tank each day.

What is your KH? You may need to add baking soda to buffer so your pH won't crash.


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## SEAN420 (Nov 24, 2011)

Whats in the tank  ?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Check the phosphates levels in your tank and tap water; if it's high, then that would cause the green water, which is an algal bloom. Depending on your stocking list, you should be doing at least 25% water change per week, preferably more than that. The pH isn't fluctuating because of the water changes. It's fluctuating because you're not buffering the water; baking soda, or various buffers sold at pet stores will do the job. I'm guessing you have rift lake cichlids, in which case they prefer hard, alkaline water, so you should be buffering the water anyways.


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## klumsyninja (Aug 14, 2008)

A UV sterilizer will clear it right up.


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## 12packdale (May 21, 2010)

I agree sterilizer cleaned mine up within two days


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## Jaspere (Jan 25, 2012)

15g a week will probably very huge doze you should reduce it. i think 10g are enough for them.


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## Nodalizer (Nov 7, 2011)

15 Gallon on a 160 Gallon tank is not huge at all...


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