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Diana K · 07-01-2009, 10:41 PM

Sunlight and fertilizer is about the only way I have managed to grow green water. I was culturing some Daphnia and they do eat green water algae, but I was having a hard time growing it.

Old tank water by itself did not work (and this was the water that I had rinsed filter media in, really high level of organics).

Perhaps when you stirred up the substrate there was also some fertilizer in it?

gr8nguyen, A new set up should not grow green water algae so fast, but there are no other green cloudy water issues.

Hetertrophic bacteria will grow very fast in a new set up, and can cloud (white or slightly grey-white) the water in just a couple of days. This bacteria explosion will settle down pretty fast, too, and the cloudiness usually goes away in a week or less.

pH issues can cloud the water. If you are using some sort of pH altering materials you can get cloudy water (also, usually white or slightly grey). Some of the materials seem to linger for quite a while, perhaps in the substrate, and re-cloud the water with each water change until they are sufficiently diluted.

Very fine bubbles in the water can also look cloudy, but they usually out gas overnight. These bubbles can be a problem for fish, though. The bubbles start as individual molecules of gases, kept that way as long as the water is in the pipes. When the water is released from the pipes the molecules join together to form bubbles. If these bubbles form in the gills or other delicate areas it is bad for the fish.
If this is the cause of the cloudiness then in the future you will need to run the water into a bucket or barrel (depends on how much you need) and let it out gas before adding it to the tank.

07-01-2009, 10:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
Diana K Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Near San Francisco Posts: 509 iTrader Ratings: 0 Plant Points: 26200	Re: Green Water in El Natural Sunlight and fertilizer is about the only way I have managed to grow green water. I was culturing some Daphnia and they do eat green water algae, but I was having a hard time growing it. Old tank water by itself did not work (and this was the water that I had rinsed filter media in, really high level of organics). Perhaps when you stirred up the substrate there was also some fertilizer in it? gr8nguyen, A new set up should not grow green water algae so fast, but there are no other green cloudy water issues. Hetertrophic bacteria will grow very fast in a new set up, and can cloud (white or slightly grey-white) the water in just a couple of days. This bacteria explosion will settle down pretty fast, too, and the cloudiness usually goes away in a week or less. pH issues can cloud the water. If you are using some sort of pH altering materials you can get cloudy water (also, usually white or slightly grey). Some of the materials seem to linger for quite a while, perhaps in the substrate, and re-cloud the water with each water change until they are sufficiently diluted. Very fine bubbles in the water can also look cloudy, but they usually out gas overnight. These bubbles can be a problem for fish, though. The bubbles start as individual molecules of gases, kept that way as long as the water is in the pipes. When the water is released from the pipes the molecules join together to form bubbles. If these bubbles form in the gills or other delicate areas it is bad for the fish. If this is the cause of the cloudiness then in the future you will need to run the water into a bucket or barrel (depends on how much you need) and let it out gas before adding it to the tank.