How to solve green water in an aquarium
What does it look like?
- Green discolouration to the aquarium water
- Unable to see the contents of your aquarium
- Water appears similar to pea soup
What are the fish doing?
- Fish may be gasping at the surface in severe cases
- Unlikely to cause behavioural changes in your fish
What should I do?
- Test water for high nitrate levels and treat accordingly
- Treat with Aquarium Green Away to remove the suspended algae
- Check for signs of deoxygenation (i.e. fish gasping) and add aeration if necessary
- Clean filter and check for blockages
- Check that the discolouration isn't just on the inside of the glass
Why does this happen and how do I prevent it?
Green water (or ‘Pea Soup’) is caused by an algal bloom suspended in the aquarium water. There are several factors that can cause excessive growth of algae and although a Green Away treatment will remove algae the causative factors must be addressed to prevent further outbreaks.
Major influencing factors are :
- Over exposure to light (especially natural sun light) so it is important to control lighting levels (using a timer to mimic a natural day night cycle) and consider the positioning of your tank as aquariums should never be positioned in direct sunlight
- Excess nutrients in the tank can be controlled by introducing live plants to use up some of those and regular water changes to reduce these further
Other areas to consider to help prevent further outbreaks and aid treatment:
- Maintaining adequate filtration and completing regular maintenance
- Test water regularly (high nitrate levels will encourage algal blooms)
- Keeping plants healthy by feeding with Flora Boost
What treatment should I use?
Green Away
Green Away clumps the individual suspended particles together so that they become trapped in the filter or sink to the bottom and can then be syphoned off during a water change.
Find out more >Use with any of the above
Flora Boost
Many of the nutrients which are essential for healthy plant growth are not present in the artificial aquarium environment. Flora Boost will ensure optimum plant growth without stimulating algae growth.
Find out more >Not what you are looking for? Back to Diagnose What's Wrong >
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Testing your aquarium water
Doing a water change
