Hey,

I do have drift wood and established plants in my tank. I have had the water crystal clear before, but had to tear it down and in the rebuilding stages. Already cycled, already have fish, lost some plants in moving them but others are doing better???? The other problem I do not like is that my water is not a nice color, will this clear over time or is there something I have to do. I planned on adding some more plants soon as my post below this one says, and am thinking better lighting/different hood.

Thanks

Please don't use chemicals to clear algae. It can be harmful to fish and plants.

Take a cup of the water out of the tank, does it look green. If so do a 50% water change turn lights off and cover the tank completely with a blanket or something letting no light in the tank. Do not feed during this time. Let it stay covered for 3 or 4 days. After wait period do another 50% water change, cleaning up any debris in the tank.

or

Use a UV filter or diatom filter. I use uv's, but they not only help get rid of the algae they will also help get rid of parasites like ichand other nasties. Depending on the size of the UV it can take just a couple of hours to a couple of days.

If its yellow tinge, it could be the driftwood leaking tannins into the water. Which won't hurt the fish or plants, but you may not like the color. Water changes and carbon in your filter can help this but it can take a couple of months to clear up. You can also take out the driftwood and boil it for a few hours to help remove the tannins.

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Yep, if you do just the daily water changes without the blackout, you are just refeeding the algae, and you will see another bloom. Also be sure to clean your filter prior to blackout.

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How long have you had the driftwood? A yellow-brown tint (tea color) would be a sign of tannins leaching from it. If this is the case, it is normal. It will eventually clear up on its own. Or you can boil it longer or run carbon in your filter.

Green water on the other hand is an algae bloom. As mentioned above, three day black out and completely cover the tank.

when I pull some water out it looks clear. I think it was the yellow color from a mix of driftwood and dead plants. I am thinking this because the tank is a lot clearer then it was yesterday. Plus I think my oto-cats have been at work with any algae in the tank. I was in the tank all weekend trimming and cleaning. I am sure I didn't get all of the cuttings out. I will run out and get all some activated carbon.

Nice Tank!

Honestly, I do not know what type of driftwood is in my tank. I will take a pic tomorrow when my light is on. My tank is kind of that color although not as tinted. It is a water test day tomorrow and will list nitrates. They may be elevated because I removed some plants and in the process of making some caves out of terracotta pots.

Forgot, I siphon out the water, whether I vacuum or not into a bucket then water the lawn. I fill the tank with a 2 gallon plastic tank.