# Clear Green Water in 5 Gallon Fluval Edge



## Stryder

Hi everyone,

I purchased a 5 gallon Fluval Edge with the new LED bulbs (ones that enable day & night LED settings) and it's been 2 months since the initial setup. No matter how many water changes I make the water continues to be clear green.

Some facts about the tank:
- Freshwater tank
- 8 pounds of ADA Amazonia soil at substrate
- 25% water change every week
- Various live plants in the tank, steadily growing
- 10+ shrimp in tank, and have been there for almost a month
- Tank had high ammonia levels in the first week but water changes resolved the issue
- Pet store conducted water test and concluded nitrate and ammonia levels at acceptable levels but couldn't explain the water color
- Lights are on at 6:00 am, off at 11:59 pm

I've attached a picture of my tank for reference purposes.









Is the tank meant to have green clear water like this? From all of the research I've done it's not a cloudy water issue. Should I be considering a UV or chemical treatment?

I appreciate any feedback, and hope you guys can help a new aquarium enthusiast.

Thanks.


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## Ebonbolt

18 hours of light???? That's almost double what you should have... 8-10 hours is the recommended range for a planted tank. I'm guessing the green water is from algal blooms, caused by an extreme excess of light. Either that, or there's a piece of driftwood somewhere in that picture that I missed, and it's releasing a ton of tannins into the tank, which would stain the water a brownish-green, like tea.


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## Diztrbd1

Have to agree....cut the lights down to 10 hours at the most. Might even want to leave them off for a couple of days and see if it clears up. I don't think its to do with the DW as in my experience it would be a noticeable brown color.


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## PaulCheung

I would cut down the photo period for sure. From what I saw, the plants are low light plants. They probably will be OK with 6-8 hours.


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## Stryder

BelieveInBlue said:


> 18 hours of light???? That's almost double what you should have... 8-10 hours is the recommended range for a planted tank. I'm guessing the green water is from algal blooms, caused by an extreme excess of light. Either that, or there's a piece of driftwood somewhere in that picture that I missed, and it's releasing a ton of tannins into the tank, which would stain the water a brownish-green, like tea.





Diztrbd1 said:


> Have to agree....cut the lights down to 10 hours at the most. Might even want to leave them off for a couple of days and see if it clears up. I don't think its to do with the DW as in my experience it would be a noticeable brown color.


Thanks for everyone's feedback on the matter. I suspected light as the issue after the first week and actually had the lights off for about a week to see if the issue would go away. At that time I had maybe a couple of plants. I didn't notice significant changes to the water color with the lights off which is why I crossed that off on the list of possible reasons.

I could attempt to decrease the amount of hours the lights are on again.

Just FYI, the aquarium sits in the middle of my condo and away from any direct sunlight.

There's no driftwood in the tank although it's something I may consider in the near future.


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## dsouthworth

i had terrible green water in my tank. As solution I did a total blackout for 2 days and stopped feeding for that time. 

lights were turned off and I also covered the tank in blankets. This cleared it up tons, maybe you should give it a shot.

The problem is that I work 7days on, 7 days off so on my off week I want to see the fish and this leads to lights on for 14hours. After my next paycheck i will be buying a UV so I can keep lights on all day and not worry about about water colour.
I would advice staying away from the UV though, for a such a small tank I don't think the cost would be worth it.


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## 2wheelsx2

You also need to do bigger water changes. I'd do up to 75% water changes 2x a week to clear it all up, along with cutting the lighting back to 10- 12 hours.


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## Ebonbolt

I wouldn't suggest UV; proper maintenace is all it takes to get rid of the green colour. Cutting the lighting may not be enough though, if there aren't sufficient plants in there to use up all of the available nutrients. I'd do a complete black out for a couple days, and after that cut the lighting period down to about 10 hours, with ~50% water changes every 3rd day for a week or two. If the colour still hasn't gone away, consider getting more plants to compete with the algae. Of course, someone could just be messing with you by dropping green food colouring into the tank :lol:


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## Stryder

BelieveInBlue said:


> I wouldn't suggest UV; proper maintenace is all it takes to get rid of the green colour. Cutting the lighting may not be enough though, if there aren't sufficient plants in there to use up all of the available nutrients. I'd do a complete black out for a couple days, and after that cut the lighting period down to about 10 hours, with ~50% water changes every 3rd day for a week or two. If the colour still hasn't gone away, consider getting more plants to compete with the algae. Of course, someone could just be messing with you by dropping green food colouring into the tank :lol:


Thanks everyone for the feedback. I had quite a bit of algae growing on the plants when I first introduced the shrimp and after a week of tank clearing they started eating the plants. I drop a quarter of an algae tablet every 3 days to keep the shrimp away from the plants.

Is there a difference between the solid green algae that was all over my plants compared to the algae that's discoloring the water?

My plants grow fairly fast so I've been trimming and re-planting them as they reach the top.

I'll consider a blackout and 50% water changes every 3 days but I was told no more than 25% change every week. Will my shrimp die from the shock?


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## 2wheelsx2

What kind of shrimp do you have?


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> What kind of shrimp do you have?


I have 4 cherry shrimp, 2 amano shriimp, and the rest are smaller amanos I got from a friend's tank.

I've elected to do the 2 day blackout, and right now there are two blankets draped over the tank. After that I'll begin the 50% water changes. I've been weary of going this route as I understand shrimp are quite sensitive and I'd prefer they not die.

I'll let everyone know of the progress over the next few days/weeks.

Thanks.


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## 2wheelsx2

Cherries and Amanos are no problem as long as the water is aged. I can't even kill my Cherries if I tried. I've 90+% water changes without a problem.


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> Cherries and Amanos are no problem as long as the water is aged. I can't even kill my Cherries if I tried. I've 90+% water changes without a problem.


What do you mean as long as the water is aged? Is there something I have to do with the water prior to replacing it?

I also find Richmond water really hard, I don't know if that'll drastically affect the pH levels of the tank water.


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## Tarobot

richmond water is hard? where abouts richmond are you? aged means you put the water from the sink into a bucket, run an airpump+airstone on it for about 1~2days so all the chlorine evaporates! What i really suggest for the tank's lighting period is a timer bar from rona so you can set it to a time when you are usually home and you can trust it to be on for your plants when you dont have time to turn it on or off!


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> What do you mean as long as the water is aged? Is there something I have to do with the water prior to replacing it?


aged water - definition of the aquarium term aged water



> I also find Richmond water really hard, I don't know if that'll drastically affect the pH levels of the tank water.


What's your GH and KH? Shrimps need calcium, so would do better in water with hardness. http://www.richmond.ca/__shared/assets/2010_Annual_Water_Quality_Report30995.pdf
Water from Richmond is sourced from Metro Vancouver watersheds, so unless you're on a well, I can't see how Richmond water is hard. In Burnaby, my GH and KH are never higher than 2, and are sometimes below 1.


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## Stryder

Tarobot said:


> richmond water is hard? where abouts richmond are you? aged means you put the water from the sink into a bucket, run an airpump+airstone on it for about 1~2days so all the chlorine evaporates! What i really suggest for the tank's lighting period is a timer bar from rona so you can set it to a time when you are usually home and you can trust it to be on for your plants when you dont have time to turn it on or off!


Good suggestion on the timer. I already have one set up so I just need to adjust the timer period down to 8-10 hours after the blackout's completed.

Will I need an air pump and air stone for the aged water or can I just leave a bucket of tap water out for a few days before I commence with the water change?

Again, thank you everyone for your input, I'm learning lots about water quality.


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> Will I need an air pump and air stone for the aged water or can I just leave a bucket of tap water out for a few days before I commence with the water change?


I normally run a powerhead with a venturi for 12 hours and it's good enough for me. So if you use an airstone and airpump for the same amount of time you should be fine. If you tank is heated though, you'll need to heat the water also. My cube isn't so I don't worry about that.


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> I normally run a powerhead with a venturi for 12 hours and it's good enough for me. So if you use an airstone and airpump for the same amount of time you should be fine. If you tank is heated though, you'll need to heat the water also. My cube isn't so I don't worry about that.


Is it possible to just leave a bucket of tap water out for a couple of days to let the chlorine evaporate instead?


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> Is it possible to just leave a bucket of tap water out for a couple of days to let the chlorine evaporate instead?


Sure, that's the tried and true method.


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## gklaw

Stryder said:


> My plants grow fairly fast so I've been trimming and re-planting them as they reach the top.


I was just going to say reconsider the choice of plants or you will end up with a green cube with no green water problem   Those plants are easy but fast growing with the new LED. Below is my old Edge refitted with two 1.3W LED. Not to say mine is better, just to share. O yes, there is a bit of algae problem (kind of like the natural look). WC for me is like 50% every 3 weeks.


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## CRS Fan

Are you sure the water is green? Looks to be tannin stained to me. ADA can leach tannins for quite a while.

Respectfully,

Stuart


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## Stryder

CRS Fan said:


> Are you sure the water is green? Looks to be tannin stained to me. ADA can leach tannins for quite a while.
> 
> Respectfully,
> 
> Stuart


I've read that as well and considered leeching tannin as the root cause. With 25% water changes every week I was hoping the water would eventually clear up but it's been 2 months and remained steady green. I just have no clue at this point.


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> I've read that as well and considered leeching tannin as the root cause. With 25% water changes every week I was hoping the water would eventually clear up but it's been 2 months and remained steady green. I just have no clue at this point.


When you change the water and put it in a vessel, does the water look green or brown? That's the easiest way to tell. I have 9 L of ADA Amazonia in my cube and only ran carbon in the canister for 1 month after 3 weeks dry start and my tank is tannin free. But I do a lot of water change even now. Like 75% 2x a week.


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> When you change the water and put it in a vessel, does the water look green or brown? That's the easiest way to tell. I have 9 L of ADA Amazonia in my cube and only ran carbon in the canister for 1 month after 3 weeks dry start and my tank is tannin free. But I do a lot of water change even now. Like 75% 2x a week.


I took a water sample to PJ Pets and they administered water tests for me. The water looks clear green in vials. Even when I take it out for water changes it's clear green.


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## 2wheelsx2

Then it's unquestionably an algal bloom. Water borne. I would do the things you are doing to transport out the nutrients and keep the lighting under control and it'll be gone soon enough.


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## jbyoung00008

Since you have tried everything to get rid of the green. Why not try removing all the water and re starting the tank with new water. In theory all the bacteria is in the filter and gravel so there shouldnt be an issue with removing all the water. Clean your filter inserts as good as you can in tank water. If the green comes back right away you know there is problem. If the green doesnt come back than problem is solved. Someone started a poll on here a little while ago on how much water people change per week. I think most people are doing 50% water changes once a week. Try that for a bit and see if that helps.


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## Stryder

jbyoung00008 said:


> Since you have tried everything to get rid of the green. Why not try removing all the water and re starting the tank with new water. In theory all the bacteria is in the filter and gravel so there shouldnt be an issue with removing all the water. Clean your filter inserts as good as you can in tank water. If the green comes back right away you know there is problem. If the green doesnt come back than problem is solved. Someone started a poll on here a little while ago on how much water people change per week. I think most people are doing 50% water changes once a week. Try that for a bit and see if that helps.


Well I've got shrimp and plants in there now so I'm hesitant to go completely new. I've got water sitting in a bucket right now and tomorrow I'll remove the blankets I've draped over the tank and do a 75% water change. I'll continue the 75% change twice a week for 2 weeks and see if that'll finally solve the issue. No choice but to take down lighting to 8 hours/day as well.


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> Well I've got shrimp and plants in there now so I'm hesitant to go completely new. I've got water sitting in a bucket right now and tomorrow I'll remove the blankets I've draped over the tank and do a 75% water change. I'll continue the 75% change twice a week for 2 weeks and see if that'll finally solve the issue. No choice but to take down lighting to 8 hours/day as well.


You'll be fine with that routine. The main problem with planted tanks for a lot of people are insufficient water changes with excessive lighting. I am not sure if you've seen this, as I've posted this link on someone's else's thread also, but it not only explains aquascaping techniques but also some advanced concepts on why/how things happen in planted tanks: Frank's How To Master Planted Tanks Journal


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> You'll be fine with that routine. The main problem with planted tanks for a lot of people are insufficient water changes with excessive lighting. I am not sure if you've seen this, as I've posted this link on someone's else's thread also, but it not only explains aquascaping techniques but also some advanced concepts on why/how things happen in planted tanks: Frank's How To Master Planted Tanks Journal


I'm about 5 pages into the thread. It makes me feel like I should start over really. Great thread though, thanks for the link!


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## jbyoung00008

Stryder said:


> Well I've got shrimp and plants in there now so I'm hesitant to go completely new. I've got water sitting in a bucket right now and tomorrow I'll remove the blankets I've draped over the tank and do a 75% water change. I'll continue the 75% change twice a week for 2 weeks and see if that'll finally solve the issue. No choice but to take down lighting to 8 hours/day as well.


8 hours of light per day is ideal. They say anywhere from 8 to 10 hours for live plants. Im going to read over the link 2wheelsx2 sent you but IMO sometimes you have to restart a tank. It happens. Thats how we learn. As a wise man (my dad) once told me that sometimes doing things the right way isnt always the easiest way. Catch all the critters you have in the tank remove all the water, clean the heck out of everything except filter media, refill the tank with water, re introduce the fish and shrimp the same way you would if you just bought them from the pet store. I have done this on a few peoples tanks including my dads and never lost a fish. Even if you do IMO I would way rather lose the odd fish or shrimp than try to battle green water for as long as you have. Im sure the green is driving you crazy. Good luck and let us know how you make out


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## Stryder

jbyoung00008 said:


> 8 hours of light per day is ideal. They say anywhere from 8 to 10 hours for live plants. Im going to read over the link 2wheelsx2 sent you but IMO sometimes you have to restart a tank. It happens. Thats how we learn. As a wise man (my dad) once told me that sometimes doing things the right way isnt always the easiest way. Catch all the critters you have in the tank remove all the water, clean the heck out of everything except filter media, refill the tank with water, re introduce the fish and shrimp the same way you would if you just bought them from the pet store. I have done this on a few peoples tanks including my dads and never lost a fish. Even if you do IMO I would way rather lose the odd fish or shrimp than try to battle green water for as long as you have. Im sure the green is driving you crazy. Good luck and let us know how you make out


So this is what the tank looks like after the 48 hour black out and 75% water change. I also cut out a number of plants and will keep the tank at 8-10 hours of lighting per day.









I'll continue with the 75% water changes twice a week for the next week or so and see what happens.

A friend suggested I introduce tetras in there now to help stabilize the water but with the water changes I'm doing is it a smart move at this time? Eventually I want to get a school of mosquito rasboras in there and maybe a few tetras in there to give the tank some color.


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## 2wheelsx2

Looks great. I would introduce the fish one group at a time. The water changes won't hurt them...it'll only make them happier.


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## Stryder

2wheelsx2 said:


> Looks great. I would introduce the fish one group at a time. The water changes won't hurt them...it'll only make them happier.


How many can a 5 gallon size tank fit? I don't want to go overkill. Anything you'd recommend besides mosquito rasboras and tetras due to the shrimp in the tank?


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## 2wheelsx2

Oh I didn't realize that was a 5 gallon. I wouldn't recommend getting more than a handful of the mosquito rasboras or my current favourite, the galaxy rasboras or celestial pearl danios. I have the latter in my ADA cube now. Got 6 but 2 committed suicide by jumping. I will have to get a few more to make them less skittish. I would say you'd be save with up to a dozen of the rasboras.


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## jbyoung00008

Tank looks good. Im sure you are glad the green is gone. Now you can enjoy your tank.


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## Stryder

jbyoung00008 said:


> Tank looks good. Im sure you are glad the green is gone. Now you can enjoy your tank.


We'll see. The tank is kind of green again. I'll take a before/after picture on Friday when I do my 75% water change.


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## Stryder

jbyoung00008 said:


> Tank looks good. Im sure you are glad the green is gone. Now you can enjoy your tank.


So the green water came back in full force. This was the color before a 75% water change:









Here's the water quality after.









I'm going to keep up the 75% water changes for another week and if it doesn't work I'll get the pH levels tested.

Thoughts? Is this a normal part of the process?


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## 2wheelsx2

Stryder said:


> Thoughts? Is this a normal part of the process?


In smaller planted tanks with low plant mass, yes. You can try throwing a number of fast growing stem plants in there if you want, but if you keep up the watches it'll go away. See the latest post on the thread comparing water colour in the bucket after several weeks of daily water changes to now being 2x a week.


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## gklaw

2wheelsx2 said:


> I would say you'd be save with up to a dozen of the rasboras.


+1 on that, April keep forgetting to save some for me when she got them


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## Stryder

gklaw said:


> +1 on that, April keep forgetting to save some for me when she got them


I forgot to mention I did pick up a dozen of the mosquito rasboras this week.

So I'm looking at 75% water changes for another week and then moving down to 50% water changes 2x week going forward?


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## 2wheelsx2

Just keep an eye on the water colour. You can even go down to 50% once a week when it's stabilized.


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