Unsucessful blackout

[aidensmomma2000]

Ok, so my mother did a 7 day total blackout on her 90g and there is no change to her very green water.  :roll:

Any more advice from out knowledgeable members?  

[oenology]

I'm now faced with the same problem. When I had my 65g goldfish tank I had the same problem and used the blackout  technique for 10 days. I still had green water at the end of it. I also tried the barley straw stuff, the floculants, all to no avail. I think it was finally time and filter changes that finally cleared the water.

But if BD recommends it then I'll try it again on the cichlid tank. If that doesn't work then I think I'll remove the fish temporarily and bleach everything and start over.

[aidensmomma2000]

Shes cleaned all the filters of course and did huge water chages- even bought some of that liquid algae killer.

[BigDaddy]

What did she do to black out the tank?  Blankets, cardboard?

Was every side of the tank completely black?  Top, bottom, all sides.... even at the corners?

No feedings?  No checking things out?

I've seen people forget to cover the top of the tank, just the sides.  I've also seen people use a blanket that was still somewhat translucent... there can be zero light.

Don't forget, if you have an Aqua Clear hanging off the back... its translucent too....

[CarlClassen]

I used to have problems with green water as well. It just wouldn't go away. I tried waiting for it to go away, phosphate remover and a diatom filter. The only thing that worked was the diatom filter. HOWEVER the green water came  after about a week. A while ago I bought a bunch of cheap plants at the auction. Dumped them in the tank and forgot about them. Well after a week I noticed the water seemed to have waves of "clear" water. We went to starbucks for coffee... and when we came back the green water was gone! It was such a quick change it was freaky. The plants were guppy grass, Salvinia, water lettuce, duck weed, and java moss. I think it's the water lettuce and salvinia that killed off the green water. Now I keep that stuff around just to make sure the green water doesn't come back. But it grows quick so I have to constantly throw it out. I actually like the way the water water lettuce looks in the tank.

[tetroid]

If there was no change at all, then perhaps, as pointed out above, the tank wasn't completely blacked out. I did a total blackout on my tank that lasted only 4 days (covered the tank with a sleeping bag laid over a blanket laid over garbage bags - it was really blacked out) and while it didn't eliminate the green water, it definitely reduced it.

I also added ambulia (fast growing stem plant), and it seemed to have a moderate impact after a few weeks, but not enough. I have hygro difformis in there as well. Since the light isn't very strong (1.3 wpg), perhaps the stem plants couldn't suck up nutrients fast enough to wipe out the green water.

If all else fails, you can try a uv sterilizer. After over a month of pea soup, I finally bought one and hooked it up. It completely cleared the tank in three days. Not an ideal solution, of course, but a real silver bullet against the stuff.

[mseguin]

Try some hornwort or Naja grass.

[darkdep]

Maybe someone with an extra UV sterilizer would be willing to rent it out?  My 90gal has got the green water pretty bad.

[aidensmomma2000]

She says she blacked out everything.

*shrug*

[Nelson]

Robin, I have an 18 watt sterilizer that I keep as a back-up that your mom can use.  I guarrantee that will do the trick.

[repeej]

Sterilizer for sale in the classifieds section....$100

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