For the rest of us green water is an unwanted pest that blocks our view.
Fish tank water green and cloudy.
Yep the phytoplankton that turn water green are a commonly used supplement for reef tanks and are eaten by corals.
The forms of algae that occur in most fish tanks are freshwater green algae.
Green water is a free floating algae bloom and algae takes up oxygen just like any other plant.
Yellow cloudy water is usually a result of high levels of dissolved organics or using new drift wood.
Most fish tanks have some algae most of the time and in fact algae can provide food for snails and other aquatic creatures in your collection.
Read on to find out how to deal with each of these water quality issues.
This is different than the algae that grows on the glass of your fish tank this is specifically algae that grows in the water column.
White cloudy water is usually indicative of a bacterial bloom.
So you want it gone.
The most immediate threat of green water is oxygen depletion.
Small gradual actions allow for the fish tank to adjust more quickly to the biological changes.
The problem comes when the bloom gets out of control and turns the water in your tank murky and opaque.
If the water is cloudy immediately or within an hour or two of filling the tank it s probably due to insufficiently washed gravel.
Creating surface agitation in the aquarium can easily increase oxygen levels.
That should resolve the problem.
Now that you know what it is what causes it and how to get it under control green water should no longer be a problem in your aquarium.