water changes not helpin...tailrot and green water

[italianxmna89]

ive been doin 25% water changes almost every other 4 days and my water continues to be green, murky, and one of my guppies has tailrot. does melafix work with guppies? my sponge filter has been cleaned and rinsed using aquarium water and i removed the carbon filter for melafix but the water got so bad in a matter of 2-3 days that i had to put it back in to see if the water would clear up which it didnt..

if the water is murky does that mean the water quality is bad? while murky all my parameters were perfect with my nitrates under 20. is that still too high? because of the tailrot could the problem be some kind of bacteria in the water?

[Oscar_freak12321]

Do larger W/Cs and yes, melafix works with just about any fish. The carbon is not the problem, just the size of the water changes. Remove it but bump up the size of the water changes. That's my two cents. :22:

[hursab]

What is your setup and parameters?

[Taurus]

Do larger W/Cs and yes, melafix works with just about any fish. The carbon is not the problem, just the size of the water changes. Remove it but bump up the size of the water changes. That's my two cents. :22:

You're two cents is worth a lot! thumbs2: Yes, Increase the frequency and amount of your water changes.

Green water may mean you need to do a blackout on your tank for a couple of days. Keep your tank lights off for a couple of days and make sure it's not located near a window.

Yeah, ok 3 days blackout. V good post Jenn

[MCHRKiller]

Green water is usually at the result of a high phosphate level and to much lighting. Most tap water sources contain phosphate, some more than others...most fish foods also contain phosphate. To treat the green water...buy some chemical media that will remove phosphate. There are alot of different products out there, Chemi Pure Elite, PolyFilters...and then phosphate specific removing products like Rowa, PhosX, PhosPure etc all will target the problem. The next step would be to do a 3day black out on the tank, cover it with a sheet and keep the lights out. The time spent without a light source, no additional sources of phoshate(fish food) and then removing the phosphate by chemical filtration should do the trick. Also listing your specific water parms, would be of help to us to help you fix your issues.

To treat the sick fish, remove it to a hospital tank...other fish could be picking at it and only making the infection worse. Melafix does work quite well for the treatment of finrot, follow its insructions and provide pristine water and the fish should be fine.

[italianxmna89]

i just did a water change and added melafix ( i dont have a hospital tank..)...ill let it cycle for a bit then test the water and post them...doesnt it stress the fish if theres no light?

setup:

20g
35 gallon hush hob filter
7 zebra danios
4 guppies
2 ottos
1 red platty

[Lady Hobbs]

The light is for us, not them. But is this tank near a window? Sunlight will make green water very quickly. And what is your filteration? Perhaps your filter is not moving water around as it should.

[MCHRKiller]

I agree the lack of light for 3 days wont be an issue for the fish. I did a bit of research on the Elite Hush 35...it only pumps 145GPH max. That could also be your issue as Hobbs suggested, it is generally advised when using a HOB filter that they move around 10X the tanks volume. The reason for that is filter ratings on the box are horribly over done, that 145G rate on the box is a brand new filter empty...it does not account for media or general wear on the filter. I would suggest you run a 2nd small HOB in addition to your Hush35, especially if the tank is a 20G long...filter on either end of those tends to work best. Doesnt have to be anything expensive...a cheapo Topfin 10 would suffice. It would get you some extra media space and some much need circulation.

[italianxmna89]

its a 35 gallon hush hob filter running just the sponge filter...should i crank it up completely? it is near a window so ill completely shut those blinds and see what happens...should i still cover it with a towel/blanket?

[MCHRKiller]

Do crank it, yes :22: Shutting the blinds will help...but to get rid of the green water I would still proceede with the 3day blackout.

[rich311k]

You need to do a large water change. Cover the tank woith blankets etc. No light at all, do not feed, do not peek. After 3 days uncover the tank, do another large water change and feed the fish. They will be very happy to see you.

[jcarr71]

I just cleared this very issue up a month ago. Your problem is the window. Sunlight plus water equals green water. Put a glass of water in a window and wait a couple weeks. It will turn green. The easy fix is to move your tank away from the sunlight. Mine, however, was a 75g so moving it would have been a pain. I blacked out the luckily small side of the tank that was near a window with cardboard. It doesn't look great, but within a few days the tank turned clear.

Get the sunlight away from your tank and all will be better.

[Braccus]

Personally I'm not the biggest melafix fan when it comes to treating fin rot.

[italianxmna89]

oh dont suggest your treatment of choice or anything haha

[jay2487]

This might help and might not, I had the same problem, perfect water parameters and plenty of filtering yet murky green water. At first I believed it was a new piece of drift wood leeching tannins into the water, which i'm sure that was a part of it, but after removing the driftwood and doing several water changes it was still green and murky with all parameters perfectly in line. The fine people on this site explained to me that this was algae blooms caused by direct unlight as my 110gal tank is on a screened in back porch and gets plenty of real sunlight throughout the day. I had no way to do a blackout so instead I bought some algae destroyer from walmart. It was like $5, I added two teaspoons and it cleared up quicker than you could possibly believe. I went in and watched a little tv then come back out to see the most perfect pristine water my tank ever held. It seemed like a miracle to me lol, but my smallest swordtails hung out at the top for a while kind of like it absorbed some 02 from the water or something.

[italianxmna89]

i think my problem was that i left my light on for too long..i assumed fish always need light or they would get stressed..i think this blackout, large water change, and smaller time gap on the light timer is what i need.

[jay2487]

I didn't have those options, no way to black it out without completely wrapping it in a tarp and seeing as I have 5 turtles who must bask daily there was no way to kill all the lights to it. FYI reptile basking lights will grow algae like crazy!!:hmm3grin2orange:

[aspects]

I didn't have those options, no way to black it out without completely wrapping it in a tarp and seeing as I have 5 turtles who must bask daily there was no way to kill all the lights to it. FYI reptile basking lights will grow algae like crazy!!:hmm3grin2orange:

Sounds like its time to invest in a UV filter.
I had 2 125g ranks on my back patio (no roof, no walls, not even a screen. In direct sunlight all day) and thanks to a UV filter (turbo twist) the water was crystal clear.

[jay2487]

I had heard they didn't really do much, they get rid of algae though?

Unless I find the algae destroyer to be harmful to my fish I believe I'll stick with it. It didn't even try to cloud back up for a couple weeks after I dosed the first time. The bottle said to dose once every three days until the algae was gone and then once a week after that. I dosed once and 20 minutes later it was gone,even off the walls, after two weeks of waiting for it to come back I noticed a few spots on the glass that got the most sun starting to grow so I did a half dose and haven't touched it since. BUT, my smallest fish for some reason act like there is no aireation after i dose with it. All the larger fish even in the same species have no effects but the smallest fish in the tank act as if there is no air. Have any clues on that? ever used the stuff?

[aspects]

Don't do much? Lol. Somebody lied to you.
Not only does it clear algae and prevent it from returning, but if used properly it also takes care of bacteria and parasites.
I run them on most of my tanks and ponds.

Your fish are gasping because of the "treatment". Chemical treatments reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen in the tank. They can also be harmful to the delicate organs of your fish. (much like chemicals are to humans.) damaging the kidneys first and moving on to the rest. unfortunately, organ damage is not something most hobbyists account for when opting for chemicals.
Also, I find, that for the most part chemical "treatments" are completely unnecessary. There is always a solution that doesn't require potentially harmful chemicals. In the end its just not worth it, so I don't use of advocate the use of chemical "treatments". I used to use them unfortunately when I was new to the hobby. I can only wish I knew then what I know now.

[italianxmna89]

that guppy didnt make it....took the towel off the tank and it was on the intake of the filter..

[jay2487]

sorry about your loss

[rich311k]

I am sorry to hear that. How did the water come out?

[italianxmna89]

cloudy but looks less green

[italianxmna89]

what measures should i take in case that sick/dead guppy infected my tank with some sort of bacteria..?

[frank_zappa]

i had green water briefly in my 29 gallon and all i did was like you said, i shortened the length of time my lights were on and did a large water change...that was all i did and it cleared right up. less lighting will not stress your fish it will actually calm them.