Green Aquarium Water: Causes and Cures

Is your fish tank water looking more like pea soup?

Algae can build up and “bloom”, causing the water to thicken and discolor. And it can happen almost overnight, causing the concern if you’re not an expert in fish tank care or a new fish owner.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help get to the root of the issue! Read on for these causes and cures for green aquarium water.

What Causes Green Fish Tank Water?

Here, we’ll look at the common causes of green, cloudy aquarium water. You must know how it happens so you can prevent it going forward.

Too Much Light

Algae are plants and what helps them grow – natural light. On its own, this isn’t a red flag but when combined with a source of nutrients you can cause an algae hyper-growth spurt.

You can get too much light from placing the tank near a window or leaving on the tank light for too long. It can also happen if the tank light is too strong for your tank’s needs.

Nutrient Imbalances

Another thing plants need to grow is nutrients. For most forms of aquarium algae, this is phosphate and nitrate. You’ll find these in fish food and waste, as well as tap water.

If you overfeed your fish or have too many in the tank, you can cause these nutrients to build up. Changing water with clean aquarium water that’s full of these nutrients will do the same.

Lack of Maintenance

Not changing the water or doing will reduce water quality. Over time, this is the perfect situation for algae to grow as nutrients build up.

You can’t see nutrients so it’s hard to tell when they’re reaching levels that are too high. You only notice when your fish get unwell, or you see that green, cloudy algae bloom.

How to Manage Algae Outbreaks

Now you know what causes green tank water, it’s time to look at how you cure the problem. It’s important to get your tank back to being clean and healthy for your fishy friends.

They need a stable, diverse ecosystem to thrive. As a pro tip before we begin, make sure your aquarium has the right bio-diversity for your fishes’ needs. Ecopods can help introduce the right small organisms to keep your tank healthy.

UV Sterilizer

You can install a UV sterilizer into your aquarium’s hardware. This is the most effective and easiest way to cure green fish tank water. as the water flows through the chamber, it eliminates floating algae.

In a matter of days, you can expect to see crystal clear water. It’s completely safe for fish, invertebrates, and plants that live in the tank. But talk to an expert if you have a more diverse ecosystem to work with.

Remove Light

As excess light causes algae to bloom, to reverse it you will need to get rid of the light for a while. Turn off the tank light and wrap it in black plastic bin liners or blankets for a few days.

Only unwrap it each day to feed your fish then cover it again. In most cases, after a few days, the blooming algae will die after 48-72 hours. But you still need to deal with what caused it to bloom to start with.

Chemical Treatments

You can get many products that are good for curing algae blooms. But chemical treatments should be a last resort when the other options haven’t worked.

They won’t address the cause, and you don’t know how they could affect the fish or the ecosystem of your tank. That said when nothing else works these usually do.

Don’t Let Green Aquarium Water Make You Blue

So, there you have it! Now you know the causes and cures for green aquarium water you’ll know how to handle an outbreak.

Make sure you work out what causes the algae to bloom and address this first. This will put you in the best position to make sure you cure that algae outbreak for good.

If you found this article helpful, check out our other blog posts today!