Green water

Hm unfortunately my other tank has a banjo catfish that apparently eats snails too, which is why my snail stayed in this little tank
But I'll see if maybe I can put my snail into a container similar to what people use to put fry in

 

It doesn't even look like it!
What kind of fish do you have?

 

One other thing, will otocinculus be alright with a betta fish? The siamese algae eaters kept nipping at his fins and then he'd chase them around, which is why I moved them to the bigger tank..

 

I suspect the curse of a zero CEG and low surface substrate. .... https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/expanded-shale-as-a-substrate.22808/

Think of it this way, you have little real estate for bacteria to colonize - you have zero place for nutrients to be stored so it is going to be hard to create a balanced environment in 30l ... results favour algae growth.

Semi relevant experiment - a "fresh" thank super clean at the start vs some substrate that had previous bacteria in it. https://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/threads/kitty-vs-old-substrate.16185/#post-228914

Later Ferdie

 

So are you saying I should add more substrate?
Also what does CEG mean?

 

Big rock substrates adds little to the tank. A finer substate - even if it is PFS, helps with creating more surface area ...
PFS is tricky - esp when you go to deep..
CEC (sorry finger vs brain trouble ..) is the ability to hold on to cations https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cation-exchange_capacity

Later Ferdie

 

Oh OK I see. So I should invest in some finer substrate along with what I currently have?

Will this help get rid of the green or help prevent it in the future?

 

Well - what are your long term goals ... keep fish in a goldfish style bowl, or try and create a balanced environment for both plants and fish to flourish?

I would ditch the gravel ... find a better substrate that works for your budget and try and get the plants to out compete the algae for nutrients. You could be leaching minerals from the big rock but nothing other than the algae is benefiting from it. If the goal is not to turn this into a planted tank then we can go the chemical route ... I suspect a bag of purigen in the filter will help with trapping excess and clear the water in no time. I have seen office tanks with messy fish in them clean-up rather quickly with the addition of purigen. I you want to experiment then give the other advice also a try and give us feedback on the progress for each over time.

The green you can cosmetically remove now - BIG WC and wipe the glass, clean filter media, vacuum the substrate and you should be good for a few days, weeks ... and maybe that is good enough - and this is also OK.

The future is pegged to what do you want from this tank.

Later Ferdie

 

I just want to make sure I'm understanding you, you're saying get new substrate that is finer, and plant more plants?
Or leave it as is and try purigen?
And the 3rd option is the big water change like @Hawk suggested but this is short term?
Would the purigen method also be short term?

 

Purigen can be recharged ... so it can form part of your normal tank maintenance.

Rest are correct yeah. Do keep pics and create a log thread (of could be this one ) for us to follow, failing that nobody learns from each other.

Later ferdie

 

Thank you so much for your help!
I'll keep you updated here.

 

Hello all,
So I did a big water change today, and used prime in the water (aswell as dechlorinator). Next week I'll do another big water change and see.
Then if that doesn't work, I'll go with @f-fish's method with the finer substrate

 

What Dechlorinator did you use because Prime is a dechlorinator.
Keep doing regular water changes.

Honestly I'd add plants. I wasn't keen on plants at first in my tanks but since I have transformed them into planted tanks I have more joy. My pleco eats whatever is left of the algae but the plants seriously diminish the nutrients for the algae and the whole setup flourishes as a result.

 

Check your heater. It should have a minimum water mark. Make sure your water is above that level at all times or you will blow the heater

 

Interesting info here,

https://fishlab.com/green-aquarium-water/

 

I used Tetra aqua safe. I didn't realize prime also did the chlorine..

I've been thinking more plants, the ones currently in there haven't been doing so well, so when i manage to save up again I'll get new ones. I'm thinking of also looking for a book on aquarium plants, then hopefully I can grow the next bunch a bit better..

 

It does have the minimum mark, and the water is below. I think maybe the angle of the picture makes it look like it's above

 

All water conditioners for aquarium use are dechlorinators. That is their sole purpose... Prime claims to be beneficial in other ways such as adding a slime coat and detoxifying Nitrites and Ammonia however this has yet to be confirmed.
I'll PM you an Edenvale contact with nice cheap plants and they are quality.

 

The water needs to be at least to the minimum mark. Not under it. Try put that heater in deeper or alternatively corner to corner. A burst heater will kill fish.

 

Very helpful thank you!
I see one of the comments the person left their lights off for 3 weeks, I left mine off for a few days.. Is 3 weeks worth a try?