Hi, the water in my 2-year-old RES's tank gets completely green after exactly one week. I called Fluval to ask why this was happening and they said it wasn't the filter's fault -- it's algae, because the tank is in direct sunlight. I don't want to move him out of the sun because he loves it -- even with his UV-B lights on, he seems to be more into basking when it's in real sunlight as well. Is there anything I can do to keep the water from getting this way? Otherwise it's not dirty with droppings, food, etc. - the filter takes care of that. I have to clean the water weekly -- except for a couple of times in the last 6 months when I didn't need to change the water for over 3 weeks, which really confused me because otherwise everything was exactly the same (same water, same sunlight, etc.). Very confused! Thanks for any help.
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How to keep water from getting green with algae?
Replies (3)
Hi you can either use some stuff called algae fix or get a pelco (your turtle may kill it though). I have a pelco that is much bigger than my Oregano, he keeps it really clean. If you dont want to do that than algae fix will take care of it in about 1-3 days. Good Luck
God Bless
Deejay
A good way to get rid of algae is to starve it of the nutrients that allow it to grow. This can be tough in a turtle tank. Putting a phosphate sponge in your filter can help (ask the local pet store). Also keeping the levels of ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite down will reduce the problem. This does involve your filter, better biological and chemical filtration will remove these from your system. Finally, live plants (which tend to get eaten) or hair algae will also soak up these nutrients, leaving the water clear. Over the counter products that claim to get rid of algae usually just clump it up- this lasts for about three days. Well, that's all I've got. It can be a tough battle.
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Eryx - All the fun of a boa in a convenient pocket size!
You can purchase a UV sterilizer that kills the free floating algae that makes the water green. Check them out at some of the online retailers.
