Green algae

My tank water has been getting more and more green and cloudy in the last 10 days. It started with a bit of a green tinge, but got more and more. I changed 50% of the water, and then did daily water changes of 20%, but it doesn't help. I can hardly see through it now, it's that bad. I think its some sort of green algae. What can I do, as water changes don't seem to help? I have seen some medications for algae for fish tanks, but are these safe for axies?
Hopefully somebody can help me on this, that would be soo much appreciated.
Oh, and my ammonia, nitrate etc readings are all ok.
I cleaned the filter with boiling hot watera few days ago, as I thought there may be some bad bacteria living in the filter? I didn't clean sand/ornaments , so not to start a mini cycle. This has made no difference. My tank is 50-55G, and has 1 axie in it.


(Message edited by sherrisixxx on April 11, 2006)

(Message edited by sherrisixxx on April 11, 2006)

from what iv'e read u shouldnt really clean all ur filter material at once ? pretty sure should only clean it in clean tank water.
as for the bga i read if u cover ur tank with a blanket so no light gets in at all for 4 days this will get rid of the bga, but u cant check it @ all in that time it needs to be completely dark for that period.
i wouldnt use any algae cleaners as from what what iv'e read they can be very toxic...
have a bit of a read here
http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=16&sid=60c8ea064d152b0c307da0d1abb96446
and look for blue green algae "bga" cause thats what i recon it is but not 100% sure ?

doesnt phosphates play a part in algae (luckily im not too up on it as i dont have it hehe).

cleaning your filter in boiling water would have knocked out all bacteria in there which can often be a significant amount, watch the water params as you may see a small ammonia spike but i wouldnt think it would even register as one axie in a 55gal doesnt make much waste for the volume.

do you have any plants? plants absorb nutrients that algae would otherwise use, ive heard of a few people dumping a whole heap of hardy plants (and i mean ALOT) in their tanks and the tank is clear a week or so later. alot of things come into play with algae, where is your tank situated?

Phosphates, nitrates, and iron are typically the three main contributers to algae blooms by themselves or in combination in aquaria.
I am not too fond of the massive elimination by covering with a blanket method because if the algae population is high enough the die off can depelete the oxygen in the water as well as spiking the ammonia.
Some algae species can grow rapidly enough that it take some time for water changes to take effect.

The fastest and safest method (also fairly expensive) is to run a diatom filter on the tank as this will remove all of the suspeded algae cells in the water. It can take a few treatments to get the algae back under control but it is very effective. The aquarium treatments are usually a flocculant which causes the cells to clump together and drop out of the water column but it doesn't deal with the root cause (excess nutrients and lots of light). Some do contain copper so you have to be careful with them.

If you can keep up on it, reducing the light levels and daily water changes can take awhile but will eliminate the problem (as long as the nutrient issue isn't also in the makeup water).

Ed

Thanks Rob & Sharn. Yes, I think I made a mistake in cleaning the whole filter, but I quess I just panicked it had some horrid bacteria that made Axelina ill, and the water green. Will keep checking water quality.
The tank is by the window, but the curtains are drawn. They are white curtains, so light does get through, but it's not direct sunlight, as its true the curtain. I dont know if that makes a difference? I have some plants that have been there all the time, but not that many.

Hmm, so I should try buying lots of plants and put a blanket on top of the tank. Will go to my lfs tomorow. Can I take the blanket off in the evenings,so that I can chat to my axie? Or is electric light bad as well, or just sunlight?

from what iv'e read Sherri u need to cover the whole tank with a blanket "not just the top" so no light @ all gets in and leave it on for around 4 days not opening it up @ all the key is total darkness.
but hey if Ed says he's not too keen on it i would do some more research cause he's "alot" more knowledgeable than me on these matters.
if u do try the method i mentioned i would take ur axie out just incase and put him in another container or fridge and if/when it works definately do water test b4 putting ur axie back in...

Many thanks Ed and Rob.I think the diatom filter is expensive, so will only get that as a last resort. Will continue with water changes (20-30% a day ok??), and will cover the side of aquarium that is facing the window, but will keep the other side uncovered so there will be enough oxygen.
Over the Easter holiday I will try to get a friend to help me to move the tank to other side of the room, away from the window. Its not gonna be easy,tho, as it's a 50-55G tank, and I suffer from back and shoulder probs,huh. But will be worth it if I get a healthy tank to my little darlings

Hi Sherri, you have "green water", not BGA. Keep up with those daily changes and eventually you'll get it under control. It's not hurting your axy, if that's any comfort. It might even like it.