Re: Green Water

["James Purchase" <jppurchase at rogers_com>]

Marty, if your tank is overstocked, and that's the way you want it, maybe
you ought to consider either a diatom filter or a UV filter (or both). A
Diatom Filter will be able to remove the live algae from the water and
properly sized UV unit will be able to kill the algae spores in the water.
Since algae spores are everywhere, this might be an ongoing battle but as
long as you are only plagued by green water, it ought to be winable. Diatom
filters are not meant to be used continuously and they have to be throughly
cleaned between uses, so its labour intensive. I'd continue with the 50%
water changes. I wouldn't recommend that you resort to chemical algicides.
Physically removing the floating algae with the diatom filter and killing
the spores with UV ought to be enough and neither will hurt your goldfish.

James Purchase
Toronto