Re: Green Water

["James Purchase" <jppurchase at rogers_com>]

Marty asked:
"I have a goldfish tank that has no plants. The water has turned green. How
do I clear up the tank?"

Simple, change the water.

The algae is growing because goldfish are heavy feeders which produce
copious amounts of wastes. It isn't enough to rely only on biological
filtration in a "goldfish" tank - that merely turns the organic waste into
prime aglae fertilizer (but you still need a biological filter, for other
reasons). You have to reduce the concentration of nutrients in the water and
the easiest way to do that is to change lots of water, regularly.

Another strategy would be to get some Duckweed. Planted tank folks usually
hate the stuff but it acts lile a nutrient sponge, pulling excess nutrients
out of the water. The goldfish will have a built in salad bar (they will eat
the duckweed).

B.T.W., how big is the tank, and how many (and how big) are the goldfish?

James Purchase
Toronto