The Puffer Forum

Trying again to post this (4th try today, I think I'll give it up -- grrr)

The 5 footer tank which at the moment houses my GSP, has what appears to be a greenish tinge to the water.
Stats remain unchanged since yesterday when weekly check and 30% water change done
GH 120
KH 120
PH 7.5
No2 Nitrite .5
No3 Nitrate .15/20
Ammonia .1

No physical sign of Algae.

I've acquired a UNIFilter 100UV (UV-c) Internal filter.
Thing is, would it be beneficial to the GSP, the plants, and the water

Do I run the UV filter and the Fluval4 filter together?

Advice appreciated, thanks all

Nitrite and Ammonia should be zero, was the tank uncycled?
I do 50-75% water changes every other day to get the nitrite and ammonia down, and that should help with the green water.
Otherwise if the water stays greenish a UV sterilizer will help.

Unfortuately my tapwater is .1 Ammonia, so I hadn't thought there was anything unusual in that. So no matter how many or what %tage water change I do, I cannot change that.
(I have notified the water co (dear ol'thames water) but they don't think it's as urgent as some of the stuff they've got to deal with!)

How to get Nitrate/rite down?

Buffy seems unconcerned

missed a bit....

ok, so UVfilter "might" help.
so is it best to run both filters together or just use the UV filter?

Nitrate and nitrite only go down by water changes, you should have some nitrate in your tank though, but nitrite you want at zero,
It would be best to run both together, I'm not familiar with Uv filters, are they the same thing as a UV sterilizer?
Either way it will be best to run both filters.

I don't know anything about UV. sorry.
as for the nitrite and nitrate, there should not be any nitrite if it is cycled, and I would think a cycled tank would take care of the Ammonia in your tap. the only way to get nitrate down is to do WCs and I would continue doing them like CP says, until all the levels are down.

...you didn't exactly answer if it was cycled.

sorry, yes it is cycled

UV sterilizers are a bad idea on planted tanks. Break down some complex organic nutrients the plants thrive on. We've defeated green water at my job with persistent use of a diatom filter.

crazedpuffer wrote:Nitrate and nitrite only go down by water changes, you should have some nitrate in your tank though, but nitrite you want at zero,
It would be best to run both together, I'm not familiar with Uv filters, are they the same thing as a UV sterilizer?
Either way it will be best to run both filters.

Nitrite is consumed as part of the nitrogen cycle and converted into nitrate. Nitrates are usually only removed by waterchanges (plants and algae's also consume them).

If your tap water really does have ammonia in it then that could be a problem.

Either way, it sounds to me like your tank is still cycling. Less than clear water is fairly common in new tanks. You should be able to remove it through regular waterchanges. As your tank becomes more stable the problem should go away.

UV will kill any algae/bacteria in the water column, but it's usually an unnecessary expense IMO (great for outdoor ponds though).