New Problem

So I cleaned all the tank, washed everything and the smell has gone .

Today though there is a definate tinge of green in the water that wasnt there when it was smelly! Why would that be happening now? I would have thought that now everything was clean the water would have been great!

please help!

Hi Ant. Sod's law isn't it? Get rid of one problem and another comes and takes its place!

The only thing I can think of is it is an algae bloom. I dont know whether the fact that you have blitzed your tank and cleaned iy all would trigger that, or is it by a window perhaps. Also ho long do you have lights on for.

I am not sure, wait for someone else to confirm, but I would think that water changes are the only way to get rid of it, and dont have the lights on for a bit.

Well it's not near any windows or anything like that. I do have the lights on - probably or about 10hrs - is that too long? I dont have any live plants now, they all died so I chucked them out.

The fish seem ok which is one good thing I guess.

I'd maybe cut the lighting a bit as you have no live plants.

I would suggest reduce feeding, maybe a very small pinch every other day. Many of the aquarium flake foods are high in phosphates and as the food decays these phosphates are released, causing & helping the algae bloom

Increase water changes to control nitrate and phosphate levels, vacuuming the gravel will also help

munchycarrot wrote:

I'd maybe cut the lighting a bit as you have no live plants.

I would suggest reduce feeding, maybe a very small pinch every other day. Many of the aquarium flake foods are high in phosphates and as the food decays these phosphates are released, causing & helping the algae bloom

Increase water changes to control nitrate and phosphate levels, vacuuming the gravel will also help

Hiya MC, I'm doing daily water tests at the moment, should I be doing daily water changes or twice daily? Water tests are fine by the way, no ammonia or nitrite.

Well if your ammonia and nitrite are both zero and your nitrate is less than 40, you could probably stop with the water changes, Ant. Just test every other day for the time being in case problems reoccur.

Missed this. Thats great the smell has gone! Keep testing though