Fish Tank Green

Why is my fish tank going green after 1-2 weeks of cleaning?

I have had my fish tank for 2 years now and it has only ever needed fully cleaning out once a month. Why all of a sudden is it going green after only 1-2 weeks of being cleaned out? The green that is appearing in the tank is not the normal dark green algae that normally occurs but a more mid-green colour. Nothing has changed with regards to the tank apart from the addition of a small crab but I can not see him being the problem! Any ideas please let me know.

Well honey, Cleaning your aquarium is a simple and straight forward task, and should not take very long (Unless you have a particularly small tank or bowl, in which case care can be quite cumbersome and time consuming). The better care you provide for your tank, the healthier your fish will be, the nicer your tank will look and the easier your tank will be to care for in the future. You should not need to take all the stuff out of the tank when you clean it, in fact, I would not recommend it. Every surface in the tank will grow some beneficial bacteria that are part of the biological filter. By removing and cleaning the decorations you stress (and may even kill) some of this bacteria, reducing the quality of your filtration.

When cleaning your aquarium, you should just remove part (10-15%) of the water and replace it with fresh, dechlorinated tap water (bowls and vases require larger water changes more often). While you are doing this, you should use your siphon to suck up some of the gunk that collects in the gravel and decorations. If you have an under gravel filter, it is very important to clean the gravel when you do your weekly water changes, this will prevent detritus and other decaying organic matter from blocking the passages between the pebbles and restricting water flow. Generally, you can clean 25-33% (1/4-1/3) of the gravel while siphoning out 10-15% of the water.

If you have algae growing on the surface of the tank or ornaments, you should get an algae scraper of some sort and scrub the glass before removing water. Many varieties of algae scrapers or scrubbers are available at your local pet store. For additional cleanliness, you could get algae eating catfish and/or scavengers to pick up some of this work for you, however, having catfish in the tank does NOT mean that you don’t need to clean. In fact, algae eaters and catfish, like any other fish, will add to the biological load of your tank and increase maintenance requirements.

Catfish or no catfish, I recommend doing 10-15% water changes once a week for the life of your aquarium. Once you get into this habit, it is not really that much work.

If you have to clean out the filter(s) do not change all the media (cartridges, sponges, carbon packets, etc.) at once, as this will remove the majority of your biological filter, causing the tank to have to go through a cycling period again to get bacteria reestablished. Rinse any new filter media in cool running water before introducing it to the system (unless the instructions for the filter media specifically state not to).

Once you have siphoned 10-15% of the water from your tank, you will need to fill it again. The easiest and neatest way to do this, is to use a siphon to siphon water from a bucket into the tank. This will tend to reduce spilling and messing up the gravel and decorations. Use a bucket that has never had detergents or household chemicals in it (we recommend getting a bucket specifically for use for aquarium chores) and fill it with water. The water should be close to the temperature of the tank water that you just took out (the average person can tell temperature differences within 1/2 degree Fahrenheit with their hand, so just feel the water to see if it is the same). Use a chlorine or chloramine remover to prepare the water for introduction into the tank. Place the bucket somewhere higher than the top of the fish tank, and get your siphon going again and in just a couple of minutes, you should have a full tank. Be sure to watch the siphon, in case the hose gets bumped out of the tank, or if there is enough water in your bucket to overfill the tank. Remember, there needs to be some space between the top of the water and the aquarium cover, because your fish rely on oxygen exchange at the surface of the water in order to be able to breathe.

Do not just “top off the tank” to replace water that “disappears.” This water that is disappearing is evaporating, and it leaves behind all the impurities that were in it to begin with. This means that as you just top off the tank, you are making your water harder until it will eventually no longer be able to support fish. Additionally, if there are even trace amounts of heavy metals or other toxic substances in the water, you are giving your fish more and more of these every time you top off the tank. Most municipal water systems have at trace levels of at least one potentially hazardous substance, but in minuscule amounts these should never be trouble for you or your fish. Furthermore, by not removing water from the tank from time to time, you allow build up of waste products not removed by the filter (such as Nitrate), which are potentially hazardous to the fish and encourage algae growth.

Remember, cleaning your tank is easy. Scrub for algae, remove 10-15% of the water while cleaning the gravel and top off the tank with dechlorinated water.

These cleaning tips are intended for tanks that are already cycled and are over about 10 gallons in size. The same rules apply to smaller tanks also.

Hope this helped honey

Quick Tour of my Fishtank/Green Thumb Marketing office…Hey, not everyone can have tanks at work.

Green Plastic Plants Aquascaping Ornament for Aquarium Fish Tank $4.34

Fish Tank Plastic Plant Aquarium Ornament Grass Green $16.70

Fish Tank Aquarium Plaster Wheat Shape Green Grass Purple & Blue Plastic Plants $6.97

3.9″ Plastic Artificial Grass Plant Green for Aquarium Fish Tank $5.30

Fish Tank Green Red Leaves Plastic Plant Aquascaping w Rubber Base $7.12

3 Pcs Fish Tank Yellow-green Leaves Plastic Plant Decor w Ceramic Base $4.99

11.8″ Green Curve Design Green Plastic Water Plant Decor for Fish Tank $25.10

Aquarium Fish Tank 4″ Height Artificial Green Grass 10 Pcs $8.16

Aquarium Fish Tank Rubber Base Green Plastic Grass Plant $7.57

Fish Tank 9″x9″ Green Non-toxic Lawn Grass Decoration $4.83

Fish Tank Aquarium White Green Oval Leaf Lifelike Plastic Underwater Plant 7″ $9.19

Aquarium Fish Tank Rubber Base Green Plastic Grass Plant $7.06

New 18in Aquarium Fish Tank Decor Flash 18 LED Bubble Light White Blue Red Green $1.38

9.2″ Height Artificial Red Green Plastic Plant Decoration for Fish Tank $6.45

Fish Tank Aquarium Decor Green Plastic Artificial Fish Pair $4.45

Green Leaves Tree w Fisherman Ornament for Fish Tank Aquarium $13.01

Fish Tank Aquascaping Artificial Green Plastic Plants $6.38

Aquarium Fish Tank Green Underwater Plastic Plant Aquatic Water Grass Decor 10″ $11.08

18in Aquarium Fish Tank Flash 18 LED Airstone Bubble Light White Blue Red Green $0.79

Fish Tank Plastic Hot Pink Green Dwarf Aquatic Plant Ornament $4.88

Aquarium Fish Tank Aquascaping Green Plastic Plants Decor 3 Pcs $7.62

Green Pink 7.2″ Artificial Water Plants Decor 10 Pcs for Aquarium Fish Tank $15.93

Arch Shape Plastic Plant Aquarium Fish Tank Ornament Decoration & Colors Choice $10.99

Fish Tank Emulational Fuchsia Green Water Plant Decor 7.8″ High $6.86

Dark Green Emulational Aquatic Plants Ornament for Fish Tank Aquarium $4.60

Aquarium Fish Tank Rubber Base Green Plastic Plant Decoration $7.00

2Pcs Green Artificial Plastic Grass Decor for Fish Tank $6.84

Fish Tank Artificial Green Leaf Plants Decor w Ceramic Base $7.02

Green Lifelike Plastic Water Plant Ornament 4 1/2″ for Fish Tank Aquarium $7.28

17.7″ Height Green Plastic Plants Decor for Aquarium Fish Tank $6.00

Fish Tank Aquarium Simulated Purple Green Plastic Plant Ornament 4.7″ $5.56

Aquarium Fish Tank Rubber Base Green Fuchsia Plastic Plant Grass $7.03

7.1″ Height Purple White Flower Green Grass Decor for Fish Tank $9.25

Fish Tank Yellow Green Ceramic Crab Aquascaping Ornament $4.78

Fish Tank Decorative Orange Green Foam Lotus Ornament $6.15

Aquarium Tank 10 Pcs Artificial Yellow Green Fish Decor $8.61

Bag of Green White Simulated Duckweeds for Fish Tank $4.05

Red Green Plastic Aquarium Plants Fish Tank Ornament $4.81

Aquarium Fish Tank Green Ultra Pink Plastic Ornament Flowering Plant $14.06

Fish Tank Aquascaping Green Plastic Plants w Ceramic Base $9.39

5″ Diameter Green Silicone Sea Anemone Decor for Fish Tank $6.43

Fish Tank Aquarium 5.5″ High Plastic Green Plants Decor $7.94

Fish Tank Artificial 4.7″ Green Plastic Plant w Air Stone $8.25

2 Pcs Ceramic Base Red Green Leaves Plastic Plants 5″ for Fish Tank $4.39

Aquarium Fish Tank Rubber Base Green Plastic Plant Grass Decor $6.30

60 Pcs Fish Tank Ornament Faux Crystals Decor Green $8.12

Bag of Green White Simulated Duckweeds for Fish Tank $4.21

Purple Green Plastic Leaves Plant Decor for Fish Tank $9.23

2 PCS Men-made Green Plant Decor for Fish Tank Aquarium $6.25

Fish Tank Aquarium 9cm Height Magenta Green Plastic Plants $8.51

Green Needle Shaped Leaves Plastic Plant for Fish Tank $10.19

Aquarium Fish Tank Green Water Grass Leaf Plastic Plant Decor w Ceramic Base $8.03

Aquarium Fish Tank Underwater Ornament Plastic Grasses Green $11.89

Aquarium Fish Tank Plastic Artifical Grass Green Decor $6.67

Burgundy Grn Plastic Grass Ornament 2PCS for Fish Tank $4.65

Emulational Green Red Five Leaf Curved Design Plants for Fish Tank $8.57

Fish Tank Aquarium Green Purple Floating Lotus Flower Emulational Plant Ornament $7.09

Fish Tank Decor Hot Pink Green Plastic Water Plants $9.71

Fish Tank Landscaping Plastic Green Sea Weed Decoration $5.13

Decorative Grn Plastic 13″ Plant for Aquarium Fish Tank $4.15

5 Inch Pink Green Plastic Plants Fish Tank Decoratation $3.87

Aquarium Fish Tank Green Aquascaping Plastic Coral Plant Ornament $11.14

Emulational Hot Pink Flower Accent Green Plants for Fish Tank $14.94

Aquascaping Plastic Lotus Purple Green Fish Tank Decor $7.25

Fish Tank Aquarium Simulated Purple Green Plastic Plant Ornament 4.7″ $5.57

Fish Tank Aquarium Aquascape Green Linear Leaves Aquatic Plastic Plant Ornament $11.01

Fish Tank Aquarium Decorative Green Grass 14.5″ Height $20.89

Fish Tank Landscaping Artificial Green Plastic Plants w Ceramic Base $6.64

Fish Tank Green Plant Red Flower Plant Decor w Base $4.05

Red Green Plastic Plants Decor for Aquarium Fish Tank $4.94

3 Pcs Green Plastic Water Plants Ornament for Fish Tank $7.83

NWT Gymboree Girl Tank Top Shirt NEW Choice $12.77

Artificial Green Red Arch Style Plants Ornament for Fish Tank $8.12

Fish Tank 11″ Height Yellow Green Plastic Plant Grass Decoration $11.00

Aquarium Fish Tank Ornament Water Plant Hot Pink Green $12.17

10 Pcs Orangered Green Plastic Plant Fish Tank Ornament $6.58

Decorative Green Plastic Plants for Aquarium Fish Tank $3.82

Fish Tank Green Oval Leaves Aquascaping Plastic Plant $12.79

Fish Tank Decor Hot Pink Green Plastic Water Plants $9.04

Fish Tank Aquarium Emulational Silicone Coral Ornament Green $6.50

Orange Green Plastic Crystal Stone 20 Pcs for Fish Tank $4.67

10 pcs Magenta Green Plastic Grass Fish Tank Decoration $7.51

Fish Tank Aquarium Green Leaf Tree Ornament Aquascaping $11.20

Green Fish Tank Decoration Aquarium Plastic Plants $5.30

Green 10.6″ High Simulated Plastic Plant for Fish Tank $7.34

3 Pcs Aquarium Fish Tank Green Plastic Plant Aquascaping New $5.77

Fish Tank Purple Flowers Green Plastic Plant Decoration $11.14

Fish Tank Green Sea Urchin Style Plastic Grass w Base $5.23

Green Aquarium Plastic Plant Fish Tank Grass Ornament $5.96

Fish Tank Decorative Aquatic Plastic Plant Purple Green $6.44

Fish Tank Aquarium Green Artificial Plant 37cm Height $13.69

Fish Tank Purple Grn Aquascaping Decor w Ceramic Base $4.11

Fish Tank Landscaping Artificial Green Plastic Plants w Ceramic Base $6.59

Fish Tank Landscaping Ceramic Base Green Plastic Water Plant $7.78

Green Red Plastic Grass Ornament for Aquarium Fish Tank $3.48

Green Fry Hatchery Net Breeder for Fish Tank Aquarium $7.24

Fish Tank Plastic Lotus Plant Aquascaping Green Purple $12.01

Fish Tank Aquascaping Grn Plastic Long Plant Decoration $16.23

6.5″ Green Plastic Plants Grass Ornaments for Fish Tank $7.09

Aquarium Fish Tank Green Leaf Plastic Plant Aquascaping $9.97

Milwaukee Instruments PH600AQ Ph Tester With 1 Point Manual Calibration $16.99 The Milwaukee Instruments pH Pen, PH600 is an easy to use pH meter. It features +- 0.2 Accuracy, one-point calibration and a long battery life (hours of continuous use). Calibration solution not included….

Hopeful kitten Card 5 x 7 inch premium quality folded paper greeting card. Animals / Pets cards for the whole family are available at Greeting Card Universe. Do something special this year with a paper card. Turn to Greeting Card Universe for all your Animals / Pets card needs. This paper card includes the following themes: kitten, green, and water. Greeting Card Universe has the biggest selection of Cats cards to ce…

IPAX Green 4 Hands Eco-Friendly All Purpose Hand Cleaner & Lotion – 3pk x 16oz $19.95 Commercial Grade! Use the environmentally-friendly all purpose hand cleaner the professionals use. An excellent choice for the professional mechanic, home mechanic, or for any situation that requires more then just soap to get your hands clean. Green4Hands is an environmentally-friendly, hypo-allergenic, non-toxic, and lanolin emollient rich hand soap which contains no harsh solvents, abrasives,…

Kitten on fish tank Card 5 x 7 inch premium quality folded paper greeting card. Find Animals / Pets cards for everyone on your list at Greeting Card Universe. Show your loved ones you care with a custom paper card to make the occasion memorable. Send a paper Animals / Pets card from Greeting Card Universe this year. This paper card includes the following themes: kitten, photography, and water. Greeting Card Universe offer…

Seaweed Select Green Marine Algae With Garlic – 1 Oz (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Freeze Dried Fish Food) $14.00 Seaweed Select Green Marine Algae With Garlic – 1 Oz. Seaweed select green marine algae 20k…

Seaweed Salad Green 10ct 30g (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Freeze Dried Fish Food) $11.80 Seaweed Salad Green 10ct 30g. Seaweed Salad is a natural treat for your marine and freshwater herbivores Much more nutritious than spinach and lettuceRecommended For:All freshwater Algae Eaters, African Cichlids, Silver Dollars, Sharks and all saltwater Damsels, Clownfish, Angels, and Tangs. 30g 10 count…

Sea Veg – green Seaweed 1oz (pouch) (Catalog Category: Aquarium / Freeze Dried Fish Food) $15.39 Sea Veg – green Seaweed 1oz (pouch). Julian Sprungs SeaVeggiesGreen Seaweed (Porphyra yezoensis)Super nutritious Natural Green Seaweed sheets Ideal for marine herbivores such as Tangs and Surgeonfish, Moorish Idols, Parrotfish, Angelfish, large Butterflyfish, and herbivorous freshwater fishes, such as Cichlids and Goldfish Available in foil packaging 30g (1 oz) . 30g (1 oz) Green Seaweed Whole Pl…

Professional Pond-Fish Automatic Feeder With LCD display(Up to 90 Days Promgrammable Feeding Schedule) This is a water-resistant, free-standing and mountable pond-fish feeder. When you are out of your house for a bit long time, you can use it to feed your fish automatically. You can also use it when you are at home, so that you don’t need to feed your fish every day. It is very convenient for you to feed the fish.Feature:a) Color: Grass green b) Dimensions: 7.8′ (19.8cm)in diameter, 10.3′ (26.2cm)i…

Pylones- Fish-Mouse Pad and Mouse Set for PC or MAC Adorable fish swimming across your mouse pad and mouse. FUN…

Air Swimmer Flying Fish – Shark – Extreme Model (Radio Control) $34.99 The Remote Control Air Swimmer Flying Clownfish comes complete with everything you need to fly it except batteries and Helium. You will need to fill the Air Swimmer with Helium before it will fly. There are 2 options for obtaining this Helium either buy a helium canister and fill up the Air Swimmer in your own home or take the Air Swimmer to a Helium supplier (party shops, florists). In the box th…