Frequent Aquarium Questions

• What is the bubble-like formation at the top of my Gourami tank?
  
  
• My aquarium water is green. What is the problem?
  
  
• I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 goldfish. Can I introduce an algae eater to the tank?
  
  
• I have a 30 gallon aquarium with 1 piranha. I've tried velvet gaurd many times but the green cloudy water comes back in a couple days. What else can I do?
  
  
• I have a 20 gallon tank with 5 fish. Recently, a lot of the gravel and all of the decorations have this brownish, greenish color on them. Is this algae?
  
  
• I have an outbreak of brown algae. My nitrates are 40 ppm. I changed out the poor lighting system. Will this help and how long should I keep my lights on?
  
  
• Green algae has started to grow in my 29 gallon saltwater tank. I lost 4 fish and assumed it was the due to the introduction of a new fish carrying parasites. What could be the cause?
  
  
• I have 2 new 100 gallon freshwater aquariums, both receiving direct sunlight from 6am-9am. After adding 18 fish and changing the water, the water turned green and cloudy. The tanks can't be moved. What can I do?
  
  
• About two months ago some reddish/purple algae appeared on my aquarium rocks in long floating strands. Then a film of the same color coated the rocks and substrate and many silver bubbles appeared underneath the film. What is this?
  
  
• My reef tank has large amounts of brownish-red algae and bubbles building on the live rock. What might be the problem and how can I fix it?
  
  

• What is the bubble-like formation at the top of my Gourami tank?
  
  Your Gouramis are preparing for mating and have built a bubble nest.
  
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• My aquarium water is green. What is the problem?
  
  Perform a larger water change, shorten the duration of the aquarium lighting, and reduce the ambient light in the room. Installing a UV sterilizer would also help.
  
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• I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 goldfish. Can I introduce an algae eater to the tank?
  
  No. Your tank is too small. If you did, you would have 2 species of fish that excrete the most waste in the hobby.
  
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• I have a 30 gallon aquarium with 1 piranha. I've tried velvet gaurd many times but the green cloudy water comes back in a couple days. What else can I do?
  
  You can purchase an 8-watt ultraviolet sterilizer.
  
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• I have a 20 gallon tank with 5 fish. Recently, a lot of the gravel and all of the decorations have this brownish, greenish color on them. Is this algae?
  
  Yes. It will continue to grow to various degrees since all home aquariums are closed systems with lighting and organics in the water.
  
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• I have an outbreak of brown algae. My nitrates are 40 ppm. I changed out the poor lighting system. Will this help and how long should I keep my lights on?
  
  Changing your lights will help, but you must lower your nitrates to a respectable level for a reef tank. Eight hours of lighting is fine. Perform some small water changes and watch your feedings.
  
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• Green algae has started to grow in my 29 gallon saltwater tank. I lost 4 fish and assumed it was the due to the introduction of a new fish carrying parasites. What could be the cause?
  
  Green algae in small amounts is not a sign of bad water quality. In a closed environment with lighting and organic, the growth is inevitable. You must look out for early signs of stress and disease. Lastly, you should quarantine any new fish prior to introduction.
  
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• I have 2 new 100 gallon freshwater aquariums, both receiving direct sunlight from 6am-9am. After adding 18 fish and changing the water, the water turned green and cloudy. The tanks can't be moved. What can I do?
  
  If you only had a porthole with direct sunlight shining through it, this would be strong enough to encourage algae growth. Algae is that opportunistic. You also stocked one of your tanks too rapidly.
  
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• About two months ago some reddish/purple algae appeared on my aquarium rocks in long floating strands. Then a film of the same color coated the rocks and substrate and many silver bubbles appeared underneath the film. What is this?
  
  The purple-colored film is not actually algae but cyanobacteria. Growth in you tank is an indication of a high organic content and insufficient current.
  
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• My reef tank has large amounts of brownish-red algae and bubbles building on the live rock. What might be the problem and how can I fix it?
  
  You have slime algae or cyanobacteria forming in your tank. They appear due to high organics and insufficient current in the tank. Perform a water change with thorough gravel vacuuming and aim the direction of your returns in the contaminated area. There is a product called Boyd's ChemClean that you can use as well.
  
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