0

I have a very old tank. We cleaned the tank out thoroughly by doing the following.

  • Took out the old gravel and replaced it.
  • Scrubbed the walls of the tank as well.

Despite that, the water is still a little green. Can old glass affect the color of the water?

Improve this question
2
  • What kind of green is it? Is it a grass like green, you connect with plants, or is ir a blue-ish green, you would connect with thick glass, like the bottoms of white glass bottles, or jars?
    – Allerleirauh
    Commented Mar 31, 2023 at 19:49
  • 2
    also if you drained it, what colour was the glass without the water?
    – Journeyman Geek ♦
    Commented Apr 9, 2023 at 4:07

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
1

An algae bloom is not unusual for a new aquarium. I have not specifically treated them. Generally I have many plants which out compete the algae for nutrients. Standard filtering will also tend to remove it. I doubt glass has anything to do with it. I have found algicide has bad side affects.

Improve this answer
1

The main root cause of algae is too much light and too many nutrients. If the water in the aquarium is hit by direct sunlight, you are very likely to get the green algae.

To avoid having algae:

  • place the aquarium to avoid direct sunlight;
  • do not add too many nutrients to the water (not too much food for the fish);
  • install proper filtration; a UV lamp will be very beneficial to keep green algae under control;

To get rid of the algae, you have two choices:

  1. If you are patient, follow the step above and you might be lucky to get rid of the pest.
  2. Start everything fresh: wash and heat treat the gravel, wash the devices and the inside walls of the aquarium chemically to really kill everything, throw away the plants (or try to wash them with a solution of H2O2). The cycle the aquarium and enjoy.

Right now, your water might look green if the walls of the aquarium still have algae. To verify, just put some water from the aquarium in a clean transparent white glass and look at the water - is it green or not? If not, then yo need to clean the inside walls of the aquarium. If you have good filtration, use a razor for aquarium to remove those algae.

Improve this answer
0

Yes, old glass in the aquarium can affect the color of the water. Over time, the glass can stain or develop algae and another build-up on the surface, which can affect how light travels through the water. This can lead to a yellow or bluish color of water, which can affect the health of the fish and other aquatic life in the tank.

Improve this answer
0

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.