cloudy water

My african tank has gotten cloudy ,, from the end looking through its slightly green ,,, algae??? I am setting lights to only come on from 5pm to 9pm , as the room is light during the day. hoping to slow the green haze, any other suggestions for dealing with this??,,,,ph 8.4 added african cichlid salt, and trace minerals,,lots of shells and crushed coral.

Decreasing your light time is a good Idea. Personally at the first sign of green water I do a 70 percent water change and black out the tank until its clear it useaully only takes a few days and the big w/c will do a lot of the clearing. Some people are really hesitant to do such a big w/c. If that is the case and it just seems to freak you out do a 40 percent water change and wait a few days and do another 40 percent water change. I hve done 30-50 percent water changes everyday in some tanks like hospital tanks and fry tanks with no negitive consiquence (with the exception of costly tap water conditionar. Good luck.

did a 40% change yesterday and cut the lighting time ,, I'll do another 40% tomorrow thanks

No problem.

I had a similar problem with one of my tanks..... no matter how many water changes cloudyness came back..... Finally I figured it out..... it was by a window in the house..... sunlight grows algae like mad craziness..... moved the tank, problem disapeard next day.... well after a water change and a good scrubbing.

Algae bloom just leave lights off for a couple days thats what I did to allow the Bio to catch up especially during sunny weeks when tank is near a window, also some cichlid sands will cloud water for first couple days.. However that does not sound like a problem...Try the Lights off and water change should be clear in no time.. Keep us posted..

whenmorning sun hits it is intense for a few hours,, lights off and frequent waterchanges seem to help. I also keep the shades down now,,, I do like the sun though,, I may re arrange the house to get this farther from the direct sun ,,, but that will take a while to figure out a good arrangement.

Get a UV filter. Got one on my 200 gallon tank and haven't regretted it since.

Good luck!!!!

Oh yeah.... another way to solve it is to paint the glass..... It sounds like you want sunlight to hit your tank though.... wich I wouldnt recommend.... but your tank, your business......

I did paint the back of my tank black, and the sides.... the fish stand out more... pretty cool.

I just like the sunlight in the house ,, but I glued a piece of black plexi to the back, I may do the window side as well. I am thinking the UV sterilizer wouldn't be bad either,,, any downside to a sterilizer???

Ooooooo good question.... and good resolution with the black plexi.... not permanent like my paint job... lol.... So, I am not familiar with the UV sterilizer stuff..... ANYBODY HAVE EXP?????? please answer.

UV sterilizers are awesome at killing algae. There are several types, but they mainly come in 2 forms: UV-sterilizer w/ NO pump, and UV-sterilizer w/ pump.

The better grade UV-sterilizers come w/ NO pump. You can attach these to the lines of your canister filter (depending on flow rates). Usually the manufacturer will state the desired flow rates, but I've noticed UVs on flow rates between 300-600 are good for killing algae. Flow rates below 200 are good at killing algae + bacteria (pathogens) in the water (however, since flow rate is much lower, doesn't do a great job at keeping algae at bay).

They also make UV-sterilizers with pumps (usually a powerhead). I also have a couple of these and they seem to do an adequate job (got 1 at Petsmart for $60, good for 100 gallon tank).

Do your research before you purchase. Good luck!!!

I purchased a suppose "Miracle" uv sterilizer for 75$ new. i can't remember the maker. Died after first winter of non use. Only problem i can see with uv is replacing the bulb every 6 months, like suggested.
I blanked out the window side, and back, and increased water changes to help. More work, but worth it.