Green Water

So, I set up a 10g tank for a friend and he's having a problem with green water. The last time I had green water was years ago and my LFS rented me a diatom filter for the weekend for $5. I was curious what techniques fishboxers have had good luck with in treating it.

I'm inclined to just black it out for 3-4 days as it sounds the cheapest and most reliable.

Obviously there is a surplus of nutrients so that is another angle to attack it. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate all came back 0, I don't have a phosphate test. I saw willow branches as a suggestion, but that sounded goofy.

If I can't find a simple cheap solution I can get my hands on a small internal UV sterilizer for about $30.

Blackout method can work. I recommend a large water change before and after. As once the algae dies it contributes to a waste problem.

Willow branches will work also. Water lettuce can do the same thing there as well. I had green water going a couple weeks ago and was hoping it would keep going to seed my ponds when it warms up. So of course it went away on it's own. It was a new setup tank and I don't think I was keeping the load high enough to keep the green water happy

lol. That's funny, typical. I forgot about water lettuce. Anyone in the Olympia overwhelmed with it and possibly willing to bring me some? New baby and all makes getting out difficult these days.

I've got a UV sterilizer from PetsMart (Green Killing Machine) rated for a 90 gallon tank that will wipe out green water in a 10 gallon in about 24 hours. They're da bomb.

If anyone has a UV sterilizer I could borrow for a couple days, that'd be cool too