Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hellow every body, i am really concerned from two days as im noticing that the water tank is turning green, any idea why?
i had bought from a fish store a "green water remover" but i am afraid to use it as i thought it may effect the plants with the chemicals.
Note: i didnt had a filter in the tank, i did add it today. is it related?

Kindly assist on whether it is safe or not to use? or is it normal for that water to turn green? or shall i change the water?

Thanku in advance

cover your tank, sounds like algae

it is slightly covered with a green sheet, the temperature out side is 45c and the water temperature is 29 to 30c.
shall i add a cooler for water?

Completely cover the tank and the algea will clear. Do NOT add the chemical algea remover!

can you explain how to cover?
i mentioned im covering it with a green fabric sheet, shall i remove it and use something thicker and stronger like plastic?
but im afraid plastic will add more heat to it!

By "slightly covered" I assume it is not fully covered. Make sure no light is getting in the tank and the algea will go away. I have mine covered with and old banner (real thick tarp thing) and the top is covered with corregatef plastic.

+1 sounds like algae.

Definitely do not add the algae remover. It's not good for AP systems.

I cover my tank completely with a double sided tarp. Reflective material side up for the summer to help cool my tank and dark side up in the winter for passive solar heating. Try to block as much light as you possibly can.

thanks alot naxnaman and DéjàVoodoo. ill do that today

+1 definitely block as much light as you can but do try to allow for air movement under the cover as you are dealing with heat there.

A note about aquarium products. Most of them are not safe for Aqauponics. They are often made of rather dangerous chemicals that you don't want to be eating as part of your fish or your plants.

As above... shade, aerate... and if possible increase your pump cycles...

i was advised to use uv light to remove the greenness and any bacteria or solids from the fish tank.

i was advised to use uv light to remove the greenness and any bacteria or solids from the fish tank.

A UV sterilizer can work to reduce/remove algae but it is not necessary if you can block the light from your fish tank. UV light can do the job for people with ornamental ponds or pools where covering the pond is not an option but in an aquaponics system where covering the tank is an option, the UV is just an added cost in electricity and replacement bulbs. I would not go to the extra expense just because of algae if covering the tank is an option. I know of some people who do use sterilizers but they use them for other reasons.

I was at my local pond/koi supply store the other week and asked about those UV lights. One of the employees with about a decade worth of experience dealing outdoor ponds said that some people swear by them and some refuse to use it. She said that some people were concerned that UV lights might destroy some of the beneficial bacteria.

Aquaponics is it's own unique mini-ecosystem. Why would any of us want to sterilize our water

in an ornamental pond where covering the pond really would defeat the purpose of it, I can see how a UV system might help. And I know of some people using UV to protect a commercial scale system from plant pathogens. Seeing as most of the bio-filter bacteria in a cycled healthy system is going to be attached to surfaces, a UV light probably won't be causing great harm to a system with ample filtration. However, I don't think I would want to use UV on a new system that is not yet cycled since the bacteria have to colonize from somewhere and if you kill what gets into the water with UV before it can get established on surfaces, ya just slow things down.