green cloudy water (kind, acting, lost, eat)

[Just1Lion]

My 75 gallon tank all of a sudden has become green and cloudy. never had this problem before. i bought a new heater and turned up the temp, as my old heater was broken for a long time and i hadnt realized it. could the raise in temp cause this? l lowered the temp down to 72 and bought some drops that are specifically for green water. but no real change yet. any idea? i have done gravel vacs and partial water changes.

[HtownLove]

sounds like an algal bloom to me. yes, the warmer water can cause a spike in algae populations.

[andthentherewere3]

I agree, the warm temps might be the cause, high how did you raise the temp to? Most of my tanks are kept around 78 and I rarely have this issue, the only time it's happened to me was when I added some plant fertilizer. Make sure you don't have any direct sunlight on your tank. What kind of fish do you have in the tank? I ask because some tropicals aren't real happy with 72 degrees.

[Just1Lion]

i initially turned it up to 76-78. the tank has a large oscar in it. he was acting lethargic and i thought maybe the water was too cold because the heater was broken. once i hooked up the new heater this all started. it is now around 70-72.

[Just1Lion]

i cannot seem to fix this problem! i have blacked out the tank. i have used every algae killer available. ive done weekly water changes. now the water seems to be less green but still cloudy. there is some sunlight to the tank but ive had the tank in the same spot for a while. and this just started to happen.

[andthentherewere3]

It can take time for an algae bloom to flare up, and since your tank has "some sunlight" I think that's the problem. Even if you clear it up it will just come back due to the sunlight. You should move the tank completely away from the sun. On a side note, the green water will not bother the fish.

[MrsMo]

Sounds like an algae spore. Try a product called Crystal Clear, it will kill the spore. Turn off the tank lights at night too.

[ParallelJJCat]

I would test your water. Algae needs something to feed on, so if you have excess ammonia or nitrites it can be supporting the bloom. Is the Oscar the only fish? Do you have live plants? Live plants can reduce the risk of algae because they eat the nutrients in the water.

I would be doing frequent water changes...once you get the ammonia/nitrites down, the algae tends to die off very quickly. I would also be concerned that you may have lost the bacterial colony in your filter....another good reason to test.