Beta Fish and Green Water

Question
-------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Hello, I have a beta fish who i've had for about a year.  We used to change his tank every month or so and had no problems.  Recently, we moved him to a smaller house (1 gallon) and it has a lamp at the top to keep him warm.  For the past few months, his water is turing so green that I have to change it every 4/5 days.  i use bottled water and a beta purifier (is this necessary?)  It gets pretty expensive.  
1. Is the purifier necessary?
2. Why is his water  green?
Please help!  Marissa
Answer -
Hi Marissa;

The green is from algae or euglena (microscopic little fellas) and isn't harmful to your fish...it just looks yucky. It can get that way from overfeeding the fish or getting direct sunlight or other bright light.

Bottled water isn't necessary, tap water is much more convenient and cheaper. You do need a conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine and provides stress relief though. The bowl needs a 100% change once a week, but it shouldn't be getting green so fast.

Is the water itself green or is it on the glass?
How much food do you feed him and how often?
Is it the same food you have always used?
Does the bowl get a lot more light than it did before?
Does it have rocks on the bottom and do you rinse them during cleanings?

Let me know as soon as you can......

Chris Robbins




Hi Chris...
Thanks for getting back to me so fast!!!  I feed him once a day, the same food (4 pellets per night), no rocks, and the tank has a simple light on it to keep the fish warm.  I think that is when we started to really notice the change in the green water.  There is no growth in the tank, just green water!  It doesn't smell, but I don't want to make the fish sick by leaving him in there until the week is up in between changings.  I am afraid if I take the light away, he may get sick like he used to without the light.  

Let me know what you think!

Thanks again for all of your help!

Marissa

Answer
Hi Marissa;

I think you are right about the light. You may have to insulate the bowl a bit and turn it off for a certain length of time every day to give it some dark time without losing too much heat. Maybe wrap it in a thick towel or blanket. Instead of lights, some people use a heating pad, under-tank reptile heating pad, or plant sprouting mat (available at garden stores). Just be careful with them and don't set the tank right on them or it could crack the glass.

Followups Welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!