clearing my tank

Question
i've got a 20 gallon tank i've had for about 5 months i've got 2 blood parrot cichlids at first it was cloudy for a few days but it cleared up but here latley it has got really bad it looks green and really cloudy we've cleaned it changed the filter and did the drops it will start to clear up but then a day passes and it starts cloudin again my fish seem to be doing fine what can i do?

Answer
Hi Alesha,

Your tank is suffering from an algae problem (the green and cloudy water). Fortunately, algae problems will not affect the health of your Blood Parrot Cichlids. Here's what you can do to eliminate the algae:

-Remove your tank from direct sunlight (never have tank in sunlight)
-Only keep the lighting fixture on for 10 hours or less
-Perform 10% water changes every day, until the problem is over

Adding live plants into the aquarium will help a lot. Live plants will compete with the algae for nutrients, and will reduce the algae in your aquarium. Some suggestions for hardy plants include Java Fern and Hygro.

Whatever you do, don't use any chemicals to clear up the water, because those can be harmful to your fish.

Good Luck, and Happy Fishkeeping!