Algae Outbreak.. please help!

Question
Hello Chloe,
I have a 30 gallon tank with live plants and 7 fish. I have had it for 9 months and it has fully cycled and the chemistry in the tank has been perfect. However, the past 3 weeks I'm having a major algae outbreak. The water is a dense green color and I can barely see the fish.  

In an effort to fix the problem I have been doing more frequent water changes and set a timer on the light in the tank to 10 hours a day, instead of the 14-16 it used to be on.  The tank is not in direct sunlight and the fish are not overfed. I'm not sure what else I can do. Please help!

Answer
Hi There,



   Green water is often referred to as "pea soup". Free floating single celled algae, grows at such a rapid rate that it turns the water green.

   Water changes are not very helpful, as the algae spores can be found in almost every water source. The only other ingredients needed for a green water outbreak are high nutrient levels (nitrate) and intense lighting.

   As with most nuisance algae, this single celled planctonic algae is capable of photosynthesis (light is used to create energy). During lighting periods oxygen is being produced during this process.

   At night, the algae uses up oxygen from the tank, this can, if serious enough, suffocate the fish. Tanks with green water should therefore be very well oxygenated.

To get rid of this, i would recommend using king british green water control. This will help get rid of the problem.

Hope this helps,
Chloe :)