# green water culture



## fish_guy (Mar 6, 2008)

I have been trying to culture green water with no luck
I have tried water from a pond to start it
Fish tank water, and even water from a plant pot that had tons of algae growing in it and all I wind up with is clear water after 5 days of intense lighting.
I have tried adding dirt, fish food, even tried manure as suggested from a few web sites.
Any ideas as to what I am doing wrong?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Start with old fish tank water, a little alkaline, put in a glass jar, drop in an algae wafer and place in the sunlight and hope for the best. Every culture I bought died. But I have green water and daphnia in the kitchen on a plant stand in big glass mug. Seems to be a lot of luck to get a strain of algae that likes your conditions.


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## fish_guy (Mar 6, 2008)

I guess so 
I have tried the algae wafers with no luck yet
Hopefully when it gets warmer out I can get some going on my deck
I have been trying 180 wats of light from my PC system that I had on my planted tank
You would think that would be enough light to start a culture


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Hmmm... 

Swimming at the surface, do you by chance see oodles of tiny little gray specks gliding around near the edges? Paramecia are often one of the first things you get, but they can gobble up all the algae in pretty short order.

Use the water from the tank that has lots of algae in it. That should rule out the possibility of any compounds in your water that retard algal growth.
Try to find some water plants from a pond. Put them in a jar of pond water, and drag them across the inside lip of the jar several times to scrape off anything growing on the plants. It shouldn't take long to have a jarful of very green, thick and gooey water.
Set up several jars with the fishtank water, and put just a little of this green water in each. First, though, inspect the pond water for any visible multicellular creatures. Keep them out of your cultures as they tend to devour the algae you wish to grow.
Take some grass clippings from your yard and put 6-8 in each jar.
Under some good lighting, your new cultures should turn very green, very soon. If they don't, then inspect them for visible microfauna scooting around in them. These are as good as algae for most fishfood purposes.


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## fish_guy (Mar 6, 2008)

thanks I will try that
I have not seen anything in the water even with magnification, but then again I may not have high enough power to see them


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## fish_guy (Mar 6, 2008)

Almost forgot
None of my tanks have algae in them
I have been trying to grow that also to feed to my plecos


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## ikevi (Jul 28, 2006)

wow, I wish I had your problem... But well I had a good jar going when I just stuck a little bit of java moss in an open jar, and left it outside and forgot about it for a month (during the summer). (Though I do have less algae than i used too, ie no more carpet algae.)


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## fish_guy (Mar 6, 2008)

well I use RO water for all my tanks and I seem to over filter them
It could also be the fact that I use tons of java fern and moss im my tanks so that helps.
I just gave away 4 bags of Java fern from my 75. I had enough to fill a 10 gallon tank here plus what I put back into the tank
I guess I need to post some pictures some time to show my systems


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