# green water and fish breathing heavily - help!



## im_a_clownfish (Sep 19, 2005)

Hi all!

I woke up this morning and my reef tank water is very cloudy and greenish looking - my fish are also breathing very heavily - Im assuming from the plankton or algae in the water blocking their gills.

Any idea if water clarifiers are a bad thing for reef tanks with inverts and corals (yes I have filter feeders) or if this would work? at all? safely?

I am going to try a water change and a couple days with the lights off but that wont rapidly correct the heavy breathing problem and I dont want to lose any fish.

Any ideas?

Help!


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## Reefneck (Oct 15, 2005)

Don't run the lights more than 8 hours a day.


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## im_a_clownfish (Sep 19, 2005)

I put some water clarifyier in this morning (I think its bascially just liquid carbon) and now one of my cleaner shrimp is dead and my scooter blenny!

I know you have to be careful with water clarifiers with filter feeding corals but this shoudlnt have affected a scooter blenny???


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## tanked001 (Jul 3, 2006)

I bet the scooter got stress by the poor water conditions.....

Have your tested your tank water???

also what kind of filtration system are you working with?


I would definitly do a 20% water change... 
oh... and please use RO water


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## PerculaClown (Apr 25, 2006)

do you have any macro algae?


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## im_a_clownfish (Sep 19, 2005)

I do now....I imagine that would help keep the nitrates and phosphates down to reduce the green water?


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

did something die first? usually this can be caused by a death and new food for algae.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

What are your readings Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH?


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