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Pros and Cons of Adding Green Water to Tank(s)?


CalmedByFish
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I have a small vase that I was keeping in the bathroom window. It has a good population of micro worms and micro crustaceans, which I'd like to dump into tank(s) with fish. The catch is that the water is pea green, and I can't simply pour out the water and keep the critters, since the crustaceans stay in the water column. 

Pros and cons of emptying the critters and green water into a tank? Or maybe splitting it between multiple tanks? 

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It lets algae through and catches critters, unless they are smaller than Artemis BBS.  Unless you have globs of algae.

An Artemis sieve is generally 120 micron, green water algae is in the 1.5 to 20 micron range.

 

Edited by KBOzzie59
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While I wouldn't recommend it, I have dumped green water in certain tanks of mine many times, however it was usually for goldfish fry and the tanks themselves didn't have enough light to sustain the green so it wouldn't take over. I suppose your only risk with it is that it cultures your tank into pea soup tank, the fish will love it, but you won't be able to see anything inside lol. Also, dark green water, while still amazing, poses a risk to overnight fatality because green water absorbs oxygen overnight. If you do not run air you run the risk of something potentially suffocating, not from a pitcher of green, just if it took over the entire tank. 

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On 7/12/2021 at 3:55 PM, MNG said:

That water may contain all sorts of microbes and spores that might not be good for your fish.

All contents are actually from my tanks. It's just that the micro fauna thrived, so I'm hoping to keep the increased population.

On 7/12/2021 at 6:05 PM, GardenStateGoldfish said:

dark green water, while still amazing, poses a risk to overnight fatality because green water absorbs oxygen overnight.

I never would have thought of that! I've heard that plants absorb oxygen overnight, and I guess algae is a plant, so it makes sense - but I wouldn't have realized. Thanks.

On 7/12/2021 at 6:13 PM, eatyourpeas said:

You can try two passes through a BBS sieve. 

It's a good idea, but I don't have anything similar to a BBS sieve. 

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OK well - it started out in your tanks, but afterwards it was left out, correct? All sorts of things may have gotten into it since then. Maybe I am misunderstanding?

I'd be reluctant to add such water - tropical fish can be very vulnerable to stuff  they haven't previously had to deal with.  ( Think COVID 19 in humans )

Just my $0.02 .

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On 7/12/2021 at 9:49 PM, Hobbit said:

Can you see if any of the critters are attracted to light? Then you could slurp them out with a pipette.

Or you could use a fine meshed fish net to scoop them out. That has the benefit of only catching the adult critters and leaving any smaller ones to grow.

I'll try the light trick. 

I'm actually wanting to completely empty the vase. 1 less body of water to think about.

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