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Keeping an aquarium in top shape is a constant struggle for every conscientious goldfish owner. Microscopic green algae are one of the most common and disliked combatants in the aquarium and can quickly turn the water green. Using chemical and performing water changes can help combat the green water and are an easy way for the goldfish owner to return his or her ecosystem to stability. Recently it has come to light that green water is not as harmful as once thought, and instead can be a great way to promote a healthy, natural ecosystem within the aquarium. Where does the green water come from? When your water turns from clear to greenish, this is because tiny microscopic plants are being grown within your aquarium. As the bane of a goldfish owner’s pristine tank, green water actually develops naturally in the wild on rocks and stream beds, making it hard to argue that it should not belong in a tank. When green algae absorb nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the aquarium water, it in turn expels oxygen into its surroundings. It is necessary for all green algae to utilize sunlight for photosynthesis and without it, there can be no green algae. It is especially easy to grow green algae if a pet owner leaves his or her tank on overnight for days on end, which allows the algae to flourish. Your tank and green water: a balanced ecosystem Green algae can be found almost everywhere in nature. Although it is prevalent in nature and performs an important task of purifying the water, many goldfish owners simply do not like the look of a green tank and work to eradicate all traces of the green algae. In order to survive, green algae need to feed off of the nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the tank. The goldfish waste produces these compounds for the green algae to ingest. Green water is therefore important to the environment of your tank because it harvests the goldfish’s waste and turns it into helpful oxygen, also eliminating the need to so often cleanse the tank manually. Other organisms rely on green water to survive, such as brine shrimp or daphnia. Thriving in green water tanks, these brine shrimp and daphnia feed off of the green algae in order to survive. Green algae allow goldfish owners to breed their own pet food, rather than buying expensive supplies of brine shrimp and daphnia. It is a good idea to cultivate a tank full of green algae and the organisms it feeds because in the long run this will present a cheap alternative to expensive fish food. Green water is a great way to avoid expensive man made items that essentially do the same thing, such as Hydro V sponge filters. Specialized filters such as the Hydro V sponge are premeditated breeding grounds for helpful bacteria that are beneficial to the tank. When green algae is present in a tank, there is no longer any need for goldfish owners to buy specialized filters, since the added bacteria is not necessary. In order to reduce the risk of competition between green algae and filtration systems, many goldfish owners choose to remove one in favor of the other, often taking out the filter so that the green algae will have dominance within the ecosystem. Far from being a bad thing, having green water can actually be beneficial to your tank. The fact of the matter is that you should not fear green water – it is actually beneficial to your tank and can improve the health and well-being of your fish. The benefits of green algae and the affects it has on your goldfish are being studied now more than ever, and surprising results have come to light. Having a green water tank can be very beneficial to the goldfish, so next time you see your water start to turn green, consider leaving it that way in order to cultivate a healthy environment. And finally, if you want to study more about goldfish care, please visit our site.
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