Green Water Problem

[Freeze Dried Skittles]

Also could add some live plants. They will absorb the nutrients that the algae feeds off of. Plus your shrimp will love them.

I have some anubius and anachris already in there, and some I ordered some duckweed on Monday.

 

[Freeze Dried Skittles]

In a small tank like that, with so many hours of sunligt, and a lack luster water change schedule its no surprise there is green water.
Cut the light down to 6 hrs per day, and do enough water changes to bring nitrate down to < 5ppm.
I would not consider a 50% water change every week to be overkill.
My tanks get about 8 hours of direct sun per day, so I try to change about 30% of my 300 gallon system every other day, and have loads of plants to eat the nutrients (nitrate) that algae feeds on.

Thanks for the help. I'm relatively inexperienced in fish keeping.

I will cut the amount light and do more water changes.

 

[tiger15]

Green water is a type of suspended algae. Heavily growing plants can also keep out green water by out competing algae for nutrients. Fast growing guppy grass or hornwort will work but take but take a few weeks.

 

[duanes]

If you have fry in the tank, they can take care of it too.
Had this tank outside in full sun, never had to feed the fry all summer until the green algae disappeared

Green algae is not harmful to most fish.