Green cloudy water

[Atypical13435]

My daughter got a fish tank for Christmas. It is a Tetra 54l starter tank. We did all the right things, I think. Set it up and left it with the filter running for 2 weeks before getting fish. We used Aquasafe in the water and use it everytime we change it. The light is on for 8 hours on a timer and it is away from direct sunlight. But, the water is cloudy and green and the algae builds up on the (fake) plants, ornaments and gravel really quickly. We have changed the filters every 3 weeks and it's still happening. Any tips? It looks dreadful and we can barely see the fish!

Have you tested the water, what are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? How often are you doing partial water changes?

When you say you change the filter do you just mean giving it a squeeze in tank water when you partial water change?

Algae can appear for many reasons but if your water tests are good it's usually caused by too much light and over feeding.

Let me know your test results and I'll try and work out what's going on. A photo of the algae would be useful too

When someone says they "change the filter" I hear klaxon sounds. What exactly are you changing? The filter pads don't need complete replacing unless they're falling apart - which can take years.

Definitely worth testing your tank water with a good liquid test kit.

What fish are stocked in there? A 54 litre is a very small tank. Too much bioload will give that algae lots of food to feed on.

I would also say the lights are on a bit long for a tank without live plants, 5-6 hours should be fine.