Yellow Water...

Why is it there are tons of people with fish tanks who have yellow water?

Never, EVER have I had yellow water.

Before I got into fish keeping, I kept 2 comets in a 5 gallon tank, and I didn't do a water change for over a year, and the water still NEVER got yellow.

I just don't understand. How does it happen? Or what is it caused by?

it could be the type of bulbs they are using in their lights. i have had it seem yellowish, but not with the powerglow bulbs.

cameras can make water look yellow.
also driftwood can turn water yellow.

3 times I have gotten fish from people selling them, and when I bag them, the water is yellow.

I am talking no driftwood, no plants, and just a regular old aquarium light.

probably bad filtration.

one of the water conditioners is yellow when you put it in the water... dont remember which one thou..

tetra aqua safe with nitraban has a yellow color when it goes in but it disssapates in about 10 minutes.

I also know that bi-furan (furan2) leaves the water yellow.

But I am talking like straight yellow. Not because of additives or anything.

Just like turns "naturally" yellow so to speak.

Guess it is just bad filtration...

Hmm.. Maybe they are pissing in their tanks.... but it is probably their lights( fluorescent lights often give off a yellow tint, usually the cheap bulb from lowes or home depot, and often bulbs that are on the verge of going out.) I come across this all the time in my visual art classes. You cannot tell how yellow the light is in a room until you take a picture. Hope this helps.

not enough w/c i guess

Maybe a combination of a lot of things.

I had a natural color gravel turn my water a nasty yellow brown once.... That gravel is now in my planter

must of the time it comes from the chemicals in city water.

I had a cheap bulb from the hardware store and it had a yellow tint, drove me crazy. Now i have a uv(blue) for saltwater aquarium in my cichlid tank, LOOKS female dog'N but now im growing unwanted orange algae on my gravel.

If the tank is overcrowded and the filtration is bad and they dont do enough water changes the waste from the fish can turn the water yellow. If the water is 'naturally' yellow as you put it, it probably smells bad too and that is from the waste.

Rachael0805 wrote:

If the tank is overcrowded and the filtration is bad and they dont do enough water changes the waste from the fish can turn the water yellow. If the water is 'naturally' yellow as you put it, it probably smells bad too and that is from the waste.

That's probably it...

I'm glad I keep my tanks clean. haha.