Oily Film?

[EasternCanuck]

Hi,

My tank has been set up for a number of weeks now and has finally started to cycle properly (yayy!!).

However, I seem to have a weird film on top of the water, like an oil. It doesn't go away with water changes.

Any ideas? Harmful?

Plants are growing like mad and my little yamato shrimp are multiplying. So very cool.

 

[chenwb]

It's not harmful, don't worry. You are possibly overfeeding though, I heard this might be due to fats and proteins in the food, I'm not sure though. I see it too from time to time, I just don't let it bother me.

 

[dkpate]

One of my betta tanks gets that too. And it also doesn't go away with a pwc. But I know I don't overfeed them lol, so I am not sure what causes it, but I don't worry about it anymore.
Glad to hear your fish, shrimp and plants are doing good!!!

 

[EasternCanuck]

Cheers, thank you both. With my crisis early on I am over cautious now perhaps, LOL.

Such a peaceful little space in the home the fish tank is.

 

[Blueiz]

The name for this is biofilm

 

[DragonFish71]

Do you use slate for decor? Slate can cause that film for a few days. I've also had it when I set up our brackish tank. The 3M color quartz that I used for substrate gave off a film that went away in about a week. (Yep, slate and the 3M were both washed/soaked)

 

[mfdrookie516]

my tanks do it if i dont have good surface agitation... i solved the problem on one tank just by adding a bubble want about 1" from the top and it stirred the water up enough to take that film away

 

[dkpate]

I can't add a bubble wand to my bettas tank....they would go bananas! I have the water level lowered to where the water hits the surface, but yesterday I had to put a piece of plastic canvas in front of it. My male betta, after me helping him regrow his tail for 2 weeks, decided it was a little too pretty and bit most of it off...Bad boy! So I think the agitation on the surface was too much for him, because he would stop chasing his tail of I turned it off....
I also found out that you can make a ton of cool stuff with plastic canvas!!! I am currently working on a "lattice" with the live plants in my 75G.

 

[mfdrookie516]

you can take a paper towel and just drag it across the surface to get rid of it if you cant clear it with added surface agitation

 

[dkpate]

You know what? As I was just cleaning poo from my bettas tanks, I was wondering if you could use a paper towel! Jackpot! Thanks!

 

[mfdrookie516]

just let one end touch the water and drag it across the tank, then you may have to use another one to get the stuff off the glass on the end you get done on

 

[EasternCanuck]

No slate in the tank. No surface agitation really either.

Will try the paper towel!

 

[Bige]

On small tanks a paper towel works great. I know it is a 20 gallon but what filtration do you use? There are surface skimmers that you can add to a hob. Eheim makes one. I think there are a couple others. Then it will get skimmed off into filter.