bluzepher1
Aquarium Advice Freak
Has anyone ever felt the glass inside your tank? Mine feels like it has a film on it. Ammonia will not stay less than .24. Daily water changes. I added a couple of plants hoping they would help
Has anyone ever felt the glass inside your tank? Mine feels like it has a film on it. Ammonia will not stay less than .24. Daily water changes. I added a couple of plants hoping they would help
What is the size, stocking, feeding schedule, and age of this tank? The ammonia level might be indicative of some other issue; especially when you have to do daily water changes to keep it in check.
That film you feel is biofilm and it is perfectly normal. And it's necessary. It is what makes the main difference between a 'new' tank and a 'mature' or well established tank that will support shrimp or many of the more sensitive fish species.
You don't want to remove it, it's needed. Algae you may need to remove, but the biofilm is not visible and will not impair the clarity of the water or your ability to view the tank. It grows on every surface in a tank that is under water, glass, rocks, gravel, ornaments, plant's leaves too. It is a food source for snails, shrimp and some fish as well.
Plants do help use up ammonia and nitrates too, once you get to nitrates. They also add some bacteria than may help the cycle move along.
How big are the daily water changes? If the water is cloudy, remove most of it and replace with fresh dechlorinated water. The cloudiness is most likely a bacteria bloom, which usually, over time, clears up. however, you don't need to wait.