Bubbles on water surface.

[Bellatrix]

I don't know if this is in the right place but I need some advice.

Yesterday I fed my minnows some dried bloodworm and almost instantly as soon as they touched the water bubbles began to form on the surface. I run a BiOrb so obviously surface bubbles are normal but they pop and vanish without gathering unlike these new bubbles which are completely covering the surface water. It looks like a bubble bath in my tank and it only happened when I fed them the bloodworm.

I did a 30% water change yesterday and it's actually made it worse. The bubbles seem to break up when I fed them their normal flake food this morning but as soon as the food was gone they came back. I've posted this on another forum and it's gone basically ignored so any advice how to get rid of these bubbles would be a great help.

There's nothing wrong with the air stone or the filter, water conditions are good according to my readings and the fish seem ok but I'm concerned the bubbles are going to cause them problems.

Any advice welcome!

 

[Bellatrix]

upload image free

 

[aqua_chem]

Can you tell us a little more about the tank? Age, stock, filtration, etc? I would be particularly interested if you've changed the substrate recently. I've seen something similar when new, cheap substrate was introduced in a tank; I believe it has something to do with the coating of said substrate. In that case, the fish were not bothered. Are you seeing anything strange with your fish?

 

[Bellatrix]

It's a new tank, it's been doing a fishless cycle for about a month before I added six minnows just over a week ago. It's a BiOrb.

The only thing I did different was give them a pinch of dried bloodworm and it happened seconds after that so it was obviously the bloodworm (something used to dry them maybe?) that did it.

The fish are acting as normal as minnows act so far but these bubbles aren't going away and tiny tiny bubbles are form on the tanks sides now and I'm concerned about them getting bubble gill. I've been advised on a different forum to do a complete water change (fish moved to different tank ect) if it's not cleared itself up by the weekend which looking at it, I don't think it's going too.

 

[Fresh2o]

I think you might be onto something with the dried blood worms and a possible surfactant causing the bubbles to persist. You could try placing an amount of water from the tank in to a clear plastic bottle with a cap (you were going to to a WC anyway). Cap it and shake it and observe the amount and persistence of bubbles. Next, and some dried blood worms and repeat. Same? Worse (more bubbles)? I know this is a crude experiment, but I am curious to see if the addition of dried bloodworms affected the water.
What brand of ammonia was used for the fishless cycle? Are you certain that is was free of surfactants?


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Bellatrix]

That's a good idea, I'll do that today.

Yes I'm sure, the water readings were ideal. I used the fish food method for four weeks, ammonia spiked a bit when I added the minnows but one half water change and they're reading ideal again. I tested yesterday with the same results. I use liquid tests by the way.

This isn't my first time with keeping fish, but it is the first time on this bubble fiasco happening.

 

[Bellatrix]

It's definitely the bloodworm that caused the excess bubbles.

Now my next question, are these bubbles dangerous to the fish. And will I need to scrub everything in treated water to get rid of whatever substance was on the bloodworm?

 

[aqua_chem]

I would say no to both questions. Stop giving the bloodworms and wait a while to see if it resolves properly. You can do a water change in the meantime if it's still there.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Bellatrix]

I haven't given them any since Sunday, and that was only a tiny pinch.

It's actually got worse since then.