stress coat residue

[mcorcoran]

hi, i have a 55 gal tank with one 8" oscar. i had been adding stress coat to the tank in the mistaken belief that the aloe would help heal his temper tantrum scratches, howevr all it did was leave me with a horrible oily residue on top of the water. does anyone know how to remove it without doing a water change? our bio is messed up right now and we can't afford to lose any more. thanks.

 

[Purrbox]

Since most of the beneficial bacteria lives on the surfaces and not in the water, a water change really shouldn't hurt things. Unless you've got cloudy water from a bacteria bloom, a water change is the easiest and best solution.

If that's not possible, then you could use paper towels on the surface of the water to soak up as much as possible. Or you could use a Turkey Baster that is reserved for aquarium use and has never been used for anything else or washed, to skim the water surface.

 

[Zagz]

I second doing the water change if at all possible, the water will not affect the beneficial bacteria. Water changes are use throughout cycling to keep the levels safe for fish.