Film On Top Of Water

[sky9]

i have a 10 gal tank with a heater no filter, and 1 better, and i keep getting some kinda film or some kinda web on top of the water. how do i get rid of this.

 

[lisie]

Stagnant water will get an oily film on the water. It won't harm the fish at all, but can be unsightly. You can add a filter with a very low current to keep the water moving, which will keep the film off the water.

 

[Betta91]

I've always wondered what that was...Funny though, it only happens in my betta bowls that don't have a lid. Why do you think that is?

 

[zoekin8yg]

if the bowl is near the kitchen its the oil in the air from food, sometimes its the oil off your skin. You can sometimes soak it up with kitchen paper

 

[sky9]

soo this wont hurt my fish in any way?, i mean he looks good, and my tank is 90% coverd and its not near any kitchen or soo, soo i have no idea why this is happening,

 

[zoekin8yg]

If you are worried try using the paper towel to blot the surface. Most of my tanks have it, even the filtered ones

 

[Htw]

You shouldn't get this if the surface is agitated. Try using a pump with an airstone or sponge filter and the bubbles will agitate the surface and stop this forming. I get this on a filtered tank where the flow of water is not very strong. A bubbler going once a day for an hour or so is enough to stop it.

If there is no filter in your tank, you must also make sure you do very frequent water changes as this will also help.

 

[blue_betta]

i had this in a similar set up. i asumed it was from the betta building bubble nests and as he abandonded them, the bubbles would burst leaving a film of saliva on the surface that, being sticky, quickly collected dust. i now have a cover over the top of the tank to help prevent dust setling