Fish Tank Has Film That Floats On Water Surface...

[LuckyLeaky]

I have a ten gallon starter tank that we purchased from Petsmart around the first of July...In this time Ive already had SIC and done a 100% water change because of it, which I did 3 weeks ago. I have 6 fish. 2-Albino Tiger Barbs, 2-Tiger Barbs, and 2 Albino Cory Catfish.

The past week I have noticed this film move in. I am relatively new to aquariums as the only reason we have this aquarium is because my 1 1/2 year old daughter LOVES fish. I have also noticed some green algae??? on some of my rocks.

I have also gone through 4 filters in this 3 month time ...which three of those filters have been replaced in the last 1 1/2 months...

I know this is alot of information to weed through but any help would be appreciated as this is my daughters tank and I would really not like to kill off her fishies...lol

 

[laura120381]

hi there,

what temperature is your tank currently set at? is it near a source of direct sunlight? this could be causing your algae problem.

Why have you changed your filter so often? changing the filter gets rid of the beneficial bacteria needed to deal with ammonia etc. Have you tested the water with a test kit? if so could you please post the readings? sorry for bombarding you with questions!! just need some more info to try and work out whats happening!

L

Ps - i am not sure if you are aware that barbs should be kept in groups of at LEAST 6+. The same applies to corys....

 

[Tizer]

if you are replacing the filters, are you also replacing the sponges i them? If so, your tank isnt cycled and your fish will be dying slowly. Your filter isnt there to clean the water of particles of dirt, its there to remove the ammonia the fish produce so they dont die...sorry if you know all this already but maybe a read of the begiers section linked in my signature can help you some also.

Also, 10 gallon isnt big enough for barbs.

 

[LuckyLeaky]

Currently my tank is at 79 degrees... And its about 4 feet away from a window but it only recieves sunlight for 4 hours. I do keep my hood light on for 12 hours though from 9am to 9pm.

I am replacing the filters so often because they get so full of gunk that it starts circulate it though out the tank. I have to get a new test kit because the one I had disappeared.

Keep the questions coming because I want to know what I need to do...Lol.


I originally had just 1 barb but then i read to always have them in pairs...So thats why each barb has a twin...

And the original plan was just to have a starter tank for a little while and then move up to a bigger tank once we got used to cleaning it and keeping the levels right....So i wanted to have a base element of fish that were used to each other for the tank change.


Thanks for the help so far. I appreciate it ...And thanks for pointing out your signature link...I will check that out now

 

[laura120381]

hi again!!

you do not need to change your filter everytime it gets 'gunky!!' simpley rinse the sponges/media in old tank water (never tap water). this will clean them a bit whilst preserving the bacteria. as a result of constantly changing your filter media, your tank is now basically un-cycled. have a read of the fish in cycling thread in the beginners forum.

the film that you are describing could be to do with the fact that your filter is not doing its job properly and removing all the C**P from your tank. this will improve when your tank has been cycled fully and bacteria levels are higher. i would imagine if you were to test your water just now you would have quite high ammonia levels.

my advice at the moment would be to do a large water change (as much as possible leaving only enough water for your fish to swim upright). Remember to dechlorinate the new water and match the temperature before you put the new water in. you really need to get yourself a test kit so you can keep an eye on water parameters whilst fish-in cycling. continue to do water changes daily (up to 25-50% if your readings are high) until ammonia levels are 0. you can always post your readings on here and we can advise you further.

with regards to the algae, try having your lights on for around 8 hours a day. you can buy a timer quite cheaply if you are not around for switching them on and off.

Barbs should not be kept in 'pairs.' They are shoaling fish and should be kept in groups. this mimicks better their natural behaviour and reduces aggression and fin nipping. this is nothing that you can do about the numbers just now but if you get a larger tank, try to increase all groups to 6+. (as tizer said your tank is too small rreally anyway)

Hope that helped a bit. good luck

L

 

[LuckyLeaky]

Should I also clean my plants and rocks during this water change or should I leave those alone to keep some of the Vitals there

 

[LuckyLeaky]

Here is are some pictures of the stuff I'm dealing with...

 

[laura120381]

i wouldn't clean your rocks/plants in this water change. however, when you do want to clean them, remember to try and do so in old tank water rather than clean tap water.



sorry, i am at work at the moment and all pics are blocked! i will be home about 11pm and will take a look for you then. until then, go ahead with the big water change if you can.

 

[laura120381]

mmmm...strange!! what are you feeding and how often?? go ahead with the large water change as suggested and try and get us some water parameters as soon as you can. what kind of rocks do you have?? if you're not sure, can you post a pic please??

cheers

L

 

[Blubble37]

jeez, where the fork do you work untill 11pm!

That looks almost like a proteinous layer on the top of the tank. What filter are you using?

 

[laura120381]

hiya blubble!

i work for the emergency homecare department of the local council hence the crazy working hours!!

LL has through 4 filters in the last 3 months having gotten rid of them as they were 'gunky.' i have advised that this really means the tank is not cycled and that filter media should be rinsed in old tank water to preserve bacteria. my partner managed to send the pics to my work somehow and i agree it does look like some sort of protein build up. before seeing the pics i advised a large water change and that LL should post water parameters as soon as possible. i am expecting high levels of ammonia. do you think this was the correct advice??

L

 

[laura120381]

ok so i've had a wee look on the net to get some info about protein films in aquariums. the general consensus seems to be to create as much surface movement as possible. i am not sure if you can angle your filter outlet to create more movement?? maybe buy another cheap filter with a spray bar?? i got a really cheap one from APS that came with a spray bar and was under £10 (are you in the uk??).

don't think you will see much difference until your tank has cycled properly and the bacteria in your filter has kicked in. as i said, do a large water change and get us those test results asap.

cheers

 

[AnimalHouse36]

Try lowering the water level to create more distance between where the water comes out of the filter, and where the water line is. This will create more water disturbance which may help with the layer of...stuff.

 

[laura120381]

good plan!! i never thought of that!! well done AH!!

 

[creeker]

Also, you mentioned this was a starter tank and you were going to move up in size later. Just know that small tanks like this should be called "advanced tanks" because they are way harder to keep up than larger tanks. The small volume of water gives you very little margin for error. Things go wrong quickly whereas in a larger tank changes take a while to occur.