Foam On Top Of Water/cycling The Tank

[fatheadminnow]

I have a 10 gallon tank with an AquaClear 20 power filter, a whisper 1-3 gallon filter, and an aerator. The tank has only been established for about 3 weeks and i have a lot of fathead minnows in the tank. It was not until the other day when I started noticing that some of the minnows had developed the swim-bladder disease. I thought that this was weird but figured it was all part of the tank being cycled and maybe the tank had developed an ammonia or nitrite spike. So I went to a LFS and bought these tablets called "Tank Buddies" which claimed that it would condition the water, while reducing the amount of ammonia and neutralizing the PH levels in the tank. I also bought some aquarium rocks as well to place in the bottom of the tank; just to "spice" things up a bit and give the beneficial bacteria another place to colonize. So I got home and put the rocks in the tank after I rinsed them out very well, as to not alter the chemical make up of my tank, and I also dropped one of those tablets in the tank. I have read while doing research on the internet that it is not a good idea to add chemicals like this to your tank because it can kill off the beneficial bacteria, but I thought I would give it a shot and try to "speed" the cycle up a bit so it was not cloudy all the time; and maybe it would help the fish with the swim-bladder problem. Well my main question is, after I added the rocks and one tablet the water began to foam at the top. However if i were to shut off the aerator, the bubbles would stop and the foam would disappear, but when I turned the aerator back on, the bubbles that came from the aerator would reach the surface and they would not pop right away and the foam would start to add up again. So day after day i have done about a 20% water change, but the foam is still there. What could it be? A Bacteria bloom, or something else? And what could be causing the minnows to establish the swim-bladder disease?
-Trent

 

[Tolak]

Results of water tests would be very helpful, numbers please. Just guessing it sounds like a tank that is not completely cycled, overstocked, plus the addition of medication that is not really needed. Many meds will cause some foaming.

To err on the side of caution, 50% water changes daily, double up on dechlorinator. Once you get results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it will give us more to work with.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Results of water tests would be very helpful, numbers please. Just guessing it sounds like a tank that is not completely cycled, overstocked, plus the addition of medication that is not really needed. Many meds will cause some foaming.

To err on the side of caution, 50% water changes daily, double up on dechlorinator. Once you get results for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate it will give us more to work with.

Okay...i will try to have numbers by this weekend, thanks for the input. Also, would high levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate or PH cause swim-bladder?

 

[Schmill]

You really would have been better off buying a liquid test kit to measure the ammonia, nitrIte and nitrAte levels, ratehr than spending money on some 'tablets' to fix a problem that you don't actually know exists.
Theres a huge number of things that can cause foaming on the tank, but without basic water stats & knowing the manufacturer and name of the 'tablets' you used theres not really going to be any way to pin it down.

What makes you think the fish have swim bladder disease? If the fish are swimming funnny this can be down to stress as much as anything else, and if you have a heavily stocked tank, an immature bacterial colony, and no way to measure your water parameters then things could be in a bad way to start with.

As said above, 50% water changes each day, (dechlorinated), don't use anymore tablets, and get a test kit as soon as you can.
The reason I say to stop the tablet is you don't actually know if you need them anyway, and they will affect your test results when you get your kit.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi fathead and welcome to TFF!

Just about every newcomer to the hobby coming in here has started out with some equipment, picked up some advice and chemicals at the LFS (local fish shop) and then found out they are off on some "wacko side trip" from how an experienced aquarist/fishkeeper would have gone about it! Can't be helped! It's just hard to get the correct initial information! The good news is that you've stumbled on the best place possible for getting it all straightened out, hopefully!

Yup, I agree with the others! Begin 50% water changes (with conditioner and rough temp matching), stop the "buddie" tablets, take the rocks out (for now) and make it a priority to get a good test kit.

When you go out for the test kit, you want to look for a liquid-reagent based kit. Many of us here use and like the API Freshwater Master Test Kit which has the basics we need: ammonia, nitrite(NO2), pH and nitrate(NO3) tests. Another good test is the Nutrafin Mini-Master Test Kit. I'd be sure to get these liquid-drop type tests, not ones with tablets and certainly not ones with paper strips.

Good luck! ~~waterdrop~~

 

[backtotropical]

Hi fathead

No need to be like that, Waterdrop!!!

Seriously though, thats some good advice above. Remove any of those tablets which may still be in the tank and bin them.

Do you know what type of rocks you have? It's a good idea to have decor in the tank as it provides hiding places for the fish and makes them feel safe and less stressed. However, rocks which mess about with your water chemistry aren't always desireable.

If you don't know what type they are, try taking one out the tank and letting it dry. Drop a few drops of vinegar on it. If nothing happens they are probably ok. If the vinegar fizzes, they will most likely mess around with your pH and possibly the hardness of the water too, and so are probably best removed for now.

A test kit would also be very beneficial to you at this stage, as it would allow you to monitor what is happening in the tank.

Without further info, I can't diagnose any more accurately, but I would guess that you have ammonia and / or nitrite present in the tank. Do as Tolak suggests and start with 50% water changes daily until you can get a test kit. Then we can help you further.

As a preliminary guess, i'd say the foam you mention is probably being caused by either those tablets, the rocks or the substrate. Did you wash the substrate before adding it to the tank?

Keep us updated.

BTT

 

[fatheadminnow]

Hi fathead

No need to be like that, Waterdrop!!!

Seriously though, thats some good advice above. Remove any of those tablets which may still be in the tank and bin them.

Do you know what type of rocks you have? It's a good idea to have decor in the tank as it provides hiding places for the fish and makes them feel safe and less stressed. However, rocks which mess about with your water chemistry aren't always desireable.

If you don't know what type they are, try taking one out the tank and letting it dry. Drop a few drops of vinegar on it. If nothing happens they are probably ok. If the vinegar fizzes, they will most likely mess around with your pH and possibly the hardness of the water too, and so are probably best removed for now.

A test kit would also be very beneficial to you at this stage, as it would allow you to monitor what is happening in the tank.

Without further info, I can't diagnose any more accurately, but I would guess that you have ammonia and / or nitrite present in the tank. Do as Tolak suggests and start with 50% water changes daily until you can get a test kit. Then we can help you further.

As a preliminary guess, i'd say the foam you mention is probably being caused by either those tablets, the rocks or the substrate. Did you wash the substrate before adding it to the tank?

Keep us updated.

BTT

Man, there is a lot of good info that you guys are giving me, I wish I was able to find this forum before I started my aquarium...lol. As far as the rocks I put in; I heard about the vinegar test a while ago so I performed that test and there was no fizzing of the rocks. After I did the vinegar test, i rinsed the rocks out very well and then placed them in the tank. I am unsure what brand the rocks are, as the bag they came in has been thrown away, but I remember reading on the bag that these rocks will not alter the chemistry of my aquarium. If that is true or not, I don't know, but it seems that they are fine. I am going to try to get a test kit here in a couple of days and test the water, then I will post the test results here very soon.
Thanks again for all input, you guys are very helpful!

 

[fatheadminnow]

So I went to the LFS today and they have the API freshwater master test kit there for $27.99 (US). Is this a good price, or should I buy one online because I found the kit online for $17.99.

 

[Schmill]

Up to you whether you want to save $10 or not (if the online one includes delivery) - lol

 

[fatheadminnow]

Up to you whether you want to save $10 or not (if the online one includes delivery) - lol

Yeah you're right, the online kit does not include shipping. So with shipping it would probably be about the same. I am going to pick up the kit tomorrow, and will post the results afterward.

 

[waterdrop]

Up to you whether you want to save $10 or not (if the online one includes delivery) - lol

Yeah you're right, the online kit does not include shipping. So with shipping it would probably be about the same. I am going to pick up the kit tomorrow, and will post the results afterward.

good move

 

[fatheadminnow]

Also, should I add aquarium salt to my tank? What are some of your opinions about this?

 

[Tolak]

Salt is an old time remedy for increased nitrite. Nitrite inhibits the fish's blood from carrying O2 properly. You are better off increasing the O2 level by increasing surface motion. This can be done by adding an air powered device, or lowering the water level so the water from the filter splashes in more.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Here are the results. I took this test about an hour and a half after I did a 50% water change.

PH - 7.6
Ammonia - between .25 and .50 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm

I am going to do another test later tonight to see if the test results will differ after allowing the new water from the water change to mix more. Ammonia and PH are a little high...what should be done? And why is there no nitrite yet? Is this because the beneficial bacteria are not colonized enough to turn the ammonia into nitrite?

 

[Sea Turtle]