White Filmy Gunk On Heaters

[Amunet]

I've been noticing for a while this really nasty white gunk building up on the plastic part of my heaters. Actually I first noticed it a while ago on the air pump tubing in the water.
It's really slimy, white, and if you disturb the plastic part, it flakes off ALL over the place in the water.
What the heck is this stuff? Is it safe with the fish?

I'm even getting it in my 10 gal which has no fish in it. It only appears on the soft plastic.. nothing else. I've cleaned off the heater once before and just had to do it again today b/c it was starting to build up.

It's just... bleh. Gross when it flakes off into the water.

 

[iairj84]

I've been noticing for a while this really nasty white gunk building up on the plastic part of my heaters. Actually I first noticed it a while ago on the air pump tubing in the water.
It's really slimy, white, and if you disturb the plastic part, it flakes off ALL over the place in the water.
What the heck is this stuff? Is it safe with the fish?

I'm even getting it in my 10 gal which has no fish in it. It only appears on the soft plastic.. nothing else. I've cleaned off the heater once before and just had to do it again today b/c it was starting to build up.

It's just... bleh. Gross when it flakes off into the water.

It's probably a sodium or calcium buildup over time. Its relatively normal for that to occur... Someone else can chime in if i'm wrong but i've never seen an issue with it.

 

[Amunet]

So... harmless to my fish? It's just gross and annoying since it keeps reappearing.

 

[Angel98]

Im doing a fishless cycle and ive got that aswell!! I thought it was something to do with all the ammonia im putting in at the moment but not sure!

 

[iairj84]

I might be thinking something totally different from you guys but I know mine is just a byproduct when the water dries. I dont think its harmful at all but that's just my opinion

 

[gettotank110]

if its only buildig on the soft plastics then its probably a form af allgy if so just buy some plecs and let the little guys dine on it lol

 

[Aussie_Dog]

I might be thinking something totally different from you guys but I know mine is just a byproduct when the water dries. I dont think its harmful at all but that's just my opinion

I hate to bring up old threads, but I'm having this problem and this particular comment seems to fit best. I recently drained almost all my water so that I could make some adjustments to the stand (the thing was leaning foward a little bit). I then filled the tank back up, using the water conditioner and ammonia (I'm cycling at the moment). The next night, I noticed what looked like water spots ALL over the tank, and my first thought was, "WOW! How'd I spill that much water?!" (The water "spots" were more like "water sheets") Then I noticed the water spots were INSIDE the tank. When I drained the tank, I left a few inches at the bottom, and that area is free of the white film. My idea is that when the glass didn't have water against it, it dried a little, and that's why the film is there now, even though the water is back in there. I've been scrubbing at it with the scratchy brush and it's coming off nicely, but I don't know if it's going to come back. The bottom of the tank has a nice buildup of it too, though it had it BEFORE I'd changed the water (I thought maybe it was dust or something, as I didn't rinse the tank when I bought it. It's 60 gallons, though, I wasn't quite sure HOW to rinse it, lol). I know we have hard tap water here, but I don't know the exact measurements.

What keeps this stuff away?

 

[Luketendo]

I have this too, doesn't seem to be doing any harm.