bubbles on top of water ..

[terror]

noticed that the wate rinside my tank has some bubbles.
i mean frothy white bubbles.
what could be the cause of this?
could this be a sign of water problem?

i have some gravel in my tank .

i do water change about 25-40 % weekly and also siphon the gravel.
anybody experienced this?

[ChilDawg]

Do you keep a Betta or a Gourami?

[terror]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
Do you keep a Betta or a Gourami?

nope..
no bubble nesters.
only arowana and some bichirs. and pleco.
am puzzled about the frothy bubbles.
am suspecting maybe my gravel needs cleaning.
am planning to take out gravel to wash thoroughly before putting it back. :)

[rich]

just outta curiosity ( im new to this) how does one go about pulling all the substrate and cleaning it without freaking the fish out, killing bacteria, killing plants (if you have em) and generally reaking havok on the tiny ecosystem youve worked so hard to create and maintain?

i dont wanna hijack the thread so back to the bubbles which i dont have an answer for.

[Tetratastic]

Do you use a particular type of water conditioner, if any when you do the water changes? I used to use a stress coat until I realized that it was the cause of the bubbles. I don't if this is your problem, but I stopped using mine (worst money I ever spent), and haven't had a bubble problem since.

[demon_surfer]

i believe the bubbles are chlorine coming out of the water.

[terror]

i'm not using any water conditioner:)
my fish are used to my hand in their tank..
so they don't mind my had... in fact they like to wait forme for food. hehehe
i don't have any plants in the tank so noproblem with tanks..
regarding the bacteria. i have 2 external filter boxes and 2 powerheads in the tank so am not worried about the bb in the gravel:)

regarding chlorine.. \does chlorine produce frothy bubbles?
because i experience this onlyon 1 of my tank and not on the other. and i do the same water change for both. really puzzled about this... :confused:

thanks..

[kveeti]

Another possibility...

Foam happens along lake shores too, in vast quantities sometimes. It is caused by decomposing organic compounds (algae, dead fish, too much food), when mixed with air (from filter or airstones). The official reason is "reduced water surface tension". Try cutting back on feeding or increasing water changes. The foam itself (if that's what it is) is not harmful but it is an end-product of something that should be corrected.

[Lostchemist]

I had the same problem. It was caused by one of the plants (plastic) that were in my tank. Have you added anything to your tank recently?

[OrionGirl]

Chlorine gas out will not cause bubbles.

As kveeti suggested, it is likely of a biological nature. Tannins, as from peat or driftwood, can also cause bubbles under surface agitation. Try doing 2, smaller changes per week and see if it reduces the bubbles.

For substrate swapping--there are several threads from about a months ago that outline the procedure. It's not complicated, as long as you are prepared in advance. Use the search feature, making sure you're looking in GFW.

[yashinfan]

I have bubbles in one of my tanks, as well. Just one, with a power head and some fake plants. The substrate is large rocks, but the bubbles aren't coming from there. There is a pretty big current in the tank, which is primarily what I stuck the blame on. All I know is that they are harmless. (And yes, I use dechlorinator)

[ROLLIN]

Check your tank for ammonia and nitrite if you havent already. Alot of times when you have foamy water you will also have ammonia and nitrite. If the bacterias cant digest all the bits of protein etc (which is probably what you are seeing, a protein buildup), they also cannot digest the ammonia/nitrite (this isnt true for 100% of the cases, but its a likely possibility).

[OrionGirl]

Different bacteria deal with protein than those that consume ammonia and nitrite. While there is often a relationship between protein and ammonia/nitrite, it's not always causal.

[ROLLIN]

Originally posted by OrionGirl
Different bacteria deal with protein than those that consume ammonia and nitrite.


I know, but I didnt feel I had to complicate my answer by explaining it out. So I just said "bacteria" in general.