my used tank is foaming at startup

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tbraddy

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Feb 24, 2007
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hello all,

this is my first post to this forum so pleae bare with me,\

here goes,

I got a used 55g fish tank from a buddie of mine that he had setup as a saltwater tank. He informed me that he cleaned it properly and it's been siting in my house on a stand for about two weeks. today i went to the store and bought undergravel filters, powerheads, gravel (50 pounds) and a heater. I rinsed the gravel and placed it on top of the undergravel filters. fired up the tank and all i get is foam.

what may be the reasons behind the foam. my buddie is out of town and i don't knowwhat i may or may not have done to cause this from happening.

Oh, i don't have any fish in it as o was plannig on waiting 24-36 hours to stock the tank.

any answers or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

Holly9937

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Jan 20, 2005
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Welcome:) , the bubbles might not be anything, but I would let the tank run for a few more days anyhow and see how things are. I would also ask your buddy exactly what he/she did to clean out the tank, just to be safe! In the meantime, check out the threads/stickys at the top of the page, a fishless cycle or getting biospira to start out your tank can save you alot of headache in terms of a new set up. What kind of fish are you considering? Coming from someone who did everything wrong when setting up their first tank, it really helps to do things right!! I bought a 55g and bought fish that can get a good 10+ inches if cared for properly, which was a dumb thing to do. I eventually got a 180g tank b/c I wanted to keep them. If I had done my reserach I could have had a beatiful tank.... MUCH smaller!!
 

tbraddy

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Feb 24, 2007
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i don't have a way right now to take a pick. but yeah the foam is everywhere and quickly disappears when i turn off the filter.

any ideas?
 

rsanz

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Aug 22, 2006
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I dunno...I don't think it sounds like air bubbles. What it sounds like to me is that your friend used a heavy soap solution to clean the tank, and there is still some in there. We really need a picture to understand what you're describing. I don't think just simple air bubbled would "get pretty thick on top of the water", but that's just in my limited experience.
 

Rbishop

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Dec 30, 2005
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How many power heads and what gph? UGF set up or RUGF set up? Are the power head suctions adequately covered with water? Are you suplying the power heads with an air source?

If the bubbles go away almost instantly when you turn off the power heads, I would expect it is just airbubbles. If the bubbles make a thick layer and slowly dissipate, it sounds like some soap residue issue.
 

tbraddy

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Feb 24, 2007
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It's an ugf w/ the airation tubes. I don't know what the gph is but i stuck them in straight out of the box. the bubble start being created right away and completely go away a minute or so after i turn the power heads off. i also switched it to the regular undergravel air system w/ an air pump and i still get the same results i can regulate the air flow with a gang valve and the amount of bubbles is relative to the amount of air I introduce to the tank.

if it is a "soap" issue how do i resolve it? Do i change the water and rinse down th einside of the tank, do i completely dismantle it and use the proper cleaner? the bubbles don't look like Detergent soap bubbles but than again different detergents make different kinds of bubbles. the just don't have that soapy/rainbowy look.

if it is just air bubbles how do i solve that?
could i be providing too much air

here are a couple pics.

PICT0032.JPG PICT0033.JPG PICT0034.JPG
 

Rbishop

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Fill the tank up more, so the top of the power heads are completely covered. See if the situation improves. Couldn't hurt to do a couple of rinses and refills just in case
 
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