bubbles at the top?

[Fishwatcher]

Ok, I have a 30 gal tank, maybe alittle bigger, with some african cichlids in it. I have a under gravel filter with 2 different external filters on the outside of the tank ( the ones that hang off the side). My problem is that I have bubbles at the top of the water. The bubbles are coming from the undergravel filter. The bubbles look like soap suds, but the tank has been up and going for 2 months. this just started last night. i keep trying to rake the bubbles off the top, but then a couple of min later, the bubbles are back :sad: . What seems to be the problem and how can I correct it.
All help is very much appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

 

[kveeti]

Small sudsy bubbles are sometimes the end result of breakdown of excessive organics..., i.e. fish poop, dead plants ( if you have them), fish food, maybe a fish dying that you didn't know about.... Anyhow, the bubbles themself are not a problem but are an indication of something that is. What is your feeding schedule like? It's always easy to cut back on that. Also, it would be interesting to know what your nitrAte readings are.

(Sometimes on lake shores you see whole masses of these suds.)

 

[liv2padl]

i agree with kveeti. what are your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. how many cichlids are in this tank? how often do you do water changes and how much each time?

 

[Fishwatcher]

how do I go about getting a ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings? where do i get the stuff to do it with? The cichlids are about 2 inches long and there are six of them and i feed them about once every 8 hrs. I dont feed them alot at all. I clean the tank every 2 weeks and change approx 75% of the water. I thank you for the help once again.

 

[anonapersona]

Hand lotion?

Any chance you or someone else has stuck an hand in the tank with hand lotion or hair products? When you do a water change, take a paper towel and wipe that foam off the glass where it sticks. Be sure to lightly wash off hands with just water before you poke around in the tank.

 

[liv2padl]

how do I go about getting a ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings

you can buy test kits at your LFS or on line at places like Big Als (good prices).