frost on tank

jasperfish

AC Members
Jan 22, 2005
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I have a 2.5 gal tank cycleing, it has a gold barb in it. I know I sould cycle fishless but it was either put him in or get rid of him he was nipping the angels in the other tank. My question is there is what looks like frost on the side of the glass, it is not on anything else in the tank. It will rub off with my finger but is back the next day. I do water changes ever day and treat the water with start right that is the only thing I put in the tank. I have a penguin mini for a filter and a 7.5 watt heat pad that I run at night. The temp runs between 76 -80 degress between day and night. Any idea what the frost looking stuff is?
 
on the inside of the tank.
 
It could be calcium or lime from the water, when the water evaporates it leaves deposits at the water line.
 
it is not a water line though it is up and down the hole tank, if it is calcium or lime would this not be on both the tanks.
I have well water does that have calcium and lime in it? Is there a test a can do to see if the water has it in it?
 
I was thinking calcium or lime also. Based on where you live, your well water could have lots of both. San Antonio water comes from a limestone aquifer.

What is the ph of your water? Calcium and lime would create a more basic higher ph.
 
my ph out of the tap is about 7.8
 
You might try doing a few water changes with distilled/rain/RO water and see if the problem goes away (should be easy and cheap if its just a 2.5g). It sounds like some kind of precipitant. Your LFS can do a water hardness test. Ask them to do a Gh (general hardness) and Kh (calcium hardness test).
Don't know why you wouldn't be seeing it in your other tank. Maybe a stupid question, but I got bubbles all over the walls of one tank when I first set it up. They're not tiny bubbles are they?
 
no they are not bubbles. I had to move the fish and really scrub it to get it off, but it is gone now.
 
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