What looks to be an oily slick on top

[astrocreep101]

Now I know what you are all thinking "this has to be bad". Is this normal in anyway? Here is where I stand.


- Ten gallon tank
- Three decent sized fish (molly, angel, shark) Will be in a 40 gal soon, still small
- One live plant (don't know the type and growing good)
- I am using proper lighting for the plant
- Have gone through the cycle process.
- P.h keeps rebounding on me even though I am trying to decrease it. Currently I am using the regular p.h decrease stuff. Now I'll add the proper amount followed by a test the next day, and it is where I want it to be (6.5) then the following day it's back above 7.5!!!! (maybe a question for a seperate thread?)
- 20 percent water changes every week.
- While doing those changes I add tap water conditioner to the water

Could this mean I need a new fio-filter?

Thank you for any advice & I apologize if I faild to mention anything.

 

[astrocreep101]

Oh yeah-

So whats up with the oil slick on top?

:duh:

 

[boofish2]

oil slick? How long has it been there? Does it cover the entire surface of the water? Is there any type of color, texture? Besides the ph what are the other water perameters? I think we need a bit more info -- can you take a picture? Or maybe it's from the plant? As far as lowering your ph, adding some driftwood will help to decrease the ph and stabilize it - just boil it or at least scrub it with water and a brush b4 putting it in the tank. Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

If it's a whitish film on the surface of the water you can do a few things:

1. Sop it up with a paper towel by laying the paper towel on the surface of the water for a few seconds. This will help temporarily, but won't permanently solve the problem.
2. Try increasing the surface agitation a little by redirecting or increasing your filter output (not too much if you have a live plant though). This should help to break up a stagnant surface where oils from your hands, etc. may be accumulating.

 

[dabaers]

I would also suggest stop messing with your PH.
Why do you want your PH at 6.5?
Stable PH is much more important than a specific PH. Unless you are breeding which it doesnt sound like you are.
And chemically treating PH is going to cause all kinds of PH rebound problems.
Better to do as someone above suggested and put peat in your filter or driftwood in the tank, which will balance your PH slowly and not stress your fish.
They will adapt to your PH just fine in most cases.

Kath

 

[Star_Rider]

just out of curiousity...what filter are you using??

 

[Hound]

Your oil slick is most likely surface scum. The paper towel method does help as does surface agitation. Since you probably don't have co2 being injected into the tank you don't have to worry about having too much surface agitation. I have a similar issue with surface skum in a 10g and while it's annoying it doesn't seem to cause any harm. If you use lotions on your hands and arms the oil in the tank could easily be from that. In that case I'd try to not have lotion on when working inside the tank.

As far as your ph is concerned you really shouldn't try to keep lowering it with chemicals. If your tap water is a ph of about 7.5 then any time you do a water change the tanks ph will just spike and even then the chemicals are usually a very short term solution as your finding out. I know that the fish you have some info somewhere that say they should be kept in acidic water with a ph of about 6.5, but have you considered what the ph of the tanks are where your buying them or where they have been bred? Being living creatures fish can generally adapt to be in water different than where they originated. Remember a stable ph is much more important than having an ideal ph.

More than likely your filter is adequate for a 10g tank, but as mentioned above you don't say what filter you have in your post. Also I'm a bit curious so I must ask do you test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates also?

 

[bigscout]

Whqat water conditioner at waht dosage. Does it contain things like Aloe?