Aquariums: Why am I getting a film on my 10 gallon?
I keep getting a film on top of my tank and am worried it’s hurting my fish
Posted by Gelu6713
8 Comments
MegaFire03 on
That’s a proteinfilm, you need good service agitation and you might be feeding a bit too much. It won’t hurt your fish.
Prize-Economy287 on
your tank looks still, if you want to keep it that way you should get more floaters or something like a pothos that will spread out through the water column and keep the water moving
Old-Map-2009 on
This is normal and can be prevented with surface agitation ie skimmers or airstones. It is just biofilm that results from an excess of organic matter like uneaten food, fish poop, decaying plant matter.
You can get rid of them easily by gently placing paper towels over it and letting it sit for a few seconds, then gently pinching the middle and taking it out. Do this is many times as you need.
Not dangerous to livestock unless it becomes really thick, blocking any oxygen from entering the water and trapping CO2.
RobotJohnrobe on
I’m pretty sure most tanks will develop a film like this if there isn’t enough surface agitation. It’s harmless as far as I understand, but if you really dislike it, you can lay a paper towel on the top of the water, lift it out and ta-da, the film is gone.
KhreeoftheShire on
Not enough water movement on the surface. If you have some way to increase the outflow of your filter and direct it to the water’s surface, the film will stop forming.
mbnnr on
Run an oxygen pump over night they’re fairly cheap. This will solve your problem
8 Comments
That’s a proteinfilm, you need good service agitation and you might be feeding a bit too much. It won’t hurt your fish.
your tank looks still, if you want to keep it that way you should get more floaters or something like a pothos that will spread out through the water column and keep the water moving
This is normal and can be prevented with surface agitation ie skimmers or airstones. It is just biofilm that results from an excess of organic matter like uneaten food, fish poop, decaying plant matter.
You can get rid of them easily by gently placing paper towels over it and letting it sit for a few seconds, then gently pinching the middle and taking it out. Do this is many times as you need.
Not dangerous to livestock unless it becomes really thick, blocking any oxygen from entering the water and trapping CO2.
I’m pretty sure most tanks will develop a film like this if there isn’t enough surface agitation. It’s harmless as far as I understand, but if you really dislike it, you can lay a paper towel on the top of the water, lift it out and ta-da, the film is gone.
Not enough water movement on the surface. If you have some way to increase the outflow of your filter and direct it to the water’s surface, the film will stop forming.
Run an oxygen pump over night they’re fairly cheap. This will solve your problem
Here’s some other pics of the setup
https://preview.redd.it/x5f52taylt5g1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=458f7f79e82121b897fe95ad43580f752a072945
If you’re using a lower filter you can add a surface skimmer to add some surface movement and upper tank water flow.