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i have a fairly large amount of foam buildup, and i find it unsightly. I have floating plants ont he surface and a hang on filter. whats causing this and how can i get rid of it?

hmm sounds like you have protein buildup, it's probably caused by your filter's surface agitation. since the protein layer on the surface of the water (usually a milky, opaquish, or oily looking layer) has a high surface tention it traps airbubles, so it builds up a foam. the good thing is you can scoop up the mess and throw it out.

The only thing I know of that stops it is having a slightly acidic pH, since it keeps the protein from conglomerating together and forming the layer. The other option of course is stated in the first paragraph, and you can just remove it by hand. You maybe overfeeding the fish



Last edited by Megil Tel'Zeke at 23-Oct-2005 12:44

Foam is part of nature's protein skimmer. Waves and currents that hit the shore/coast causes foam to accumulate. The waves then push it onto the sand, thereby eliminating excess nutrients (especially protein like megil said) from the water.

Do you have salt in your water? Usually higher amounts of salt in the water will increase the amount of foam in an aquarium. Your dissolved protein in the tank is probably high too, so some water changes may help.

Also, many medications will cause foam to form at the surface.

---

I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

I recently had a big foam build up this was caused by medication. It slowly went away with the regular weekly water changes.

It can also be caused by some problems with the introduced water at a water change.

More airateration does seem to help but it is a very slow process.
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Keith

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