FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I use the Awuasafe that you said you use and I have never had a problem with it. How long have u been using it? Maybe you got a bad batch or soemthing? Does your bottle look like this one?
http://www.petsmart.com/media/ps/images/products/detail/standard/i/inp0/inP036630_146a9.jpg

I have had this bottle for about a month or so and I have used most of it all ready. I have not had any problems like that with it. Maybe there is somethign else in your water making it do this?


Christina

I have had the same problem lately, it seems my tank doesn't have enough current. It is a 25g with an Aquaclear 50, I was setting it on low so the plants would have mor C02 available (it doesn't have C02 injection), and the scum has started taking over the surface of the tank! The air bubbles from the filter return are trapped under the surface of the water, it looks like oil on the surface! I have been using aqua-plus water conditioner as directed on the bottle. I just bought prime but haven't used it because it has hydrogen sulphites in it, I do not want H2S in my tank! Will this become H2S somehow in my tank? Aren't sulphites bad for fish? Any advice or explanations will be appreciated. I too would like to get rid of the scum on the surface of my tank.

"If you're afraid you'll make a mistake, you won't make anything."
-Family Circus

Perhaps you should come have the city check out your water if that's the case....

I agree with what was said earlier about giving up conditioners all together and letting the water sit out in buckets for a few days. As for what the pet store guy said, conditioner will take care of the chlorine, but not heavy metals.

Thanks for the replies

ChlorXchange worked for a while kinda... I treated an extra bucket of water with the stuff an' let it sit out for a while. It scummed up exactly like the other stuff did, but more slowly... an' it is a slimier weirder texture... it sticks to my hands and my hands are sticky for a couple hours, even after washing them multiple times

It's started to build up in the 29 really bad with the new conditioner too... surface agitation doesn't seem to help very much, an' it doesn't skim out very well with a cup

I'm thinking that the problem might be some sort of bacterial infestation in the water lines. I mentioned to keith that we had redone the basement a few years back an' had the waterline an' sewer line ripped out at the same time, an' the same people working on both of them. He said that there is a slight chance that bacteria can get from the sewer line into the new water line an' stay there...I finally got pissed at it all an' bought me a 100 gal/day RO/DI unit I still need a membrane an' filter stuff for it an' get it hooked up, but I should be good to go w/ nearly pure water in a couple days

In addition to good water for the tanks, I'll have good drinking water downstairs now... I just don't trust the water that runs down here.

So I don't think it's just the conditioner or just the water, I think it's something IN the water that might be part of it... 'cause this is just NOT NORMAL! I do think that the RO/DI unit should pull all of the crap out tho, so I'll be fine drinking it an' watnot...

Anyway, thanks for the help, peoples

I have a feeling an aerator that produces the tiniest bubbles in profusion (ie a venturi) might be more effective. That slime looks biological to me and in theory you would be able to lessen it with intense aeration. You could try one of the smaller hydor ario's, I bet that would shift it.You might get some foam for a week or two, but it should clear eventually.

Last edited by longhairedgit at 14-Dec-2005 09:51

As far as whats causing it, I honestly don't know, I could only guess the same as others have here.
I have seen what looks to be oil and dust build up on the top of my water now and then, but not of a slimy consistency.

I use Seachem's Prime, it's a wonderful water conditioner, the best IMO. Everything which is it in, treats your tank and then evaporates with in 24 hours.
It's the Red and White bottle sold virtually every where.

Check out information on it here.
http://www.seachem.com/products/product_pages/Prime.html

I'm a photographer as well *though not very experienced in fish photography as much as some others* I like your bubbles ^_^

I use aquasafe all the time, in fact not a litre has gone into my tanks for 3 years without using it. Zero problems.

This might just be a dumb comment, but it sounds like you might be using far to much of the water conditioner. You just add for the water you replace and not for the entire tank volume, right? I had an acquaintance making this mistake and it sounds the same way as he was describing it.

And I have to agree with previous posters about those pics!

---

So here I am once more...

I'd do that, Alex, but I don't want chloramines in my tanks

Yup, chrissy, that's the stuff... I don't think it's a bad batch, because the chance of me getting 3 bad batches of 3 different conditioners is rather slim...

Aye, Light Bright, the only reason I was using ones that had it was because everybody said it that they were good...

It seems to be working! Today there was a lot less scum! NONE in the bucket, and not very much in the tanks! I did a 50% water change on one of the betta tanks, and the only stuff that's left is the little bit floating around in the tank that I missed last nite, and a little tiny bit on the surface! I changed a few gallons out of the 29 and moved around some plants last nite, there isn't much on the surface (it looks like a little bit more than what I missed).

At the rate the crap is going down, I think it should be totally gone within a few days and a few more waterchanges! I think I'll do a 5 gallon waterchange in the 29 today, and see what I can get down

Thanks for the help, everybody

Unfortunately chroramines do not disappear with airation or letting water age the same way chlorine does. I use the chlorX change and really like it the best. I find that the less added to your tank the better. You don't need aloe etc that those other conditioners include.

___________________________________________

If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

Alright, I've got a lot of excessive protien buildup or something (like slime) on the surface of all of my tanks... it's been like that for a long time, and I'm getting really sick of it *roll*

I think it might be in my water conditioners. I've tried Stress Coat, Aqua Plus, and Tetra's AquaSafe. AquaSafe seems to make the least amount of mess, but it seems to make the water thick and slimy... bubbles don't burst easily, etc... I don't like it.

I've tried extra surface movement... but it comes right back. Paper towels get expensive. I usually have to scrape it off the surface with a cup... meh...

So I figure I should get to the root of the problem, instead of trying to fix it I don't think it's food (Omega one and Hikari brands)... I'm pretty sure it's the water conditioners...

Here's what Aqua Plus did in one of my betta tanks when I threw in an airstone to try and break up/dissolve the excess crap (that bubble is ~2" in diameter at the base)


Here's what happened after it popped


What do you guys reccomend for water conditioners? Any other ideas on what might be wrong?

Thanks [/font][/font]

If it is the water conditioners Scott, then do it the natural
way and have buckets sitting out for a day prior to the
Waterchange.

I just went to the LFS an' talked with the d00d that runs it. He said that I do need to dechlorinate the water because there's chloramines and crap and a lot of heavy metals, so I can't skip slimy dechlor altogether. He told me that they used Aqua Plus there, and that it was good, and that I should use it. But that wouldn't solve anything, since I've already got a bottle of that, an' it's the slimiest of the 3 that I have.

I settled on ChlorXChange by Nutrafin (4oz bottle treats 3200 gallons... 1 drop per gallon of water ). The d00d told me to let him know how it works, an' if it doesn't, to return it. He wants me to let him know what's causing all of this if/when I figure it out, he's rather curious about it

So I've got a bucket of water going with a powerhead and 5 drops of this stuff, an' there's nothin' on it yet (been sittin' out for 10 mins). I'll see if it works or not...

Thanks for the help, everybody

Hmm... I don't like Jungle stuffs much, but I might have to give it a shot...

Any other ideas?


<off topic>

For those intrested, here's some decent pics I've taken (still piles more left to upload, too) -

[link=Sunsetishnessishness]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08634Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Barbed wire fence thing]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08626Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Salamander having fun in a decoration thing]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08545Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Some flowers in a boquet at my cousin's wedding]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08792Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Funky fan in my computer]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC09460Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Daka's bumblebee goby (now deceased)]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC09326Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=My old turbo snail (not deceased)]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08740Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

[link=Funky frogs that the salamanders ate]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/DSC08372Large.jpg" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link]

</off topic>

I've used prime and start right without trouble. Stress coat left all sorts of residues behind.

Thanks for checkin' it out, tryzt

Thanks for the comments on the photos, too

Yea, I'm rather into photography... those aren't very good compared to a lot of my other crap Check out [link=my Photobucket thing]http://photobucket.com/albums/y22/PoisonWaffle/" style="COLOR: #66FF33[/link] for some of my other pics... I need to upload a bunch of my good ones (I usually just use them as backgrounds and I don't upload them )

Question - What water conditioners you guys use?

I just wanted to tell you how awesome those pictures are. Are you into photography? If not, you should be. Unfortunately, I don't know what to do abotu the "slime" problem.

I really wish I could help you with this problem, but once again AWESOME photos.


Christina

Uhh, weird.... I've never had a problem with anything slime-like, you asked me to take a look at this but I'm at a loss, no idea what could be causing that.

Thanks keith

That's what I've been doing...that's what I meant by 'scraping it off with a cup'.

I've also tried getting a siphon started with airline tubing, and then sucking it off with that (1/2 water, 1/2 air goes int he tube... it's enough to keep the siphon going).

I don't seem to have too much of a problem removing it... it just gets REALLY annoying (I have to do it atleast 5 times a day to keep it all off...otherwise it builds up like it did in the betta tanks (that was after about a week)). I need to get to the root of the problem, and I think it's water conditioner...

Any other ideas, anybody?

Thanks again, keith