# Is biofilm good?



## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

New fish keeper here! I currently have a spawn in my 15 gal tank. I added the indian almond leaves for the tannins and as a natural hiding place. A few days ago I noticed that there was a growth on the leaves that the fry were interested in. A layer of biofilm. I know this is normal but is it okay to keep it that way? Or should I remove it when it grows too much? I couldn't find anything about leaf litter and baby bettas that concerns this. Might be a silly question but anything involving the fry just worries me. 😅


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## imaal (Aug 10, 2014)

Biofilm is very desirable in a fry tank. It's a constant food source that never contaminates the tank. In fact, quite the opposite--it has water purifying properties.


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

imaal said:


> Biofilm is very desirable in a fry tank. It's a constant food source that never contaminates the tank. In fact, quite the opposite--it has water purifying properties.


Thank you very much for the reply! I can finally rest easy knowing the little guys are munching on something good.


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## SammiDraco (Mar 24, 2021)

imaal said:


> Biofilm is very desirable in a fry tank. It's a constant food source that never contaminates the tank. In fact, quite the opposite--it has water purifying properties.


I just want to point out real quick before I say anything is that I don't know a thing about biofilm. So this statement that I'm about to put out doesn't come from me, and I'm only putting it out there because I'm a little confused and hope to understand. So I did a quick Google search on biofilm (really quick) and the first thing that came up was this:

*"Biofilms are relatively harmless*_. However, if you do let it go for a long time then it can definitely cause some damage. Biofilms can become a problem for aquariums primarily because they consume the oxygen that would otherwise diffuse into the water._"

Is this true, and if so then would there be a point where it's too much for the fry to consume and become problematic? I don't trust Google search, so I'll trust the opinions of you and those on this forum way before Google. It seems like Google can never give me a straight answer, so I'm wondering what your input is.


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## X skully X (Mar 17, 2020)

Hi @SammiDraco i found this article when I was researching “black water” aquariums. I found it really helpful. It goes on to explain why biofilm grows on organic surfaces and why it can be a good source of food for some aquatic life. Way to much information for me to type out.








Why should biofilms have all the fun? Bring on the fungi!


With the botanical aquariums that we play with, there is a very distinct set of occurrences and expectations that we're now quite aware of. And even with these expectations, we still find ourselves having to make mental shifts to adjust to them. As your botanical aquarium breaks in, you almost...




tanninaquatics.com


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## SammiDraco (Mar 24, 2021)

X skully X said:


> Hi @SammiDraco i found this article when I was researching “black water” aquariums. I found it really helpful. It goes on to explain why biofilm grows on organic surfaces and why it can be a good source of food for some aquatic life. Way to much information for me to type out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay cool, thank you!


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## Maxwedge (Jan 20, 2020)

My little otto cat eats nothing but biofilm, and he's been happy as a, well, otto cat for 2 years now. The snails and shrimp love it too.


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

X skully X said:


> Hi @SammiDraco i found this article when I was researching “black water” aquariums. I found it really helpful. It goes on to explain why biofilm grows on organic surfaces and why it can be a good source of food for some aquatic life. Way to much information for me to type out.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That was a good read. Thank you for sharing! This would definitely be useful for future setups.


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

SammiDraco said:


> I just want to point out real quick before I say anything is that I don't know a thing about biofilm. So this statement that I'm about to put out doesn't come from me, and I'm only putting it out there because I'm a little confused and hope to understand. So I did a quick Google search on biofilm (really quick) and the first thing that came up was this:
> 
> *"Biofilms are relatively harmless*_. However, if you do let it go for a long time then it can definitely cause some damage. Biofilms can become a problem for aquariums primarily because they consume the oxygen that would otherwise diffuse into the water._"
> 
> Is this true, and if so then would there be a point where it's too much for the fry to consume and become problematic? I don't trust Google search, so I'll trust the opinions of you and those on this forum way before Google. It seems like Google can never give me a straight answer, so I'm wondering what your input is.


Yeah that's the thing with Google search sometimes. It's not always specific with the details and usually you get more questions instead of answers. These forums are a life saver!


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

Maxwedge said:


> My little otto cat eats nothing but biofilm, and he's been happy as a, well, otto cat for 2 years now. The snails and shrimp love it too.


I love ottos! Those guys are wonderful little cleaning machines! I can't see myself having shrimps and snails at the moment since I don't think they'll be happy in my tank. But will definitely add them in a future setup!


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)

So update on the tank. The biofilm seems to be thinning out now and the leaves are slowly degrading, so at least I know it won't overrun my tank. Might change out the leaves and continue with the setup since the fry seem to enjoy it. Added some Christmas moss for more cover and since, well, the holidays are just around the corner.


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## Kaye189 (Sep 17, 2021)




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## YogisMom (Jul 7, 2020)

Kaye189 said:


> New fish keeper here! I currently have a spawn in my 15 gal tank. I added the indian almond leaves for the tannins and as a natural hiding place. A few days ago I noticed that there was a growth on the leaves that the fry were interested in. A layer of biofilm. I know this is normal but is it okay to keep it that way? Or should I remove it when it grows too much? I couldn't find anything about leaf litter and baby bettas that concerns this. Might be a silly question but anything involving the fry just worries me. 😅
> 
> View attachment 1034146
> View attachment 1034147
> View attachment 1034148


My horned nerite snails gobble it up! I still have a large piece of Mopani wood in a newly set up tank coated in it. It’ll be a tasty treat once they work their way over there! Yum!


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