# Film on the water?



## ScuitoAmi150 (Nov 19, 2009)

There seems to be a film on top of the water in my sorority tank. Usually there are bubbles (not ones the girls have blown) floating in the middle & if you look under the water you can see it looks like oil on top of the water.
Today I noticed that ONLY the top of the water is cloudy. I'm so confused. I cleaned the tank completely and rinsed everything really well. I don't know if maybe oil from one of the plants is coming off. Or maybe from the terra cotta pot (I can't remember if the oil was there before I added that or not). If I scoop out the water on top so that you can't see the film anymore, it comes back the next day. :shock: There is a filter in the tank and everything!​


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## doubleatheman (Mar 3, 2010)

I was going to say do you have a filter, but you do... That's weird. Hopefully it goes away after a few days.


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## ScuitoAmi150 (Nov 19, 2009)

doubleatheman said:


> I was going to say do you have a filter, but you do... That's weird. Hopefully it goes away after a few days.


I have had my tank up for a month or so. It started (I think) 4 days after I put my tank together.
Last night I scooped out some of the water with a cup and on the side of the cup there was this white slimy/oily stuff. I have tried putting in things that kill fungal diseases and parasites in fish thinking that would help, but it hasn't.


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

I get that when my tank needs a huge cleaning. It's strange, I know. What you do is you do a 60-70% water change and you clean the tank walls really well. It happens in my eclipse tanks every 3 months or so. Usually the big water change and wiping the walls down well takes care of it.

It's like a protein film on the water. I think part of it comes from fish waste, some comes from the food when we put it in the water.


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

wow thank u dr2b, I have that same kinda yellow-ish film on the top of the water in Jasper's tank.
I had him for months now, but the film just started to form these past couple weeks. 
what I changed is I started putting water conditioner in the water, before I just let it sit over night before doing a water change.
I'll scrub the tanks wall's when I do my next water change, see if that will help

with what can I scrub the tank wall's with, it's an acrylic tank, so I don't wanna scratch it more 

ScuitoAmi150 I hope u found some help with ur problem


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

I use paper towels to clean the tank wall and it works just fine (I have an acrylic tank also). The key is the large water change. You have to put more water in than you take out to get rid of the film. I found that even if there are traces of it on the top when you are finished taking water out, the clean water gets rid of it. Actually, I had to do this on Sunday with Flair's tank. I had just a little bit of the film left... but when I added the water in... it got rid of it. I've also seen people say it comes from water not being agitated enough... but I'm not sure how true this is.


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

probably, I was wondering if I could buy the bigger bottles of water conditioner, so I asked at my petsmart what was the difference between the small betta bottles and the bigger bottles, and she said that the NutraFin Betta Plus Water conditioner was made for the betta bowls that had no to not enough water agitation (so no to almost no filmy gunk on the water) 
and the normal water conditioner was made for tanks with allot of water agitation

hehe thankx for the info dr2b, I'll def. do that on my next water change to see if it helps


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## ScuitoAmi150 (Nov 19, 2009)

Hmm. I must not have scrubbed the walls well enough when I set the tank up, it appeared before I even put the fish in. Its a 10g so I can't take all of the water out , but I can scrub them. 

I use a ACI (whatever that company is that has the really good conditioner) Chloramine Bond Breaker (something like that).


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Did you take the water out and then scrub? You don't have to take all the water out... just more than normal.


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## Synthisis (Jun 4, 2009)

Why would you take all the water out?

In the case of a 10gallon, change 6 gallons.


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## Mistawasis (Mar 1, 2010)

I have the same film on my water, is it dangerous to the fish? My water is conditioned and all my ph and ammonia levels are safe....


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

I don't think it is. My water tests normal even with it there... it is just a nuisance.


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## pixiedust (Mar 15, 2010)

only one of my betas tank gets it, and its off and on. some times it will pop up in one day, some times a week, but the main thing ive noticed, it always (for me) seems to be in glass tanks, not with a good cover, or uncovered and for my less active fish. my observations. hopefully we can find an answer cause it freaks me out to.


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## Mistawasis (Mar 1, 2010)

My tank is a glass tank, maybe we are onto something eh pixiedust?


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## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

My tank is acrylic though. So it wouldn't explain mine or the other girl who has acrylic.


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## pixiedust (Mar 15, 2010)

well maybe its jsut certain betas


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## ScuitoAmi150 (Nov 19, 2009)

It is weird though. It couldn't be certain bettas because I mine is a sorority tank (4 girls), and I had them all in separate tanks before I set up this one.

I changed a ton of the water today. I'm hoping it gets rid of it.


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