A white film since adding fish/frogbit

[Fresh]

Last Tuesday I received my order of fish & then the day after I received Frogbit and now there's a white film on the surface. My guess is it's from the Frogbit, if so what would it be?

[Fish Folk]

On 7/7/2021 at 8:38 AM, Fresh said:

Last Tuesday I received my order of fish & then the day after I received Frogbit and now there's a white film on the surface. My guess is it's from the Frogbit, if so what would it be?

Could be bio film. Is the water still, unbroken by enough surface agitation? Can you upload some photos?

[Fresh]

Complete opposite actually, my filter is overpowered for the tank I have so I had to turn down the flow but it's still moving. I'll take one when I get home

[Fresh]

On 7/7/2021 at 8:43 AM, Fish Folk said:

Could be bio film. Is the water still, unbroken by enough surface agitation? Can you upload some photos?

It's very light but you can see it. Even look at the one frogbit, it has a white coating on the part that's exposed?

 

[Fish Folk]

Huh. Odd. Maybe bio.... but I’ve not seen it before.

[Guppysnail]

Did you have lotion or oil on your hands? If not it could be protein from fish food. Use a new rubbermaid or tupperware container and skim it off. No matter what it is it is causing the gas oxygen exchange  to not be able to take place. My niece did have lotion once it looked like that. 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Guppysnail

[Bobbie]

I had it on my tank when it was recently set up. 
 

I found the best way to remove it was kitchen paper just barely touching the water, skimming it off with a glass or cup, and doing a water change. It took me about a week of daily skimming & paper towels, but it disappeared eventually. 

[Fresh]

On 7/8/2021 at 6:31 AM, Guppysnail said:

Did you have lotion or oil on your hands? If not it could be protein from fish food. Use a new rubbermaid or tupperware container and skim it off. No matter what it is it is causing the gas oxygen exchange  to not be able to take place. My niece did have lotion once it looked like that. 

Not at the time this began. It's still there even after a water change but more minimal 

[Fresh]

On 7/8/2021 at 8:22 AM, Bobbie said:

I had it on my tank when it was recently set up. 
 

I found the best way to remove it was kitchen paper just barely touching the water, skimming it off with a glass or cup, and doing a water change. It took me about a week of daily skimming & paper towels, but it disappeared eventually. 

Hope to see it gone in the next week after I do another water change.

[Ozymandias]

@Cory has a video about this. This looks like normal surface film to me. 

With an air stone in the tank and/or sponge filters this never happens in my experience. Back in my younger days when I had canister filters this was present to some degree in all my tanks.

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by Ozymandias
tagging Cory

[Fresh]

Well it never had it before the fish/frogbit were added last week. I had an air stone but the pump is too big for the tank size so I had to remove it, the current was too much. It's a 27g cube so doesn't take much to get the current strong

[Ozymandias]

On 7/8/2021 at 4:04 PM, Fresh said:

Well it never had it before the fish/frogbit were added last week. I had an air stone but the pump is too big for the tank size so I had to remove it, the current was too much. It's a 27g cube so doesn't take much to get the current strong

I believe Cory attributes the film to fish and/or fish food in the video, so that makes sense.

Looks like you have a canister filter from the photo (?). For now you could try increasing your surface agitation by aiming your output at the surface to really agitate it as much as possible.

I seem to recall that never totally resolved the issue for me, but it's worth a shot. Might depend on the filter, height of the output, angle of the output, etc.

[Fresh]

Interesting. I will look into that

Yea it's a Fluval 306. I plan on getting a spray bar soon but I have the outlet somewhat pointed up. Will be easier to do with the spray bar

[Guppysnail]

On 7/8/2021 at 5:01 PM, Fresh said:

Interesting. I will look into that

Yea it's a Fluval 306. I plan on getting a spray bar soon but I have the outlet somewhat pointed up. Will be easier to do with the spray bar

I have a 307 and 107 i put my outlets half in half out of the water line. Creates tons of surface agitation not as much current. I had spray bars on both and HATED them. Drilled and modified them soo many times got disgusted with lack of performance and no matter what strong current. Never got nice water fall and even pointed at wall or substrate or up in the air it was a strong current. 

[Fresh]

The only issue with that is I have no top so that could splash all over by being half out. I did adjust it this morning by removing the suction cup (to the outlet not the bracket) so it's able to point more up & now there's a small wave forming, that seemed to remove the film more

[ARMYVET]

This is one of the main reasons I have always enjoyed surface skimming overflow tanks.  My current 29 gallon is an all in one and has zero biofilm. 

Without a constant skimming ...the surface has to have some form of movement...eg airstone, filter agitation something that creates breaking the surface of the water and that will allow the biofilm to dissolve into the water and be removed by the filtration.  You could also try adding Purigen to the cannister to remove biowaste.  that would reduce the amount collecting at the top of the water.