Is this foam concerning?

[andieb]

Hello, 

Just before bed, I noticed this foam on the surface of the water in my aquarium. Does this type of foam look concerning? Once I have a moment tomorrow, I’ll test the water parameters. 
 

Edit: I ended up testing some parameters tonight because I read that this foam can be a sign of ammonia. However, liquid test showed 0 ppm for ammonia. pH is 7.4. I also did a test strip which showed 0 nitrites and nitrates but  tomorrow I’ll do a liquid test to confirm those. I had done a very deep clean in the tank and moved around some decor  yesterday, so wondering if that might be part of the cause. 

Thank you! 

Edited August 29, 2023 by andieb

[nabokovfan87]

@andieb It could be a type of contaminant like soap as well, not necessarily ammonia.  Water changes will help as well as something like running carbon in your filtration.  Let us know what you find out!

Are the fish showing any signs of stress, is all equipment working properly?

[Odd Duck]

I would be very concerned for a contaminant and do a large water change immediately.  There should never be that much foam on the surface of your tank.

[Galabar]

On 8/29/2023 at 4:42 AM, Pepere said:

I am assuming there is a fine airstone under there….  Is there some sort of surface film on top of the water?

Yes, it could be a fine airstone combined with surface proteins.

[andieb]

On 8/29/2023 at 7:42 AM, Pepere said:

I am assuming there is a fine airstone under there….  Is there some sort of surface film on top of the water?

There is no airstone, but bubbles from the HOB filter come up to the surface underneath where the foam was. 

[andieb]

Thank you all for your quick replies and guidance. I added carbon into the filter and performed a large water change. The fish all look ok, no odd behaviour. I’m not sure what the contaminant was, however I had been moving decor and fish between tanks the day before. I’d set some wet rocks down on a table which I do clean with all purpose cleaner, so maybe soap could have been transferred into the tank that way. I also used a zip loc bag to acclimate my fish, so maybe there was something on the bag. I also did some intense gravel vaccing so maybe I turned up some old food and waste which fouled the water. 
In any case, crisis averted! Thank you all! 

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/29/2023 at 6:13 PM, andieb said:

I’m not sure what the contaminant was, however I had been moving decor and fish between tanks the day before. I’d set some wet rocks down on a table which I do clean with all purpose cleaner, so maybe soap could have been transferred into the tank that way.

Seems very likely this was a cause here.  Thankfully water changes and carbon will help!