HagenKB

Foam or Slick at aquarium surface

There are bubbles forming on the surface of the aquarium that don't seem to break and are forming a heavy foam. How do I treat this problem?

There are bubbles forming on the surface of the aquarium that don't seem to break and are forming a heavy foam. How do I treat this problem?
Often a skim of protein or oil may occur at the surface of the aquarium. This can occur from the use of assorted medicines, water conditioners or foods fed to the fish. As these proteins and oils concentrate at the surface, they will coat an air bubble and prevent it from breaking, this results in the foam covering the aquarium surface.

There are a couple of ways to reduce or remove the floating layer in this case. In some cases, the use of Waste Control - A-7663 - will supplement the correct bacteria that will remove the skim as they digest and reduce the various other wastes in the aquarium. This is not immediate, but over time the slick will disappear and the Waste Control's ability to supercharge waste reduction prevents the slick from reforming

A more immediate method is to take a clean paper towel and submerse at one end of the aquarium just under the water surface. Draw the submersed towel under the slick and then remove the paper towel straight up to catch as much of the proteins and oils in the paper as it rises and traps them during removal. This takes time and patience, and usually more than a few sheets of paper to get the majority of the slick off the surface.

We do have some accessories available for two of the most popular filters, the AquaClear and Fluval.
A-1006 Aqua Clear Surface Skimmer
A-240 Fluval Surface Skimmer

These two items are far more effective at surface foam and slicks on a continuous basis and in fact are adjustable, allowing one to adjust the skimming action and diverting to the mid level pick up as needed.

These add-on products take floating protein films into the filter where they are effectively adsorbed by carbon, fresh carbon will more actively trap the excess protein that can usually be found at surface. These films are especially evident in marine tanks. In fact Fluval Opti Carb comes complete with protein scavenging resins for quick effective lasting surface cleaning. These are much preferred vs. the old paper towel trick overall and longterm control of surface slicks. Any marine aquarium that does not have an overflow requires one or more of these surface skimmers. They are very effective at keeping the surface clean for better oxygen levels and improved light entry.

Once the slick has been reduced by the above manual means, the use of Waste Control should help to prevent the re-occurrence by reducing the oils and proteins before they can become a problem at the surface.

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