Particles in the Water If there are specks or particles in the water, the cloudiness is mostly likely caused by fish waste, excess food, dusty substrate, or other miscellaneous debris. For example, when setting up a new tank or planting aquarium plants, tiny bits of substrate may float into the water column.
Floating particles, visible to the naked eye, can be removed pretty easily: Simply use a flocculant such as Seachem Clarity or Microbe-Lift Clarifier Plus Freshwater. These products bind to the suspended particles which then sink to the bottom or get sucked in by the filter.
Biofilm on the water surface often appears during a water change, most often due to the formation of a large number of air bubbles. Oily film formations are somewhat natural when water is poured into the aquarium inadequately (e.g. from a great height, quickly and directly).
Protein foam is the result of organic waste (feces, dead fish, and uneaten food) forming an oxygen-trapping surface film that creates small air bubbles that stick together and form a smelly foam. It is more prevalent in saltwater aquariums but is seen occasionally in freshwater tanks as well.
Use Lukewarm Water/Milk
Generally, mild water or lukewarm water or milk will reduce surface tension and lead to less or no foam. Add 1 scoop of the protein powder to 250 ml of water/milk and mix it gently and not vigorously. This method will get a smooth foam-free protein shake.
The simplest way is a mechanical one: use a surface skimmer (shown above) in the water in-take. This is standard setup in all 2Hr Tanks. This channels the surface bio-film to the filter where it is digested and significantly improves gaseous exchange.
Protein foam is an indicator that your tank needs to be cleaned. A dirty filter and debris in the aquarium can cause this problem. Additionally, a dead fish that's starting to decompose can lead to protein foam, so be sure to count your fish regularly to make sure that none are missing.
Biofilm does not need light to grow, just nutrients in the water. You might be able to see some biofilm once it's built up quite a thick layer. It'll look like a transparent or slightly cloudy jelly spread over your hardscape. At normal levels, you won't really be able to see it with our eyes, it'll be spread too thin.
The eggs look like clear little jelly bubbles that may have some coloration depending on the species of the snail. Fertilized eggs will usually change color slightly and start to show dark spots over a short period of time, which is an indication that the yolks are developing.
They're typically not harmful to your fish and other aquarium critters, or you, for that matter, but they are unsightly and severe cases can block light to plants. Interestingly, some phytoplankton are beneficial.
Floating white particles are most often small bits of calcium or magnesium carbonate. Groundwater collects high concentrations of these minerals as it flows through the earth and turns into hard water as a result.
Why are baby snails appearing in my fish tank? Baby snails will appear in your tank if eggs or adult snails have been introduced to your tank and bred! If you see baby snails, then it means that your tank is an ideal environment for them to live and breed in!
Snails enter an aquarium one of two ways: either they are purchased and introduced intentionally, or they sneak in on live plants, rocks, driftwood, decorations or in gravel cultures. Snails that sneak in are usually the types that multiply rapidly and are considered by some aquarists as "bad" or nuisance snails.
Snail Eggs
Apple and pond snails lay their eggs just above the water line, trying to avoid hungry fish. Species like bladder snails lay many, many clutches of clear eggs that they glue to tank glass, plants, rocks and/or decor with super sticky mucus. The advantage of egg laying is that more eggs can be produced.
Parasitic or harmful worms will not be visible on the gravel or the glass of the aquarium. Noticing small white worms the size of a few millimeters crawling along the glass are either flat or roundworms. Flat appearances are planaria (flatworms) and the more thin and wiggly ones are nematodes (roundworms).
The easiest way to check your fish tank water is to buy a good all-round tester kit. The key things to look out for are ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. These compounds will be kept largely in check with a good mechanical, chemical and biological filter.
What are the signs that a biofilm has developed? The wound that has been infected with bacteria forming a biofilm may be much slower to heal or not heal at all, and may not improve with standard antibiotics. It may look sloughy or have an unpleasant smell.
A bubble nest is a series of bubbles that betta fish form at the water's surface. These bubbles vary in size, shape, and form, with some nests looking like patches of foam and others having a more distinct bubble-like shape with lots of air inside.
Depending on how many fish you have, and how messy they are, most tanks require cleaning about once every two weeks. Cleaning should involve: ✔ Siphoning the gravel to remove any debris and uneaten food, and changing about 10-15% of the water.
This is the most common “slime algae” that aquarists encounter but it isn't actually an algae at all even though it may behave like one. This is Cyanobacteria (often simply called “cyano”). Cyanobacteria are bacteria that manufacture their own food and live in colonies — large enough for you to see them!
Cleaning a fish tank with vinegar is super simple and a great way to spruce things up in and around your aquarium. Vinegar is acidic, so it breaks down gunk and algae (most kinds at least), making them easier to scrub and rinse away.
You can buy a suitable lid, remove the film manually, use a surface filter or introduce animals that feed on the biofilm into the aquarium. Mollies or snails will literally eat the problem.
Otocinculus catfishes- These little fishes are well-known for their love of algae. They are also known for starving to death in aquaria if they cannot find enough. I've seen "Otos" consume massive quantities of algae, and then turn their attention to biofilms.