I currently have a male betta in a 1.5 gallon tank that stays roughly between 75-80 degrees with no filter or air stone. I use Zoo Med Betta H2O Conditioner and feed him two Aqueon Betta Food pellets daily, making sure he eats them instead of letting them fall to the bottom. These conditions have been the same for all my previous bettas over the years, so I was puzzled when the film first appeared.
The film itself has a cloudy white appearance and seems to be a couple mm thick. When the tank is bumped, it starts to separate and little bits of it fall into the water as small white strands. It doesn't seem to be harming my fish, but it still worries me :-|
I initially thought it could be coming from the decorative ornament I have (hollowed out pumpkin from Petsmart's Halloween tank collection) since it was the only "new" thing in the tank - I purchased the same silk plant and rocks that I've always used in my tanks, so I don't think the film could be coming from them considering it's never shown up before.
The first time I attempted to get rid of the film, I scooped it off the water surface, scooped my fish into a new plastic cup, dumped the water from the tank, rinsed everything with hot water, let it air dry, and reset the tank. It seemed to do the trick for the first day, but when I checked the tank on the second morning the film was back! A day later, I repeated the process of cleaning the tank except I let everything sit in the sun outside for a few hours since I'm wary of other disinfecting methods. Unfortunately, the film returned again after a couple days. A day or so later, I decided to pick up an inexpensive tank that came with gravel and a small plant to completely start over and see if that did the trick. It actually seemed to work for about a week, but I started noticing the film forming yet again. :-?
I've read tons of forums online and a majority say that it's a protein film, but they also say those are caused by food that just sits in the tank, which isn't a factor in my situation. I've also read that it could be caused by the water conditioner, so I'm currently letting everything sit out in the sun again and plan to fill the tank with Publix brand spring water just to see if that fixes the problem.
If further information needs to be provided to help diagnose this issue, please say so!
I would also appreciate any tips on how to further disinfect everything in my tank. I've read posts that suggest numerous methods including bleach solutions, but I've also read just as many posts that say each method poses a potential threat.
The film itself has a cloudy white appearance and seems to be a couple mm thick. When the tank is bumped, it starts to separate and little bits of it fall into the water as small white strands. It doesn't seem to be harming my fish, but it still worries me :-|
I initially thought it could be coming from the decorative ornament I have (hollowed out pumpkin from Petsmart's Halloween tank collection) since it was the only "new" thing in the tank - I purchased the same silk plant and rocks that I've always used in my tanks, so I don't think the film could be coming from them considering it's never shown up before.
The first time I attempted to get rid of the film, I scooped it off the water surface, scooped my fish into a new plastic cup, dumped the water from the tank, rinsed everything with hot water, let it air dry, and reset the tank. It seemed to do the trick for the first day, but when I checked the tank on the second morning the film was back! A day later, I repeated the process of cleaning the tank except I let everything sit in the sun outside for a few hours since I'm wary of other disinfecting methods. Unfortunately, the film returned again after a couple days. A day or so later, I decided to pick up an inexpensive tank that came with gravel and a small plant to completely start over and see if that did the trick. It actually seemed to work for about a week, but I started noticing the film forming yet again. :-?
I've read tons of forums online and a majority say that it's a protein film, but they also say those are caused by food that just sits in the tank, which isn't a factor in my situation. I've also read that it could be caused by the water conditioner, so I'm currently letting everything sit out in the sun again and plan to fill the tank with Publix brand spring water just to see if that fixes the problem.
If further information needs to be provided to help diagnose this issue, please say so!
I would also appreciate any tips on how to further disinfect everything in my tank. I've read posts that suggest numerous methods including bleach solutions, but I've also read just as many posts that say each method poses a potential threat.
And I hope so too!
