# Oily Stuff On Top Of Water



## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

Yesterday i noticed a oily film on the water , i removed it with a 500 ml water bottle easely but today its come back even worst, like i drop 100 ml of oil ? I looked a bit on the net and seems to be common but i aven't find any source of problem , surface agitation is the same , so don't think its only that ?

tank is 55 gal 3 month old planted , 3 " sanchezi, 2 drifwood , flourite sand

anybody know what happening here ?

thanks


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## Smoke (Sep 8, 2010)

What do you feed them? Some foods emit oily residue.


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## 0S1R1S (Aug 29, 2010)

Salmon is the worst for being oily. Plus some medications leave a residue on the surface.


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## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

I feed him little pellet about 1/8 " in diameter , sometime i see 2-3 pellets stuck in the java moss , can it be this ?


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## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Depends on the type of pellet, but that could be what's causing it, it could also just be a bit of a protein film -- try removing the uneaten pellets right away and if that doesn't work, just add a bit more surface agitation.


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## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

Pellets is Tetra color tropical granule , but i feed him that since day one and it appear in one days , that's weird!

I will try to remove it again manually with my bottle .


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

Probably from the food. Something like a powerhead, filter... should break it up.


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## r1dermon (Mar 9, 2005)

i got this with the wood i put in the tank...i've removed it with a gallon jug, but i dont think it's a major worry.


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## Inflade (Mar 24, 2006)

most likely from the pellets. skim the top of the tank, and try a different brand of pellet when you run out.

its not harmful to the tank, just an eye sore


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## wpviper (Jun 25, 2007)

do you use ferts for the plants all my tanks have that from my ferts if i do a water change and dont use any its goes away but it dose not seen to hurt anything but not so much light getting in


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## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

No ferts , but I have 2 driftwoods, everything was fine and it appear it one day , now I will feed him shrimp to see if it as effect,this morning it was the same , huge oily stuff , grey/blue, I remove it with my bottle in 5-10 min and notice that this water smell bad , so maybe the food?,or driftwood rezin , anyway I will see if it help with the shrimp as their will be no leftover.


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

Vince302 said:


> No ferts , but I have 2 driftwoods, everything was fine and it appear it one day , now I will feed him shrimp to see if it as effect,this morning it was the same , huge oily stuff , grey/blue, I remove it with my bottle in 5-10 min and notice that this water smell bad , so maybe the food?,or driftwood rezin , anyway I will see if it help with the shrimp as their will be no leftover.


 How many seconds do the bubbles from the agitation on the surface last? Also, try laying a paper towel over the surface to get rid of the oil. Should take just a min instead of 10 mins like you are doing now.


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## Briaan (Feb 9, 2011)

you can remove it yourself if it gets too bad, using sheets of paper, not paper towel, just let it sit on top of the water for a bit n remove, it'll float for a while, repeat if necessary, but best way to prevent is find out what is causing the problem, the oil can be come from anywhere (eating kfc then cleaning your tank), your hands to the things you put in the tank. the oil isnt deadly to fish, but its best to prevent then to treat.


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## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

Cool thanks for the tip!

I saw that the flow of my whisper was reduced and the filter pads was almost clogged , I cleaned all the filter completely with tap water , (fluval 405 full of ceramic for bb) next day water was super clear with no oily stuff so i supposed it was the problem , I notice that my whisper on my 10 gallon do that also , when it became dirty and water level is high the water agitation is reduced a lot and a film on the water start forming .


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## PhantastickFish (Dec 29, 2006)

i have the same issue. just plug in the air stone for about 3 hours and everything clears up.


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## smb (Jun 1, 2003)

Glad to hear you got the problem solved! Thats why I asked how long the bubbles on the surface lasted. If more than 3 seconds its usually food and/or filter related. Cleaning the filters, upping the wc's and less food waste almost always fix it. And yes, a strong paper towel is EXACTLY what I meant that works for me.


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## Vince302 (Sep 8, 2008)

Yeah your right ,i think it can also be a combination of those factor , i noticed that when he leave 1-2 pellet uneaten, they get stuck in the javamoss and the oily stuff came back but not as worst as the other day ...


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2011)

You could get yourself a surface skimmer if your having constant problems, you can get one for around $6. I've used one before can't remember the make, it was some cheap Chinese thing but it did the job.


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## FEEFA (Nov 19, 2007)

Surface agitation gets rid of it, no mater what you feed or keep it will always be there without it


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