What's up with Fumi's tank?

Hey. I'm really worried today. I just got home after being out all day and when I went to feed Fumi I realised that there was a film over the surface of her water. In some places there were white splash like marks on the film. I ran to get a net to scoop off the film and as I netted it, it turned into a white stringy web like mess. I'm really worried. There's no obvious reasons for this film. I think the splash like marks where were she's tried to come up for air and was unable to break the film. After I'd cleared it she attempted to swim to the surface a couple of times but stopped not far from the surface and fell back down. I have seen her gulp air and manage to reach the surface since. She did seem distressed and when my hand was in the tank she quite aggressively bit me (first time bite). So I fed her and she ate some of the food but with much more aggression than usual. I tested the water and the Chlorine was okay. The GH, KH and Ph were higher than normal but still in the safe bit. But the nitrate and nitrite where so high they were off my chart. I've added chemicals to fix the nastiness in her water and I've scooped out what I could of the film. I took some photos but they haven't come out that well. Can anyone please tell me what's going on. Nothing could have fallen into her tank, the only thing above her tank are the two fans to help with evaporation. I'm very worried. I hope this message makes sense.

That IS very worrying.

I'm afraid I don't know what could be causing such a thick film.

I wouldn't use chemicals to alter the readings in your tank though. These can add to your problems and may be harmful to your axie. The only thing that should be added to an axolotls water is dechlorinator.

If your Nitrate readings etc are way off, do 20% water changes every day until they return to normal. This may help with the film too.

Is there any agitation of the water surface either by the fans or your filter? I've heard this can help break up a film, though I've never come across one quite so thick.

I've found this link about somebody else with a film on their tank water, I've only quickly skimmed through it, but it might help.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=60374&highlight=film+water

Bump!

Thanks Kerry, but I'm still really worried about this. Any ideas? Anyone?

Hi Fiona,

I suspect it could be that your tank has a high organic debris content. Often proteinaceous and oily wastes increase the viscosity and surface tension of a liquid. For eg. if you leave a bowl of chicken soup out overnight, you will get a skin forming on the surface. Some less dense proteins and oil will float to the surface, accumulate and form the skin.

Do you use activated charcoal in your filter? Activated charcoal is quite effective in getting rid of excessive organic debris. Sometimes overfeeding, insufficent siphoning of detritus can also contribute to this.

I would definitely steer clear of chemical additives. I recommend you fridge your axie while working on your tank. Its better to remove the axie from that tank environment until its fixed.

Use a kitchen blotting tissue and overlay it on the water surface to 'pick up' the skin. Thereafter, perform daily 20% water changes and check the water chemistry readings. Also assess if the skin reforms. You might consider using activated charcoal and zeolite granules/foam in your filter.


Cheers

Hey. I'm confused about the organic matter. I've only got plastic plants in the tank and I hand feed her so that any thing she doesn't eat comes back out again. I "hoover" the sand for detritus regularly too. But if it was any of this, then why did it happen so suddenly and didn't build up slowly? I mean when I left in the morning it was fine and I was only out for 9 hours. And there's nothing I know of that's different from any other day. So confused. She seems to have settled a bit now.

I spoke to someone before about fridging her because I was worried about the heat But I was worried that the warmest my fridge gets is 7c. And I know it sounds silly, but I'm really worried about her being too cold. Especially the temp drop from 22c. I know it would be gradual as the tub of water she would be in would slowly change, but would it really be slow enough not to cause her problems?

Ah the dreaded film!

Adding to what Ray said, sometimes dust particles will settle on the surface of the water (high surface tension and all). This is especially true if you have fans blowing on the surface of the water, as they will blow dust particles onto the water at a higher rate than which they'd normally settle.

The best way to combat film? Agitation. Add a small airstone or filter to stir up the surface of the water, and continue with your regular tank maintenance/cycling schedule.

I think Kaysie has named my problem of film on the water! I noticed a film is present for the first time today. Dust particles have built up on the topper in front of a fan blowing across the tank. The water chemistry is fine. So I guess I'll dust the top when I do the water change.
Thank you Kaysie.:happy: