Rainbow film on the top of the water + I think I’m having nitrite issues?

Ameris

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I feel like I’ve been posting a lot… let’s hope it isn’t too much. I noticed a colorful film on the top of the water today. I read that there are a bunch of things that could cause it so I figured I’d ask someone more knowledgeable here! I moved the filter output so it makes the water move around a bit more and the film dissipated. Then I tested ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Here are the results of those:
IMG_4304.jpeg
IMG_4305.jpeg
IMG_4306.jpeg
(In order, nitrites, ammonia, nitrates)

That vibrant purple definitely concerns me. I did a 40% water change and I’ll be retesting in a bit.

Any ideas as to what actions I should take next? Am I doing this right? I don’t want my fish to be suffering in dirty or toxic water :’)
 
The rainbow film on the surface is common in aquariums that don't have a lot of surface movement/ aeration. You can use a paper towel to float on the surface for a second to soak it up. Wipe around the top of the aquarium where the water is to remove algae and uneaten food that can cause it.

If you have a problem with the water do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day until it is good. Don't do small water changes because they don't dilute anything. Do a big water change every day until the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are 0ppm.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.
 
Instead of doing a lot of water changes which may or may not be needed, there are other option. I am assuming from what you wrote that you have fish in the tank?

It is difficult to tell what your readings are from the angle you took the pictures. You need to be head in and with the tube against the white as close to the color bars as possible. The light source should be from behind you.

So before i would suggest anything i would need to know the readings, what fish you have on what size tank. I also need to know what the pH and temperature of your tank water is.

If I am in the right ballpark in what I can tell from your pics, the ammonia may not be a concern short term is it is .26 ppm and the nitrite can be allowed to be pretty high because you can block it from harming the fish with a small amount of salt.

It may help you to read this article here if you have fish in the tank as I am thinking you do:
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/
 
I do have fish in the tank, a betta, three harlequin rasboras, the three corydoras. (I’m aware the stocking isn’t great and it’s a problem I’m working on). Temp is 76 degrees Fahrenheit, pH is 5.8. The tank is a 15 gallon. I’ll be doing water tests again today and I’ll bring an update then!
 
Hello. Water changes are the most important thing you can do for your fish. Small tanks really need half the water changed a couple of times a week. If you don't, dissolved waste material from the fish and plants can quickly build up to the point the fishes' immune system is affected and they can get sick. The more tank water you change and the more often you do, the healthier your fish will be.

10
 
Awesome, I’ll keep that in mind. Here are the readings I just took.
IMG_4309.jpeg
pH^^
IMG_4310.jpeg
nitrites ^^ 😬
IMG_4311.jpeg
aaaand ammonia ^^
 
How long have you had the tank running for? Has it been through the nitrogen cycle yet? It looks like it's going through a cycle now.

Also, the pics you are taking, you need to move the light source so it's behind your body. The light needs to shine on the test tube.

Since you have fish and the ammonia and nitrites are showing the advice given already of doing daily water changes is good.

If you are unfamiliar with the nitrogen cycle you can read about it from pinned threads in this forum. -> https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycle-your-tank-a-complete-guide-for-beginners.475055/
 
I thought I had cycled it before but it looks like I was wrong… I’ll be keeping a close eye on the water.

In the first set of tests I did the light was shining on the tubes, I had my girlfriend hold it and I held the tubes and the camera.

Thank you for the help! I worry about my fish a lot.
 
You need to be doing big (85%) water changes every single day until the tank is cycled
 
Will do! May I ask why you’re a pleco hater? Cause honestly me too
Because they give me the creeps! Dirty, ugly, gross, messy and all round disgusting 🧐
 
OK- it is still hard to read your colors as displayed. But before you start doing a lot of thing not needed and which will slow any cycling, lets consider some info.

Ammonia (NH3) when dissolved in water turns mostly into ammonium (NH4) which is nowhere near as toxic as ammonia itself. Most hobby kits measure Total Ammonia (TA) which is the sum of the two forms.

How much of any TA is in each forms depends upon the pH and temperature of the water. In your post above you reported the pH as 5.8. From what I can tell from your pic it is possible it is actually higher. But lets be safe and call it 6.5. Also, I consider ammonia to be starting to do harm to some things at 0.05 ppm and by 0.10 it is doings so for sure the longer a fish is exposed.

So I ran the pH pf 6.5 and the temp. of 76F. Since I am not sure of your TA reading, I ran several different concentrations.

TA NH3 NH4
.50 .0009 .50
1.0 .0018 1.0
2.0 .0035 2.0
3.0 .0053 3.0
5.0 .0088 5.0

Now think about this- the actually level of toxic ammonia is not harming your fish at even 5.0 of TA. However. NH4 is not harmless. I suggest one can have fish in up to 2 ppm of NH4 as long as the toxic component of NH3 is under .05 ppm. But NH4 can still cause external burns and do harm to gills if it is allowed to get too high or, even at lower levels, to persist for any lengths of time.

As for Nitrite, unlike ammonia, it can be blocked from enter the fish's system. When it can here is what it does:

Nitrite enters the bloodstream through the gills and turns the blood to a chocolate-brown color. Hemoglobin, which transports oxygen in the blood, combines with nitrite to form methemoglobin, which is incapable of oxygen transport. Brown blood cannot carry sufficient amounts of oxygen, and affected fish can suffocate despite adequate oxygen concentration in the water. This accounts for the gasping behavior often observed in fish with brown blood disease, even when oxygen levels are relatively high.

Fortunately, there is a way to prevent nitrite from entering the fish. it normally enters through the gills. However, the presence of chloride in the water blocks this from happening. Chloride is cheap and easy to get and to use as it is part of ordinary table salt aka sodium chloride. So, instead of a disruptive to fish water change because of nitrite , one can add a small amount of salt to a tank until the nitrite is handled. The article to which I Iinked you in my earlier post details exactly how to calculate the amount of salt you need. It is a step-by-step easy to understand set of directions.

As far as I am concerned your tank doesn't need a water change at this time. The only number which can become a problem would be nitrite which should be kept at 20 ppm or less. But if it has to be a bit higher for a number of days to get the cycle right. That would be OK.

I am one who believes that some of the problems caused by having to cycle with fish present it that the ammonia and nitrite, when present above specific levels are stressful to fish which weakens their immune system and their ability to fight things off. Most fish tend to hide when we do our regular maintenance and water changes. They hide because they are scared. This magnifies the effects of exposure to ammonia and nitrite. It also tends to extend the time it takes to complete a cycle.

I have paid for my hobby from breeding plecos. How can you say this is ugly?

i-2JbcThc.jpg
i-nNtfJX9.jpg
 
Yeah alright, I can just about cope with those...but the common plecs and those disgusting moustachioed monstrosities are vile and belong on the bottom of the sea somewhere far far away from me
 
OK- it is still hard to read your colors as displayed. But before you start doing a lot of thing not needed and which will slow any cycling, lets consider some info.

Ammonia (NH3) when dissolved in water turns mostly into ammonium (NH4) which is nowhere near as toxic as ammonia itself. Most hobby kits measure Total Ammonia (TA) which is the sum of the two forms.

How much of any TA is in each forms depends upon the pH and temperature of the water. In your post above you reported the pH as 5.8. From what I can tell from your pic it is possible it is actually higher. But lets be safe and call it 6.5. Also, I consider ammonia to be starting to do harm to some things at 0.05 ppm and by 0.10 it is doings so for sure the longer a fish is exposed.

So I ran the pH pf 6.5 and the temp. of 76F. Since I am not sure of your TA reading, I ran several different concentrations.

TA NH3 NH4
.50 .0009 .50
1.0 .0018 1.0
2.0 .0035 2.0
3.0 .0053 3.0
5.0 .0088 5.0

Now think about this- the actually level of toxic ammonia is not harming your fish at even 5.0 of TA. However. NH4 is not harmless. I suggest one can have fish in up to 2 ppm of NH4 as long as the toxic component of NH3 is under .05 ppm. But NH4 can still cause external burns and do harm to gills if it is allowed to get too high or, even at lower levels, to persist for any lengths of time.

As for Nitrite, unlike ammonia, it can be blocked from enter the fish's system. When it can here is what it does:



Fortunately, there is a way to prevent nitrite from entering the fish. it normally enters through the gills. However, the presence of chloride in the water blocks this from happening. Chloride is cheap and easy to get and to use as it is part of ordinary table salt aka sodium chloride. So, instead of a disruptive to fish water change because of nitrite , one can add a small amount of salt to a tank until the nitrite is handled. The article to which I Iinked you in my earlier post details exactly how to calculate the amount of salt you need. It is a step-by-step easy to understand set of directions.

As far as I am concerned your tank doesn't need a water change at this time. The only number which can become a problem would be nitrite which should be kept at 20 ppm or less. But if it has to be a bit higher for a number of days to get the cycle right. That would be OK.

I am one who believes that some of the problems caused by having to cycle with fish present it that the ammonia and nitrite, when present above specific levels are stressful to fish which weakens their immune system and their ability to fight things off. Most fish tend to hide when we do our regular maintenance and water changes. They hide because they are scared. This magnifies the effects of exposure to ammonia and nitrite. It also tends to extend the time it takes to complete a cycle.

I have paid for my hobby from breeding plecos. How can you say this is ugly?

i-2JbcThc.jpg
i-nNtfJX9.jpg
Awww wait those are kinda cute! I’ll have to reconsider my stance…

Thank you for those calculations! I’ll definitely be working on that.
 

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