7 Reasons Why Your Fish Tank Has Bubbles

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‎ Does your aquarium have strange bubbles or foam? Here are 7 reasons why bubbles could be popping up.
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WHO WE ARE
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At Aquarium Co-Op, we focus on your aquariums. We specialize in freshwater tropical fish, aquatic plants, and the overall betterment of the freshwater fish keeping hobby. Our goal is to help you with your first pet fish and graduate you to an advanced aquarium hobbyist. If you'd like to take it to the next level, subscribe to Aquarium Co-Op and check out our weekly videos.
Cory McElroy is employed by Aquarium Co-Op LLC. He also owns Aquarium Co-Op LLC. Therefore, all content is sponsored by Aquarium Co-Op.
0:00 Intro
0:28 #1 Air-driven devices
0:53 #2 Water change
2:00 #3 Fish medications
3:01 #4 Film on water surface
4:15 #5 Excess ammonia
4:56 #6 Bubble nests
5:32 #7 Pearling plants
#Aquariumcoop #Aquariumfish #Fishtank

[@AquariumCoop]

*Want to see the original live stream that inspired this video? Check out "Don't Miss These Signs in your Fish Tank!": **kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnu5paZuibWeoqc*

[@kourtneyhook9187]

Hewo

[@timothynelson4932]

I've watched that one twice

[@timothynelson4932]

@Le Baguette they dont post the videos for the public as soon as they are uploaded. The comment was pinned probably when the video was uploaded.

[@AussieAquatic]

I see Irene........I Click :)

[@jamesgreen9372]

Other causes : - A family member topped off the tank with seltzer water. - A "friend" put "FIZZIES®" in your tank. (A childhood memory from another generation) - The fish is named "Bubbles." :) As always, thanks for the easily digestible science to help the community, Jim

[@BeWithMeAndExplore]

lol

[@sugarmuffin319]

🤣

[@Aquadiction]

This was very helpful actually, really appreciate your input Irene. Cory must be very happy to have you on staff :)

[@nicholasdiezmckenna9972]

Hands down one of the most valuable videos I've ever watched.

[@deanfraser419]

Thanx so much for showing us how much you care by answering pretty much NO questions!!!

[@WhoTheHellIsHarvy]

Pearling on plants is one of the coolest sights in my tanks I love it. Makes me think the plants are happy XD

[@----f]

I still can't see pearling in my plants, I've been providing fertilizers and liquid carbon daily and all I see is good growth but no pearling. I've got a sponge filter and powerhead one which I only use twice in the day and there's still no hope

[@WhoTheHellIsHarvy]

@@----f I find it's high light that makes mine pearl. Other plants I have which get less light but are still really healthy looking don't do it barely ever.

[@----f]

@@WhoTheHellIsHarvy though I may have low light, I give them sunlight and ferts every day. Maybe it's just my plants so if you don't mind, can you tell me which plants you have?

[@exdruidic7726]

This was SO helpful. I thought I messed up setting up my tank but #2 was the reason and I am so happy I didn’t mess up.

[@angiemoore1741]

Thank you for this video. I actually saw a video made in the past where Corey mentioned if you see foam on top you could have high ammonia. I’ve tried to find more information on that subject since. So happy to have a more in depth explanation. Thanks Irene and Aquarium Co-Op for all of this wonderful content!

[@soupbonep]

Great rare and important information. Thanks so much for this! It puts my mind at ease. I love it because it is a fast guide compared to Cory's live stream video in which you have to search for the nitty gritty. Don't get me wrong, Cory's talks are full of great information, but most of the time I don't want to sit through them every time I need the information I'm looking for. Cory should have hired you a long time ago! You are a gem!

[@anastaciatisdale8869]

I love the aquascaping on your tank!

[@johnjwedrall4290]

This video helped my fishkeeping for the best 😊👍

[@claudiafotiou7546]

This is brilliant, looking forward to see many more videos featuring Irene!

[@neillcoetzer9133]

I'm currently running a 20L nano shrimp tank, and I've completely planted in out. And only 3 shrimp. Even have a proper mini CO2 setup, and I can watch bubbles pearl out of my plants. It's so good to see

[@greensapling342]

I'm currently aquascaping my new fish tank! I've finished with the hardscape and now I'm adding in the plants

[@jyoh6764]

Nice, good luck! Could you show us when you're done(make a video or something?)

[@NiX_aKi]

Aquarium science is fun! Thanks coop!

[@vivianwhitaker3877]

I always enjoy your video’s, You and Cory are my go to source for information, glad you have teamed up.

[@ekhatchmax1405]

very informative and you bring in scientific facts and points to boost the description of the problem. awesome video.

[@lisajligon]

Good stuff, Irene. Thanks!

[@cassiopeaknack]

I have a newish tank (a month old) and I finally got my plants to pearl! I’m so happy, this is my first tank ever so I’m happy I’m doing a good job for my plants

[@mixingslowly8223]

Thank you so much for this!

[@MichaelClark-uw7ex]

Great video, I get a lot of people asking me about bubbles too, now I can just point them to this video.. Another thing is microbubbles that are too small to float to the surface quickly so the water movement keeps them suspended and gives the tank a slightly cloudy appearance. The way to tell the difference between bacterial cloudiness and suspended bubbles is bubbles are shiny, bacteria have a dull non reflective appearance. No problem, its normal in this situation, actually its a good sign that you have full gas saturation. I have that going on right now in one of my tanks, its a fairly newly set up 75g that has an overhead trickle filter/sump with a gravity drop(so there is no chance of a siphon) and very few fish, the water has so much air dissolved in it that these small bubbles don't dissolve. When the tank is fully stocked these tiny bubbles will dissolve more quickly because the fish will be using more oxygen.

[@hair_ofthedog5023]

I’m trying to see if anyone has heard of gas bubble disease. I’m curious why it isn’t mentioned in the video actually.

[@MasterPhotographer]

Thanks Irene, for another great, and very informational, video!

[@victorgibson2461]

The info,is fantastic,well done,very informative,Thanks.

[@katiemusnicki9592]

Interesting subject! Thanks!

[@shubhamdandekar20]

It was so helpful. Thank you.

[@DankDaHerbalist]

Great concept for content!! I notice when I seed a new tank I see bubbles.

[@BeWithMeAndExplore]

thank you for this informative vid!

[@piperthirtytwo]

New fish owner. Newly installed tank. 2 female Panda Guppies. 2 Mystery Snails. First fill of 5.5 gl tank. No bubbler but Filter and heater(which were applied to tank last after 1st full fill and bubbles were already there before heater and filter were introduced. Your 2nd half of reason 2, 1:34 , sounds exactly what I have; Millions of small bubbles over entire tank and plants and figures and sand. You say to keep an eye on it(which kinda makes me think it could be serious, just how you said it) but then said nothing about what to keep an eye out for or what to do if your keeping eye sees something that should be fixed or ignored. I hope you are still answering questions after 2 years of this video upload. I liked and subscribed. thanks to you or anyone in advance! oh fish and snails seem just fine. EDIT: I also poured the water in the tank in 5 mixing bowl fills(1 bowel also had a dose of of API Quickstart) cuz it was the largest thing in the house that i had and also poured it deliberately on the centerpiece which caused some splashing. I did this to avoid the fills from creating divots in my new evenly placed sand like stuff on the bottom.

[@neithermanc1]

i was wondering about the "oil slick" on top of my water. thanks to this video i discovered out my own grubby paws were likely the culprit as i've been in there moving the scape around recently.

[@brianmarshall1762]

3:39 when I see a slick on my main tank, I’ve found it’s usually a dead fish somewhere in there and I need to fish it out.

[@iseetheheart.99]

Thank you!

[@jeffbeatty6325]

Very informative video! Thanks

[@sugarmuffin319]

Awesome video! Thanks Irene :)

[@Loveofpets]

I love your videos. Thanks for your information 👍

[@lornak2412]

Hi thanks so much I was so worried !!!

[@jeffluke5961]

Great vid. I always wondered why sometimes id get more bubbles after a water change. I thought it might have been due to the flow rate when refilling....never realized it was impacted by the season.

[@kaquarium7888]

Sometimes it is due to flow rate. If your source water is supersaturated with gas and you fill the tank slower, there is more time for that gas to dissipate, especially if you have an airstone agitating the surface during filling. So you have small amounts of gas escaping over the course of, say, 30 minutes rather than the same total amount of gas escaping in 5 minutes. When the gas escapes slowly, some of the bubbles tend to pop and dissipate before the tank is full, resulting in fewer bubbles. Filling slowly is a good way to avoid the sometimes severe issues (akin to "the bends" in deep sea divers) caused by gas supersaturation.

[@Justin_Raccoon]

The hair on the top of the water around 4:03 speaks volumes to me. My girlfriend's hair gets everywhere and I legitimately found it at the bottom of my tank last week wrapped around some plants 😂

[@isabellerobb2186]

Thank you for telling

[@patriciafarrow9586]

Thank you - all good to know [I'm a newbie]

[@nickbrandimarte8657]

Very informative video.

[@Joshuakoffmansculpture]

So helpful. Thank you. Do you know if HOB filters (10 gallon) create enough surface agitation?

[@yourlocalaquarist3134]

I use rodi, so I find when I make water I let it sit next to my tank so the temperature gets pretty similar, just to keep the fishes stress down. Thank you for this video tho, allways great to know more in this hobby 😄

[@Jagdpantherl]

You can use dawn dish soap. ive used it for years and havent had any problems with it as long as you rinse it throughly. it is also enviromentally safe

[@aubreyp23]

thanks for these informations 🥰

[@karenarriaza1642]

Forgot to mention cyanobacteria creates a foam. I have seen it twice. Both times, I caught cyanobacteria before it became a problem big enough to need antibiotic treatment--just vacuum a little substrate out of the aquarium and keep the lights off for a few days.

[@johnjwedrall4290]

Good to know 👍 thanks

[@TheKidSutcliff]

Irene is awesome. I love her videos. 💕

[@leeltastic7889]

Love this Channel

[@strdakx5504]

TY

[@kibaileyb]

thanks 🙏

[@bm3aquatic]

Really interesting video 🙏🏽❤️🙋

[@TrimmedPage]

I'm in love with these quick Irene videos.

[@didnthurt4077]

Thanks! i will try the surface agitation method, if it persists i will clean the bottom of the aquarium. I do feed high protein food, but i have no ammonia.

[@Richblondin]

Irene I think I am using the same type sub straight as you have. I am having trouble keeping the plants, planted any suggestions?

[@sotkourt2387]

Hey Cory if you could awnser this question I would really appreciate it. So do you consider the chili rasbora a begginer fish and is it hardy??? Because I wanna have a school of fish for my 5.5 gallon aquarium tank and cause am kinda a begginer I want to have some easy fish. Also if it doesn't a begginers fish what fish would you suggest me to keep in this 5 gallon that is a begginers fish

[@CoffeeLiberal]

Hey Aquarium Co-op, I have a Cardinal tetra that had a white lump on it's side/belly a little over 1 week ago and now it has 2. I have read so much about ich that I really don't think it's that, so I don't want to stress the fish unnecessarily with those meds. Do you know anything about glugea? Or lymphocystis? I know lympho isn't fatal, but there is so little about glugea and from what I've read, it seems fatal. Wondering if I should separate the poor fish immediately? I don't want my community tank to suffer. Thank you for all your wonderful videos and help!

[@Aaron.Reichert]

I love pearling.

[@ArchangelHornet]

this maybe 2 years old, but it helped me in March 2023. :)

[@joanfergusonsgirl4774]

Hey Irene, totally different question to the video. I’m getting ready to do some aquascaping for the first time and want to raise my substrate by putting netted bags under the soil. Could you pretty please recommend anything ideal I could use to fill those netting bags with that would be fine for under the soil long term? Would gravel or ceramic rings be okay? Any help would be much appreciated thank you 😊 P.s love your videos ❤️

[@PLT123]

I have two air stones and have never had foamy unpopped bubbles at the surface until recently I put Melafix in my tank

[@dinafetahovic1326]

Where did you find the screen cover thingy that hides the filter? It's shown in your betta tank, aprox at 5:03 in the video... I've been going nuts trying to find something like that! Would really appreciate a reply ♡

[@dremtheduck540]

Mines don’t have bubbles but I still watch loool 😂

[@kolbass4319]

Hi guys How do you check the pH level when do the water changing before adding the conditioner or after? Does adding a dechlorinator somehow change the water chemical characteristics?

[@MegaMindyLou]

I couldn’t help but notice your B roll had a top fin 5 gallon tank. I love mine but the motor went out on it and it’s very hard to find a replacement to fit. Have you had to replace yours? I ended up just using a desktop canister filter. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@jayfuller3709]

Hi, I set up a new 10 gallon quarantine tank recently. I rinsed the gravels & all the media in the HOB filter. Since day 1 there has been a bubble film on the water, the whole surface. The water is clear, nothing showing. I can't figure out what is causing this. Also, he water parameters are fine.

[@edatx]

Aquarium Co-Op with more quality content. Great work and great work Girl Talks Fish!

[@degoose8339]

I used the Aquarium testing kit, ammonia etc, and my water is completely fine however, there's still lots of bubbles above the surface. Also, I wasn't putting any medication on my aquarium tank. I do a weekly 25 percent water change. The only thing I put on the water is water conditioner and stress coat. It seems like my fishes are doing well but I'm just worried about the bubbles above the surface. What do you think the cause of that? (I have a 10 gallon tank)

[@thegingersnaps8075]

We have a tank we have been trying to prep for fish my son really wanted glo fish and we had everything prepped for them but unfortunately they did not last more than 10 hours. We have checked every point: temperature, prepped the water, cycled the filter for over two weeks, did water checks everything looked good however when we took the dead fish out I noticed that the bubbler started producing what looked like medication bubbles that you have described clear but only stay on surface while bubbler is going but then they finish popping once its off. The water has a slight yellow hue if you look through the tank at the walls. But that is the only way you notice it. The plants are artificial so it didn't seem to be an algae bloom I thought it was just from the fish passing over night. It's a 10 gallon and we only had five fish which now I am finding is too much. The only thing that was added to the water was a tank conditioner and a water balance by the glo fish brand. Anyone that wants to help out on advice. I know glo fish get a lot of stigma but that is what my son wanted. I am thinking it was stress or the bubbler which is along the back wall, I am just concerned the bubbles may mean something.

[@caroleinwv]

What about those bubbles that come out of a substrate that might be too deep. I have read they might be H2S.

[@klutzybrewster]

I always thought that cleaning with chlorine or bleach was a huge no-no, so I'm surprised to see that suggested here.

[@TheJohnGalt1945]

To be fair, she did say if you’re sanitizing or disinfecting items, which should be going on outside the tank. I’m guessing chlorine and bleach don’t leave a residue behind like soap would after a rinsing.

[@klutzybrewster]

@@TheJohnGalt1945 I understand, and really appreciate her videos. I was just surprised.

[@AquariumCoop]

Chlorinate/bleach is considered safe because we use dechlorinators in our aquarium. Most tapwater has chlorine in it to sterilize it. We use a dechlorinator, the same can be done for sterilizing things and the use of dechlorinator like Fritz complete breaks that bond as well. You still need to remove as much excess as you can off by rinsing and such, but it's a good alternative to soap.

[@klutzybrewster]

@@AquariumCoop That's awesome! I'm so glad I mentioned it, because now I learned something new! 🐡

[@johnmat4678]

Chlorine will desolve after 24 hours when exposed to sunlight

[@stephaniesmith5326]

Ever since I put 7 fertilizer capsules into my substrate in my 10 gallon, if I use my air stone I get surface bubbles; it's been about a week. I got one of the capsules partially out. I also cleaned out my filter tubes and lost a ton of good bacteria at that time. It's slowly coming back. My water tests are ok. A little on the low Ph but I did a small water change to bring that backup. Could the fertilizer capsules be causing the bubbles and lower ph? Any advice would be appreciated!

[@carlyholmes3604]

with the sponge what happends if the bubbles dont pop quickly and you get what looks like a bubble nest

[@user-mp4xz3ko9y]

I have very hard water (310mg/L) im setting up an aquarium with neon tetras, and albino corydoras. What can i do to decrease the GH so i wont accidentally kill my fish?

[@ML-ks2lj]

So I have a volcano bubbler via stone bubbler. And I have a waterfall filter in a ten gallon tank, most accurately not is the top fin underwater world's all in one aquarium starter kit. I have it set up with a treasure chest and barrel with holes in them a bigger tree stump Buddha head to hide the heater and a volcano bubbler with natural stones in the bottom and three different low light low maintenance plants. Do I have to much o2 in there? I need a better test kit before I trust adding fish but my strips right now have been testing ok. I used rain water that sat stagnant for months before it was used for anything

[@jalakor]

What should I do if my local tap has a stupid high pH? It’s literally like 9.5-10 sorta range. It’s way off the scales on my normal tests

[@erelfink8822]

Sometimes planted aquarium soil can cause a lot of bubbles when you set it up

[@kourtneyhook9187]

Finally I have answers

[@thatinvincibleguyyt]

Hey nice i rescued a dyong betta and its fins were completely sheded it hade pale greyish color after i rescued it which was 5 days ago now it has color and it is same color as your betta its wings are developing🙏

[@chillausmc]

Yay Irene! Thank you for the video! Its nice yall make it a learning and informative experience. Not making me feel stuped..

[@prizraks1534]

I won't lie. I totally forgot Betta fishes made bubble nests, and thought I somehow got soap in my boys tank.

[@aleksgames9696]

I bought this piece of wood for my tank but I took it out because the water turned brown what can I do for that?

[@scottplumer3668]

What about bubbles coming from gravel when you vacuum it?

[@kayleed2497]

Irene- adore your channel, you’re goals!! Also your makeup looks really pretty and matches your earrings 🥰❤️

[@bundyrivera7162]

You look amazing yourself

[@nenger408]

hello my aquarium have so many tiny buble that swimming everywhere just like in the video at 07.00. do you know the reason? it doesn't go out, everyday i see it and i think that my tank so dirty because of those buble look like a particle, i have skimmer and hang on back filter.

[@crit_cannon1090]

Ok so it is fine to have some bubbles on the walls on my brand new freshly filled tank? I was told to wait a day before putting the fish in. Should I wait longer?

[@bartkub4993]

hmm, since this morning I have bubbles forming in the surface like in number 5 (excess amonia), the water is perfectly clear, there is no film on surface. But the bubbles dont pop. There is only 20shrimps in 20L tank, I did water test for amonia (NH3) and it show's 0. What else can it be?

[@wrillywonka1320]

So i noticed my tank started getting bubbles once i put in a male beta. But there are no other betas in the tank, only angel fish, mollies, tetra.he chases a few of the other fish playfully. Is it possible he could mate with any of these fish?

[@dre1997ful]

Hmm is it possibly that food was left on top of the tank/and the oil from the food cause it?

[@jeshuaarevalo628]

Safe and sound

[@dorianfoster8107]

can anyone help so i have been setting up a 29 gallon for my fish and it seem like a lot of foaming under the the filter outlet its a aqueon quiet flow 30 i usually use artifical but i used a real piece of driftwood in this setup does that cause foaming

[@hair_ofthedog5023]

I think that gas bubble disease deserves a mention here. Maybe I need to do more research.

[@hariombrahmbhatt9341]

I used to have a planted tank and used the substrate for a month, then I stopped using it for a year. The soil is now completely dry not like the way it came (wet). Btw it was Carib Sea Eco-Complete. I wanna give planted tanks another shot, can I use it again??? PLease help!!!!

[@dancingharry1470]

You should try fresh water pipe fish

[@AquariumCoop]

I've kept them before.

[@dancingharry1470]

Aquarium Co-Op do you have them in your store

[@Andrey-Zhuravlev]

молодец. лайк

[@AnthonyWilson-rp6bm]

What about quickstart or Salt

[@ENr369]

Does anyone know if using a bubble wall on low causing micro bubbles to saturate the whole tank is a bad or good thing?? I've heard of bubble eye and gill and wonder if that would happen to my fish

[@gentlegiant3533]

What if the bubbles from the bubbler stone don't pop quickly? They cover the entire top of the water and can be almost 1/4" thick. Is it possible my pump is putting out too much air? I have a ten gallon tank and the pump is rated for 10-20 gallons. Bubbles are clear and when the pump is turned off the bubbles are gone in two minutes.

[@miyukiwynter885]

I'm struggling with the oil film in my betta tank. I have floating plants and if I direct the filter to the surface it moves the water and plants so much that my betta can't find her food. I got a feeding ring and I'm trying to get that to work for her but she... Isn't very smart compared to other bettas I've had.

[@MA-zg2pz]

What if you turned off the filter when feeding her? Then turned it back on?

[@mattienorml349]

My fishies favorite Powerpuff Girl is Bubbles ;p

[@petesbeats483]

What about tiny bubbles floating around the tank?