# Lots of tiny bubbles in a new tank!!



## Beelzeboss

Hello all,

Firstly, I presume that this is a commonly occurring phenomenon in a new tank and secondly I apologize in advance if this problem has been discussed previously. So here it goes:

I recently set up a new tank. I treated the water with tap water conditioner and added bacteria. I have had my water tested at the pet store and it is good.

However, there are lots (and I mean lots) of tiny bubbles in the tank so much so that it appears a little clouded from a distance.

My question is - Is this normal and will it even out over time giving me clear water?

I am new to this hence my question.

Thanking you in advance.

B.


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## Geomancer

Yep it is normal, nothing to worry about. There is a lot of agitation in the water when filling it for the first time, along with air pockets that get stuck under gravel and such. As it calms and settles the over abundance of dissolved oxygen will return to a gaseous form and you get bubbles.

Same kind of principle behind a bottle of pop (yeah, I'm originally from the west, we refuse to call it soda  after you open it and see lots of bubbles form. In that case it is an over abundance of dissolved CO2 that is returning to a gas and escaping.


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## Beelzeboss

If there are a couple of fish in there. Will it harm them?


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## Geomancer

No, the bubbles won't hurt them at all.

Having them in an uncycled tank, however, will.

You may wish to read over this article: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-38617/

You will need to be vigilant over the next 4-8 weeks.


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## Romad

I agree with everything Geomancer has stated already. Good luck with your new tank and welcome to the forum :wave:


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## Beelzeboss

Romad said:


> I agree with everything Geomancer has stated already. Good luck with your new tank and welcome to the forum :wave:


Thank you again.

I only have a couple of fish in there and they seem okay. They are feeding ok and dont seem agitated at all but I will definitely keep an eye on them. I also purchased a testing kit to keep a eye on pH levels etc.


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## Geomancer

You won't have to worry too much about pH. It will stay pretty constant, but can slightly lower as the tank establishes. How much it lowers depends on the KH of your tap water. Most tropical community fish like acidic water so that usually isn't much of a concern (within limits).

What you need to watch like a hawk during cycling is Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Both Ammonia and even more so Nitrite are extremely toxic, and the damage they cause to the fish is permanent (they will not 'heal' over time). Best test kit for this is the API Master Test Kit, it's a liquid test which are more accurate than using strips.

Take a look in the article I linked, it explains the whole process and what to expect.


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## Byron

Agree with what's been posted. And I emphasize reading that linked article on cycling.

Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.:-D

Byron.


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## Beelzeboss

Byron said:


> Agree with what's been posted. And I emphasize reading that linked article on cycling.
> 
> Welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.:-D
> 
> Byron.


Thanks


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## Beelzeboss

Seemed to have solved the problem along with a previously unreported one (noise from filter).

I took the plunge, so to speak, and submerged the filter fully in the water. As I said I am new to this and didnt realise that the filter should be fully submerged (its sealed by the way). Advice (bad) from pet store was to leave a little above the surface. As a result there was serious noise coming from the filter as well as the bubbles. Noise was driving my wife crazy. All good now though and fish are happy!

Filter model is Aqua One 102f for info of all in case somebody has the same issue.

B.


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## Geomancer

Do you have an air stone, or live plants?

You'll need one or the other to ensure your fish are getting oxygen. The LFS may have suggested that as a means to create surface agitation which works the same as an air stone (but as you found out is noisy).

If there is no surface agitation, and no live plants, your fish will start to run out of oxygen and start gasping for air near the surface. Unless you have a labyrinth fish, like a Betta.


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## Beelzeboss

I dont have an airstone at the moment.

I would have thought that enough oxygen was available given my current setup which I have posted here in a video i made this morning: Aqua one 102f - YouTube

Appreciate the advice though.

B.


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## Geomancer

Actually, that brings up other questions/concerns :-?

I see in that tank one(?) Angelfish, and three Neon Tetras. There is more, but they were hiding, not sure if they are more angels or something else.

I also saw that this is a 65L aquarium, which is about 17 gallons.

Both Scalare Angelfish and Neon Tetra are schooling fish, which means they like to be in a group of their own species, the absolute minimum for Scalare Angelfish is 4, but 5+ is better. For Neon Tetra you need at least 6.

However, this brings up a couple issues. The first being that these two fish are not compatible, the Neon Tetra are a natural food for Scalare Angelfish and once they get big enough for the tetras to fit in their mouth, they will eat them. The same goes for any small torpedo shaped fish. This brings up the second issue, Scalare Angelfish get fairly large at 6" (15 cm) in length. Due to needing to keep these in a school, and their large size, a 55 gallon (208 liter) aquarium is the minimum size for a school.

However, that said, it is possible to keep just two angels in a smaller aquarium (30+ gallon) if they are acquired as a mated pair.

You can click on the shaded names for the Scalare Angelfish and Neon Tetra to read their profiles and get additional information on their care and natural environments. I would suggest either finding a good home for the Angelfish, or acquiring a larger aquarium and fleshing out their school (although this can be problematic when all the angels are not acquired together. They are still young, so it may work out well).

You'll want to come up with a solution relatively soon, as growing up in too cramped of an environment will have negative long term health affects. Fish grow very quickly.


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## AbbeysDad

I have read that the tiny bubbles you are referring to is the off gassing of highly oxygenated water. There is some debate as to whether it may be harmful or not to fish. Fortunately it tends to dissipate pretty quickly.


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## Beelzeboss

There are two angelfish in the tank. One Marble and one Zebra. Unfortunately I bought these fish following the advice of the pet store (country wide chain where i live) re compatability, etc. I spent an hour trying to establish what size each species grow up to to avoid the size/space ratio. Everything I seemed to pick was going to end up at 10"-14". They told me that angels are kept with tetras all the time as they are non aggressive. Again I only went on the advice given as I am new to all this. I have very little fish at the moment as I am only starting the tank and didnt want to create a massacre i.e. build up over time, etc.


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## Geomancer

Angelfish do get along with several tetra species, just not Neon Tetra (too small). I'll be having Flame Tetra and Diamond Tetra in with my school of 6 Angelfish.

With Angelfish, you just have to avoid really small fish, fast moving fish (for example Danios), and fin nippers (for example Serpae Tetra).


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## Byron

Beelzeboss said:


> I dont have an airstone at the moment.
> 
> I would have thought that enough oxygen was available given my current setup which I have posted here in a video i made this morning: Aqua one 102f - YouTube
> 
> Appreciate the advice though.
> 
> B.


Yes, that's fine as is.


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## Byron

The angelfish will quickly outgrow this tank. If a larger tank (4 feet in length is minimum) is available or planned for the very near future, fine. But if not, I would suggest you return the angelfish to the store; they will (or should) understand the issue. Some smaller fish will better suit a small tank and give you greater pleasure.

Aside from the space, if you happen to have two males, you are bound to have trouble. Angelfish are territorial and can be very aggressive. Other members have reported a male killing off submissive angelfish. They need space and should be in a group, unless they are a mated pair.


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## Beelzeboss

Just an update. The angels are no longer here. After giving the matter some consideration I went to the petstore who agreed to take them back despite trying to convince me that they wouldnt grow any bigger. Got myself some guppies instead. Happiest fish ive seen as long as the male/female ratio is right of course. All seems well now.


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