What are these particles in the water?

[professorjimjam]

please see this video of my fish tank

It has been a week since I changed the water and all seems to be normal but for the first time I see these kind of white particles in the water . It is only in surface area. I thought filter is going to clean it but filter ran all night but int he morning still the same.
Can you tell from your experience what are these particles in the water?

 

[anitstuk123]

I believe that they are just oxygen bubbles. I usually get them after water changes or when my filter is really clean. Do you see a change in activity from your fish? And what species are your fish? Guppies?

 

[professorjimjam]

Thanks for your reply. They are not oxygen bubbles as when I observe them from closer distance the look small particles of broken scales of fishes.
I have puffers and guppies in the tank with some few plecos.

 

[Midwater]

I have puffers and guppies in the tank with some few plecos.

Puffers and guppies together?

 

[duanes]

There are a number of different scenarios that can cause this.

If the pH of water has changed significantly between water changes (lets say you only do 1 every 2 weeks (or even fewer), when new water from the tap (if higher pH) hits old water in the tank (that has dropped in pH over time), this causes certain minerals to precipitate out as particulates (i.e. calcium in tap water hitting old acidic tank water).
If you test the pH of your tap, and test the tank water before a water change, and they are different, this could be the case .
How long do you wait between water changes?

Or it could be as simple as the puffers chomping scales off the guppies.
I keep vampire tetras (that act a lot like puffers) in that they will sidle up next to a cichlids, grab a mouth full of scales, leaving some shimmering behind in a cloud of dust.


or as anitstuk123 said, as simple as microair bubbles,
during the lightest period of the day, my plants give off micro bubbles of oxygen

At about 2 pm on sunny days, plants in my tank produce millions of almost microscopic bubbles that eventually float away the from plants, looking like particulate.

 

[professorjimjam]

Thank you guys.

 

[G8zzaj]

There are a number of different scenarios that can cause this.

If the pH of water has changed significantly between water changes (lets say you only do 1 every 2 weeks (or even fewer), when new water from the tap (if higher pH) hits old water in the tank (that has dropped in pH over time), this causes certain minerals to precipitate out as particulates (i.e. calcium in tap water hitting old acidic tank water).
If you test the pH of your tap, and test the tank water before a water change, and they are different, this could be the case .
How long do you wait between water changes?

Is there a solution to this? I think I am having this problem and everything I try isn't working. I have a Frontosa tank where I keep the PH up near 8 with coral sand. The PH from the tap comes out at 7. I have always struggled with white particles.

I do a 50% water change twice a week, would switching to 25% every other day be a solution to stop the reaction between the tank water and the new water?

 

[duanes]

Smaller, more frequent water changes keep pH and other water parameters more stable, so may help (less precipitation of minerals than if parameters vary over time).
One of the reasons I do 30-40% every other day is because they keep water parameters in my tanks very stable.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I get this in my tanks sometimes too. I believe it's some type of bacteria colonies that thrives on the waters surface, somewhat harmless apparently. If I don't have any water movement in my sumps it will develop as a film over the whole surface that breaks apart in clumps.

To remedy it, I usually adjust the water level in the DT so there's more agitation and air exchange in the overflow, which is noisier but the white specks are usually gone after a day or two.

 

[esoxlucius]

Depending on the foods you feed you can sometimes get a thin protein later on the surface of the water. Without agitation it forms an unsightly whitish surface layer. With agitation it breaks up and this is what could be causing your white bits.

This is why protein skimmers are popular with some hobbyists, though they're not as effective in freshwater compared to saltwater.