Bubbles, valves, bacterial bloom, fox face (2024)

I still cannot figure out how to properly adjust the valves in my tank and I have tons of air bubbles almost always. I’m not sure if it’s just that my sump is low on water and the pump is sucking in oxygen even though it shows it at the correct water level. My pump is set on level three out of six. I keep adjusting the valve and still have tons of bubbles….

What I’m more concerned with at this point though is my Fox face seems to have bubbles stuck all over him. Also clearly I have a bacterial bloom from my husband overfeeding when I was on a trip. So far, I am letting it try to adjust on its own.

Unfortunately your fish look like they have ich or some other disease. #fishmedics can help you with that.

For bacteria bloom, you are right to do nothing and just let it ride itself out, it should pass in a week or so. But bacteria bloom does lower the oxygen content in the water, so I am concerned for the fish because they are swimming up top. A skimmer will oxygenate the water, but if you have no skimmer, then you should add an airstone while the bacteria bloom continues.

Also if the skimmer is near the return pump it could be sending the micro bubbles.

Mr. Mojo Rising said:

Unfortunately your fish look like they have ich or some other disease. #fishmedics can help you with that.

For bacteria bloom, you are right to do nothing and just let it ride itself out, it should pass in a week or so. But bacteria bloom does lower the oxygen content in the water, so I am concerned for the fish because they are swimming up top. A skimmer will oxygenate the water, but if you have no skimmer, then you should add an airstone while the bacteria bloom continues.

Also if the skimmer is near the return pump it could be sending the micro bubbles.

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I do have a skimmer, but I have not hooked it up yet. I’ll get on that ASAP. Most two of them do show signs of it. My powder blue and possibly the fox face? The ICK also popped out while I was gone and I’ve had the powder blue for months. The Fox face had been quarantined with copper. I’m not really sure but maybe the bacterial bloom stressed him out and started the whole ICK thing?

I’m slowly raising my temp. Right now it’s 79… I can’t seem to get it higher than that. I’ve also slowly lowered salinity to 102.4. I currently do not have a hospital tank set up so I was trying to avoid medicating in the DT altogether…or at least for now. Not sure if this is the best action bacterial bloom has been going on about 2 1/2 weeks now! It’s definitely gotten better. I can finally see my rock but slow slow…

#fishmedics (did I do #fishmedics Or is it a different website?)

Hey @Jay Hemdal you helped me before with my nano. Could you please take a look here? Is my only course of action to try and remove what fish I can see and treat them with something? Or can I leave them in the DT and risk my inverts to treatment? The bacterial bloom makes it very difficult to see many inhabitants…

This has been close to three weeks now when the bacterial bloom started and the ick started showing. I think it’s time to medicate.

blawndie said:

Hey @Jay Hemdal you helped me before with my nano. Could you please take a look here? Is my only course of action to try and remove what fish I can see and treat them with something? Or can I leave them in the DT and risk my inverts to treatment? The bacterial bloom makes it very difficult to see many inhabitants…

This has been close to three weeks now when the bacterial bloom started and the ick started showing. I think it’s time to medicate.

Click to expand...

Tough to see in the video - some of the spots are obviously just air bubbles stuck to the fish's skin mucus. However, I can't see if there is also ich going on there.

The water issue needs to be fixed up - the green cloudy color indicates excess nutrients/algae. What can happen is that at night, algae goes into reverse phase photosynthesis, that strips oxygen from the water. Plus, a bacterial bloom also pulls oxygen from the water. The end result is low oxygen, that can prove fatal to the fish. Aeration helps with that, but also produces bubbles that will exacerbate the bubbles on the fish (but those aren't really harmful).

How to fix the water then? You need to ensure you have good mechanical filtration and you need to limit excess nutrients. Then, water changes must be done - potentially large ones daily, until things get back under control.