I am in the 6th week of cycling a new 28 gallon tank and when I changed the water last night I could see a definite film on the inside of the glass. It didn't seem to have a color to it. What the heck is it. I don't like it....
Could be a combination of things, oxygen saturation in the water, bacteria residing on the surface of your glass, or just residue from multiple sources. Generally some forms of bacteria will be on almost every surface in your aquarium, adding water can kick up a lot of stuff up and on a microscopic level things will sort of adhere to multiple surfaces. A simple long-arm glass cleaner for a few bucks from your LFS will clean it off with a quick swipe. Or you could invest in an Otocinculus or 4, or brave the dangerous waters of pond snails that multiply. Snails are the reason I never see anything on my glass, but I don't recommend them without something/someone to feed them to that doesn't reside in the same tank. ;)
Probably nothing serious in any case, but I hear you on the annoying part.
It could also be from hard water. I had a 10 gallon when I lived at my mom's house and when I moved I noticed that the filter and everything had a white/clear film to it.
Anywho I now have a 29 gallon and sometimes I get spots on the tank glass that my pleco has no interest in. I got a long arm glass cleaner from my LFS. It has a razorblade/with cover in one end and a tong thing on the other for plants and such. It works great on glass if you have a glass tank however if you have an acrylic one I'd worry that it would scratch the acrylic.
As Tmercier said I doubt it is anything serious.
You might find that it will disappear if you use R/O water instead of tap water.
I am going to switch to R/O water soon for my FreshWater tank now that Snowboss has got me thinking about it. They sell it at wal*mart so I think i'm going to start buying it.
be advised: i purchased a magnet cleaner from a reputable lfs, and the thing scratched my acrylic tank!!... and yes, the package said it was clearly for acrylic tanks, if i can find it in the depths of my storage I will let you know the hideous brand name.
I like the metal scrapers for glass tanks that are copper. Replaceable inserts can be fitted to the stick and mine is about 18 inches long. I hate getting a little piece of sand in a magnet one and scratching the glass and for glass I think these are the best. I think they have plastic inserts for acrylic tanks too.
LOL i must be old fashioned in my thinking, i just don't trust acrylic tanks... for some reason or another it makes me nervous to think about having a "plastic" fish tank, as for scrapers and scrubbers i have found that the magnets work great as long as you don't use them near the bottom of the tank where you might pick up a chunk of gravel or sand, for near the bottom i use a home made tool, a piece of welded steel with a razer insert on the end of it. it's something i figured would be easy enough to work with and it's the right length as most of what you buy in the store is either too long or too short. am all about diy these days as it can be cheaper and more fun,,,
Brandon
the only downside i've come across with my acrylic versus the glass i used to have is the top isn't completeley open, so its harder to reach in there to fix things... other than that, i love the peace of mind. ANyway, lets get back to topic, lol.
