Micro Bubbles In Fish Tank: Are Too Many Air Bubbles Bad For Fish? - Badman's Tropical Fish (2024)

Micro bubbles in fish tank should be taken seriously if you are a responsible aquarist. They might be helpful for your fish but they can also negatively affect your little tank friends.

Without understanding this properly, you shouldn’t take a step to remove them. In this article, you’ll learn all about this situation, whether it is good or bad, the reasons they appear, and so much more.

Why Does My Fish Tank Have Micro Bubbles on the Glass?

Micro bubbles in aquarium are usually caused by wrong filter size, incorrect maintenance or high temperatures, among other possible reasons. Some of the most common reasons include:

• Unsuitable Filter Size

If your filter size is smaller than your fish tank size, then you’ll see many micro bubbles in your fish tank. It’s because a small filter won’t be able to keep a balance between the amount of oxygen produced and used in a tank.

As a result, oxygen levels will increase in the tank, which will lead to the formation of micro bubbles.

• Lack of Proper Maintenance Routines

If you don’t have a good maintenance routine for cleaning your tank, then you’ll see a lot of micro bubbles inside. This happens because the accumulation of waste will create an environment with very high oxygen levels.

As a result, many micro bubbles will appear in your fish tank.

• Improper Tank Location

While looking for the causes of micro bubbles, tank placement also matters. If your fish tank is at a place where it receives too much direct sunlight, then micro bubbles will form.

Due to direct sunlight, the water in the fish tank heats up, leading to increased oxygen levels. This is a major reason for tiny bubbles in fish tank.

• High Room Temperature

You should also consider the temperature of the room where your tank is located to identify the cause of micro bubbles in aquarium.

Therefore, you must ensure that the temperature around the fish tank isn’t very high.

• Too Many Fish in the Aquarium

The number of fish in the aquarium shouldn’t be more than its capacity. If you increase the fish population in the tank, then small bubbles in fish tank will be a common occurrence.

With an increase in the number of fish, the amount of waste products produced will also increase. At some point, the waste products being produced will surpass the filtering capacity of your tank filter.

In this situation, the oxygen levels in the tank will rise with the formation of bubbles on aquarium glass.

• Use of Medications

Sometimes, you have to use medications for the fish in your tank. These medications can also produce bubbles on the aquarium glass and in water. For example, medicines like Pimafix, Praziquantel and Melafix foam up when added to water. This happens due to a sudden change in the thickness and density of the water.

If you have an air stone or sponge filter in your fish tank, you’ll also see tiny bubbles in the aquarium instantly. However, in the absence of a filter, these bubbles will take time to show up.

Many aquarists often confuse these bubbles to be the results of medicines, soaps or other cleaning products, but there is a clear difference between the bubbles produced by soap and medicines.

The bubbles produced by medicines are clear and transparent, while bubbles produced by soaps have an oily and rainbow-like appearance. Therefore, it’s important to check the type of bubbles in your tank before stopping the medications of your fish.

• Creation of Bubble Nests by Fish

If the reasons mentioned in the list for micro bubbles in your fish tank don’t apply to you, then it might be due to your fish. Fish in your tanks sometimes produce small bubbles that are called bubble nests.

Primarily, gourami, betta or catfish are the species most active in forming bubble nests. Micro bubbles in fish tanks due to bubble nests usually appear at the corner of the tank. The bubble nests contain fish eggs, which are kept in the nests until they hatch.

The corner of the fish tank is considered a safe place by the fish to keep their eggs. However, sometimes you’ll see bubble nests between floating plants and other places in the fish tank.

• Peeling From Aquarium Plants

Aquarium plants can also contribute to micro bubbles in fish tanks. Plants are photosynthetic; they consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. When photosynthesis occurs actively, too much oxygen accumulates in the fish tank.

When the oxygen levels are more than the required amount, the production of small bubbles in the fish tank occurs.

• Increased Levels of Ammonia

Like other nutrients, an ammonia spike isn’t good for your fish tank and can disturb the whole ecosystem of the aquarium. The major causes of excess ammonia in fish tanks are a disturbance in the nitrogen cycle and dead algae.

Due to these reasons, ammonia will accumulate in the tank, resulting in micro bubbles in the fish tank.

• Formation of Biofilm on Water Surface

The formation of biofilm on the water surface of the fish tank can occur when you feed your fish some oily foods. When you add the food to water, the oil from the food and your hands can get mixed with the water in the tank.

Water and oil are two insoluble substances and can never mix completely. Moreover, the oil layer on the surface blocks the gaseous exchange for the fish. Due to these reasons, you’ll see micro bubbles on surface of fish tank and in the tank itself.

How To Get Rid of Micro Bubbles in Fish Tank?

Not using cleaning products, keeping a close eye on equipment, and keeping fish to a minimum will get rid of micro bubbles in fish tank. Here are some things that you can do to get rid of micro bubbles in fish tank:

• Don’t use aquarium cleaning products that are made of soap that promotes the formation of oil bubbles in the fish tank. Instead, choose chlorine or bleach for cleaning your tank items.
• Clean your tank filter on time. Sometimes, bubbles that are trapped in the tank filter can also produce micro bubbles in the fish tank.
• Check all the equipment of your tank. If they aren’t working properly, then an increased number of micro bubbles can form in the fish tank.
• Don’t overpopulate the tank with fish and plants. Always keep in mind the maximum capacity of your tank to create a healthy living environment for your fish and aquarium plants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some of your burning questions about micro bubbles in your fish tank.

Are Micro Bubbles in Fish Tanks Normal?

The answer to this question is both yes and no, because micro bubbles in fish tanks are normal in some situations, but in others, you have to remove them as soon as possible.

For example, if the micro bubbles are due to bubble nests, they are perfectly normal. Your fish need bubble nests for reproduction. These bubbles are not harmful to the tank ecosystem in any way.

But if the micro bubbles appear due to an increase in the amount of ammonia, then they are not normal. Ammonia, in high amounts, is toxic for your fish, so you must find ways to remove excess ammonia from the tank as early as possible.

Can Too Many Micro Bubbles Kill or Harm Fish?

Yes, too many micro bubbles in a fish tank can kill or harm your fish. While a few micro bubbles are good for your fish as they help create a healthy ecosystem for your fish, in the presence of too many micro bubbles, oxygen levels and other tank parameters are disturbed. Due to this, stress occurs which can kill or harm your fish badly.

Therefore, you must always keep an eye on the changes in the fish tank that can increase micro bubbles in your tank.

Can Too Many Micro Bubbles Kill Aquarium Plants?

Yes, too many micro bubbles in fish tanks can kill aquarium plants. They cause the death of plants by limiting gaseous exchange between the tank water surface and atmosphere.

Carbon dioxide leaves and oxygen enters the tank water from the air in normal conditions. If too many micro bubbles are present on the surface of the aquarium plants, it can block the exchange of these gases.

With the accumulation of oxygen in the tank, the photosynthesis of aquarium plants will be disturbed. They can die if the tank environment remains in this state for a long time.

Will the Micro Bubbles in My Aquarium Go Away on Their Own?

Yes, sometimes the micro bubbles in your aquarium will go away on their own, especially if there are not too many bubbles in the fish tank. But if you see a lot of bubbles that stay for a long time, something is very wrong with your fish tank.

In this case, you’ll have to check and find the cause and the possible ways to get rid of these micro bubbles.

If you’re unable to spot a problem, it’s best to call a professional for help to protect your aquarium plants and fish.

Should You Turn Off the Bubbles in Your Aquarium at Night?

If you have a small tank with only a few fish in it, you shouldn’t worry about turning the bubbles off at night, but if you have a big aquarium with many fish, turn off the bubbles at night.

It’s a common query of many aquarists whether they should turn off the micro bubbles in their fish tank at night. Well, the answer to this question is a bit tricky because it can vary depending upon your fish tank’s size and the number of fish in the tank.

This is important because oxygen levels will increase if too many bubbles are present. When the water is too oxygenated, it can cause stress for your fish. So to give your fish some rest, it’s a good idea to turn off the bubbles at night.

If you’re not sure about this query, you should talk to a professional. Let them check the size of your fish tank and the number of fish in it to guide you about turning off the bubbles at night.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you now understand how to deal with micro bubbles effectively. Here are some of the most important points we tackled above:

• Micro bubbles in fish tanks can appear for many reasons, including tank filters, high fish population, high levels of oxygen and ammonia, pearling from aquarium plants, etc.

• Micro bubbles can be good if their number isn’t very high.

• Too many micro bubbles in a fish tank can kill your fish and aquarium plants.

• Sometimes, micro bubbles will go away on their own, but if they don’t, then you have to look for ways to get rid of them.

Always keep checking the bubbles in your aquarium to ensure that they are not more than the safe number. If the number of these micro bubbles increases, start removing them immediately, and don’t hesitate to get help from a professional!