BUBBLES!!!

Question
I'm working with a 10gal tank. I've got 3 adult guppies.(1 fem. 2 males, 1 English laced, 2 M&F Blue tortoise Guppy) 3 baby guppies (to young to tell what kind), 1 mickey mouse platy, 3 red wags, 1 creme sickle lyre tail molly, 2 dwarf African frogs (sm) and a angelica botia, and 2 dwarf puffers. I recently changed the gravel and plants etc. and I put in a bubble screen and now I've got a big build up of bubbles at the top. I had the bubble screen on top of the rocks last time and everything was fine but now this is happening. and all these fish have been in the tank for months so I don't know what's going on. Can you help me.

Answer
HI Ashley,
 The bubbles are telling you that you need to do a lot more water changes. Normally the bubbles would just pop when they hit the surface, but you have so much excess protein (nitrogen in one form or another) in the water that it forms a little film around each bubble and doesn't pop right away.

  You need to be changing 25% of the water once a week, every week, in your tank to keep it healthy.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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