weird bubbles...

Question
hey karen~

i am taking care of my first betta fish, which i inherited about 6 months ago.  i've been cleaning his bowl every couple weeks or so, and this past month, i've been noticing something strange...  his water seems to have a consistent, cloudy film over the top, and there are these things all over the top which look like very tiny, semi-translucent grains of rice.  i looked up a few things, and it doesn't quite look like a bubble nest.  any ideas?

thanks~ sarah

Answer
Hi Sarah,
Doesn't sound like a bubblenest to me either. I believe it is a film covering the water due to dust particles, airborne particles such as incense smoke, ect... Sometimes a cloudy film can develop too from water that needs more frequent changes. Its best if you can clean your betta's bowl as often as possible. While bettas are small fish they can pollute their water fast, especially in a small volume. Another danger is tap water trouble. Pure tap water often contains ammonia due to the by-product of chloramine (water conditioners break the chloramine bond but leave the ammonia) So while your water conditioner is doing a good job in general neutralizing chlorine and chloramine, the ammonia is left to build up and put your little fish in danger.
The solution to this is to use a water conditioner that treats not only chlorine/chloramine, but also ammonia. Amquel+, Prime, Aquasafe are some that do this job well.

So back to the original problem, it would likely help if you did change your betta's water a little more than just every couple of weeks. They really thrive on water changes and something around once or twice a week for starters would be great.

You might could cut back on some of the film on the surface if you find a coffee can lid or similar lid put on top (make sure to put some airholes in it). Not only will this cut down on particles that float down on the surface but it will also create a pocket of humid air which is very beneficial to a betta's air-breathing system.

Best of luck, I hope this helps!
Karen~