orange freashwater 30 gallon tank

Question
I just got my 30 gallon tank a couple of weeks ago from someone on craigslist
and it came with fish and plants that already had great bits of helpful bacteria on there.  I set the tank up and all was well, cycled the water for 24 hours.  The
water was really clear and pretty for the first week, now it has an orange tint to
it and a bit of foam on the surface.  What is it?  How do i get rid of it?

Answer
Hi Hailey,

Well, I've never heard of a tank having an orange tint to it before, but water can become yellow or amber. The most common reason for this is tannins being leached onto the water from things like driftwood or leaves. Some medications or extracts can make the water amber also. However the foam indicates something else.

What kind of fish do you have in there? If you have a big fish in there (or a few big fishes) this can be more bioload than your tank can handle. Oscars are one example of fish that need to be kept in 55 gallons, minimum. So your tank might be overstocked, a 30 gallon tank cannot hold too many big fish - it's much better suited to a few medium sized fish or several little fish. Plecos are another fish that people purchase for the purpose of "cleaning" their tank, but ask anyone who has been in the hobby for a while and they will tell you - an adult pleco adds tremendous amounts of waste to a tank! Far better to get small algae eaters such as otocinclus, or dwarf plecos such as bristlenose.

If this is your first aquarium, you are probably overfeeding your fish - no offense. It takes a long time to get used to just how little fish need to eat. My recommendation is that you feed no more than twice a day, only as much as your fish can eat in 30 seconds. Don't shake the can of food like a saltshaker, instead get a very small pinch of flakes and offer once or twice. Or put a few pellets into the very palm of your hand and toss them in slowly. Fish don't need much to eat - even once a day feeding is certainly sufficient.

The foam is probably caused by uneaten food that is breaking down, with the proteins rising to the top and making a sort of scum. I see this now a lot more, ever since I moved to a house with a well and rock hard water! I don't feed much, but every so often I'll overdo it and find this scum.

Another thing that may be happening is that you have an Anabantoid in your tank (such as a gourami or betta) and it's blowing a bubble nest. If this is the case, then this is actually a sign of contentment.

What I would do is skim off the foam with a large serving spoon or other such object and change 30% of the water. Depending on how many fish are in your tank, change 30-50% of the water weekly. This will keep the water fresh and the pH stable, which means no sick fish and an attractive tank!

I would also get some carbon and use it to remove the discoloration from your water. If you are using a cartridge type filter, change the cartridge. If you are using something else, then get a bottle of activated carbon and put some carbon in either a filter media bag, or a ladies' stocking or pantyhose. Tie a knot at the top, or pull the drawstring on the media bag. Rinse the carbon to remove the dust and put it inside of your filter. This should remove the discoloration and make your water brighter. You can also try a bag of Purigen or Chemi-Pure instead. Although these cost about $10 each, they last much longer.

I hope that helps, take care!
Nicole

P.S. Here's a few websites I recommend, if you haven't already browsed them - do so! They're fantastic.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com
http://freshaquarium.about.com
http://badmanstropicalfish.com