Bubbles and protein

Question
Hello Chris,
I asked a question a few days ago concerning my freshwater tank. I got your response but my computer is having a problem that I can't fix and it doesn't allow me to view your answer. I am the one that has the Fluval canister filter on my tank and my tank keeps forming bubbles and protein at the water surface. If you still have your answer to me, I was wondering if you could please send it to me again but directly to my email at chondros@nvbell.net instead of through allexperts.com. Thanks
Irene

Answer
Emailed the following;

Name:Irene Chondropoulos
Subject: pH and stuff on water surface
Question -
Hello,
I recently set up a 20 gallon tank. Right now. I only have 2 tadpoles and
2 corydoras. I have a Fluval 404 canister filter on the tank with the
water flow set to medium. The problem I'm having is that te water pH keeps
climbing back up to 7.4 or above and I have to lower it on a daily basis.
The other problem is that the surface of the water keeps forming bubbles
and what my husband said was protein. The gravel is from the petstore and
meant for both fresh and saltwater. All of the decorations are artificial.
Please tell me how to fix these problems because I don't want to ad any
real fish until I do. Thank you
Irene Chondropoulos
Reno, NV
Answer -
Hi Irene;

I'm so happy to see you are taking it slow! I usually don't hear from new
hobbyists until there is a serious crisis. Which means.......your tank is
actually doing okay. The tadpoles and cory cats are alive and hopefully
doing well. That's a good thing in a new tank. Don't add "real fish" yet
though. It needs to finish breaking in. I will include a link to my
article on new tanks at the end of this letter as well as other links to
help you through beginning fishkeeping.

Don't mess with the pH. A stable pH of any value between 6.5 and 8.0 is
just fine. Altering it with chemicals causes fluctuations that are much
more stressful to fish than  what we perceive to be a "good" pH. As your
tank ages it will stay a bit lower anyway. Even if the fish you choose to
keep are supposed to prefer a certain pH, they will get used to your
tank's pH just fine. The fish we keep in our tanks now have been born and
raised in artificial ponds for generations anyway. They have never
experienced their "natural environment" so it's just fine that they are in
different conditions. They can't read fish profiles to know what they are
supposed to like, so don't worry about them. ;-) Breeders of fish have
even shown that most fish can be bred in many different water chemistry
conditions, not just what they are supposed to prefer.

The bubbles you are seeing are probably from ammonia or nitrite buildup.
It happens in tanks trying to get through the break-in period. Once the
tank stabilizes it will disappear. It would be helpful to your fish and
tads if you make a 25% water change every other day for a week or so.
Ammonia and nitrite burn them so partial changes will help them feel less
uncomfortable while this passes without disturbing the break-in. You could
even buy test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate to watch it's
progression.

Here are some links to check out;

http://www.xanga.com/Expert_Fish_Help
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin.html
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/charts/good_bad.html
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/community.html
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/beginnerinfo/a/fishcalc.htm
http://tinyurl.com/kuwoz
http://www.fishinthe.net/html/section-viewarticle-23.html
http://www.firsttankguide.net/

Let me know if you need more info.......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins