1/2 of bubbles on top of water in new tank

Question
We've just set up a new 55 gallon freshwater tank.  Followed all the instructions to rinse everything before it was put in the tank, used the conditioner that came with the kit, in the right amount for 55 gallons and used softened water to fill the tank.  The filter has been running for 3 days and the water is clear -- except for about a 1/2 inch layer of clear bubbles on the top of the water -- thicker near the filter outlet, less farther away.  We don't have any fish in it yet, we want to make sure it's OK before we put any in. What do you think could be causing the bubbles and how do we cure it -- or do we need to?  We don't have live plants in the tank, only plastic plants, and some "made for fish tank" decorations.  (They were rinsed too before putting them in the water.)  Thanks for your help!  

Answer
Hi Cindy,
Hmm...I would check your water conditioner and see if it's Aquasafe. No offence to the Aquasafe people but I have found that this water conditioner is very "bubbly" when added to the aquarium--in otherwords, it foams the water and sometimes give the appearance of "soapy" water. Surface agitation makes the bubbling worse. Usually this bubbling goes away with a several days but it can also sit on top of the water for a while also! Aquasafe is not a "bad" water conditioner, it's very good and beneficial. But the best thing I can think for you to do about the bubbles is to net them out and rinse them off with your aquarium net. I wouldn't think they'd keep coming back. If they do, or you just can't stand the bubbles, switch water conditioners to stresscoat, amquel, Prime, or Startright.

Be sure to add only about 6 small hardy fish for cycling, and don't add anymore until your aquarium HAS cycled. You must be patient during this "cycling" period in order to establish a large enough colony of special helpful bacteria whom consume ammonia and toxic substances given off by the fish. If you are impatient and stock too soon, and too quickly, you'll set yourself up for a potential disaster aquarium.
Test ammonia and nitrite daily over the next week after settling in the new cycling fish. Make an immediate water change if you get a spike in ammonia or nitrite. These compounds are very dangerous to your fish.
~May I also recommend "fishless" cycling which is more humane than "fish" cycling. Fishless means adding either pure ammonia directly to the aquarium to give the bacteria a food source or by adding a thawed out "salad shrimp" where it will decay and provide an ammonia source to start the bacteria colonizing.

If you would like more info on any of these methods for cycling or if you have anymore questions or concerns, feel free to email me...

Best of luck and I hope this helps!
Karen~