About Christy Expertise I can answer some questions regarding freshwater fish ranging from their care to diagnosing common diseases or problems with the fish. I can also answer questions regarding the care and maintenance of an aquarium. I haven't had much luck with live plants, so can't help in that area very much. Not real good with explaining salt water or brackish set ups too well either. Also regarding goldfish, I have some comets, and have a little experience with them but mostly just general info on them. I AM NOT THAT FAMILIAR WITH ANY OF THE FANCY VARIETIES OF GOLDFISH. YOU MIGHT BE BETTER DIRECTING THOSE QUERIES TO AN EXPERT MORE FAMILIAR WITH THEM. If I can't answer or don't know something, I'll let you know, so don't be upset if I reject your question, I'll always explain why. I would just rather not answer then give an answer I'm not confident about.
Experience All personal, first hand, general fishkeeping experience. I've had fresh water aquariums now for about 7 years. I've had tropical/community fish tanks, African cichlids, South American cichlids, brackish water puffer fish, and a lot of other varieties in between.
Education/Credentials None, all personal experience
Question hi i have an oily look on the top of the water.i don't know what this could be.i have done my water changes.the filter seems to be working ok.it is a flugal 305.i have changed the pads and the filter media..the water has been a little cloudy als.can you advise thanks
Answer Hi Dave
What kind of water conditioner/dechlorinator are you using? Some of them can give an oily look to the top.
Is your filter agitating the water surface good? Depending on your tank size, if it's over 40 gallons, you may want to consider adding a second filter on the tank. That'll help agitate the water surface a bit more as well.
For the cloudy water, get a good test kit and test your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. Make sure the first 2 are reading 0 ppm. A white/grey cloudy look to the water is generally a bacterial bloom. If the tank is established/been set up for awhile, and since you changed your filter media out recently, that may be what caused it. If it's a newly set up tank, it's probably going through the cycle process, see link for more info on that:
