Floating waste?

[atsunset]

Just last week we started getting large amounts of floating fish poop on the surface. I cleaned the EIHM filters and have good flow but still getting the debris, any ideas?

I did read in the FAQ section that said changes in light or temperature can cause fish to change their metabolism and we did have power outages causing the tank to drop in temperature and it is now back to 28*C.

[AngelMom]

Wow ... this is a new one for me. Are you by any chance feeding the fish a diet high in fats? Or maybe they are taking in air when they feed?

[atsunset]

We havent noticed any gulping of air when they feed and we have been feeding Tetramin fish flakes and frozen worms for several years.
We are puzzled!

[AngelMom]

I have no clue either. I did a quick web search and ran into a forum that is pond centric that had a link to this page http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/disease/technique/technique.html#JoAnns_diagnosis_by_poop ... I don't necessarily agree with everything she says there, but I don't see anything that screams "lack of research" so you might want to check it out. ;)

It's been kind of slow here lately, but maybe Oscar or AquariumPro will chime in.

[atsunset]

Thanks for the link, it led us to believe it may be bacteria.
My wife contacted our local fish store and discribed the problem and they also agreed it was probably bacteria and recommended "BiFuran+". So we started that treatment last night. They also said it was good we noticed because the bacteria can progress and they can die from it!
Too early to know if it is working yet

[AngelMom]

Good luck with that ... glad I could at least be a little help.

[oscarbartoni]

How have the fish been acting? If they have been acting normally then you may be treating wrong. How old is your food? If it is over a month and sits neat your aquarium, it can degrade. I recommend putting most in the freezer after opening and only take out what you will use in a week or so.
After looking at your profile, I see that you have 4 angelfish and 4 discus along with a pleco. and a few other fish. I would make sure that the pleco is not attacking the discus or angelfish and if so then get it out (they can get to be over 18 inches long and need at least 75 gallons for itself). What kinds of food are you feeding? Maybe it is time to change the diet and give several kinds because no one kind is complete (don't believe them when they claim to be complete) so if you use several (and don't overfeed) kinds what one lacks the others should make up in the incomplete diet.

[atsunset]

The fish have all been acting normal and no one is being picked on. (One Discuss has not been himself since we started the treatment)

The Angles have long streaming fins with no sign of nibbles. And the Discus are out and about (no hiding in the corners or behind rocks)

We feed flake food and frozen blood worms and have had very good success for several years.

Are you suggesting we put the flake food in the frezer?

[oscarbartoni]

When you leave fish food opened especially in a humid area, it will degrade fairly quick. So yes it is best to put most of it in the freezer and only take out enough for a few days at a time.
Another thing that you might wish to do is to put some of the frozen blood worms in a small container and then put some fresh squeezed garlic juice in with it to soak for a while. Garlic is good to get rid of internal parasites ( if there are any present).

[atsunset]

So, here is the update.
We changed both the flake food and the worm to other brands and within a couple of days the floating waste dropped off dramatically.
Today almost a week later the surface is clear

Thanks for your input
:)