What do bubbles on plastic plant leafs mean??

[attygirl]

I topped off my tank with distilled water yesterday and today, all of the leafs of the plastic plants are covered in bubbles. This is not the first time I topped off my tank and in fact, it seems like I have to add a little water every few days. I did an internet search and could only find information applicable to live plants.

Does anyone have any ideas?? Thank you.

[Mustafa]

Can you post a picture? Could be cyanobacteria producing various gasses, or just air bubbles from the filling up process.

[LeShrimp]

I also have MANY bubbles in my tank and I am also curious about this. Here is a picture.

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[Mustafa]

LeShrimp, the picture just shows the bubbles on the surface. It's impossible to diagnose that. There must be a source from which the bubbles emerge before they ascend to the surface. The source is probably lower, down in the substrate. If you just leave the tank alone, the bubbles should disappear by themselves.

[MelWong]

In a very new tank bubbles are likely a product of gas outgassing from the water as it settles. Topping up the tank can introduce dissolved air through the movement of the water as it tops up. It could also be the product of algae in your tank even if you can't see it yet.

In my own tank, I have bubbles rising from the thin film of algae and diatoms in the reef rock whenever my tank light is on. It's rather interesting to watch, really. First the bubbles cling to the crevices of the reef rock by surface tension, and then when they get big enough they float up to the top of the tank. As I have a healthy biofilm up top it can take them a few seconds to actually pop.

The chaetomorpha will also generate bubbles when the tank light is on, probably products of the plant's respiration.