Habitat - Indoor :: Bubbles...?

[MenTalTerYn]

I just recently moved my filter so that it would move the surface water, had issues with spot on surface resembling oil and it's seem to have cleared it up, but now a new issues... When the stream of water hits the water heating and side of the tank, it's making quite a lot of bubbles... and i mean a lot, as if somebody poored dish soap in o.O
I dont notice any smell of soap, nor do i smell anything else. So is this a common problem, or do i need to change my set up?

P.S. - I use carbon and polyester pads and i do rinse them before use.

[ahmose313]

it sounds like you have an ammonia problem which is actually really common in all aquarium setups. There are more than a variety of products to help solve the problem.

[MenTalTerYn]

Aren't carbon pads supposed to take care of Ammonia?

[marisa]

What kind of filter are you using? You do want to rinse the media before you put it in the filter, it should be rinsed in the tank water (either before you change the water when doing a cleaning or put some in a bucket). Not rinsing the media could be contributing to the bubbles you're seeing.

Carbon will help remove odors, but there is specific chemical media that is designed to remove ammonia. Both have to be replaced (length of time depends on your filter and mfgr's recommendations), as they will become saturated and lose their ability to work.

I wouldn't rely on the media to take care of ammonia. The best thing you can do for that is a water change.

How big is your tank? How much water do you have in it?

[MenTalTerYn]

I do rinse the pads, and change them once a week. Im currently using a 20 gallon high, and have the water about 2-3 inches from the top.