4 days into cycle and there are strange big bubbles! Help?

[ianck]

Hey there, new to the hobby but have done much reading.

I am 4 days into the cycling process in a 10 gallon tank with 10 lbs LR and 10 lbs Live sand. I have a 30 gallon hang on back filter, a 50w heater, and i have placed a small bubbler in the tank to help the bacteria grow. I used water purchased from the LFS that was per mixed. All was good, ammonia is low and Nitrites are high (between 2 and 5 ppm) and nitrates aren't to high (5 to 10 ppm). When I returned from work today there was a fully layer of bubbles on the surface. Not small foam like bubbles but big oily looking bubbles. Largest ones are about a dime size and small ones are the size of a ball point pen tip. They reflect light with a shine of color as if they were oily. Should I be worried?

Is the bubbler causing my tank to act as a protein skimmer?

 

[reefpeeper]

it is possible that your idea is what is happening. also may be sediment from sand getting released to surface because of bubbler

 

[ianck]

Well it is the bubbler that caused it. Turning that off stopped the oily bubbles from forming at the top. Next question is: is this good or bad. More oxygen should promote bacterial growth and speed up the cycle but it is bringing proteins to the surface... Is that bad?

 

[Troylee]

This my friend is how a protein skimmer works... Point a power head or pump at the surface to break it and keep the oil slick from forming.. Down the road invest in a skimmer...