Brown foam and film??

[JoeJoe]

Hey yall the past week or so I have noticed a film of brown stuff on top of my water. In the corner where the HOB protein skimmer is, there are small clumps of a brownish foam. I did a 15 gallon water change this weekend (38gallon tank), and the film went away for a day or two. I noticed it had returned late last night. Can someone tell me what the deal is? Thanks!!

[Daytona955]

could it be overflowed skimmate?

[tobbob]

do you have little kids?

[akula]

does your skimmer have a way of collecting from the surface of the water? I get a similar scum in my mixing bucket when premixing for a water change. its grunge collecting from the flow of water. A film will develope on the surface of the water (looks oily when looking up into it?). your skimmer needs to be able to pull water off the surface of the water to eliminate the layer.

[JoeJoe]

I guess that's the problem since the rio is around 1.5 inches under the surface. Would pointing a powerhead towards the water surface help??

[akula]

well in my case pointing a ph to break up the surface just pushed the film to one side of the tank. adding the surface skimmer box to my skimmer and getting it at the right level is what cleared the film.

[Schwaggs]

Use an an airstone to break the surface scum on one of my systems. A surface skimmer addition to your skimmer is the best long term solution. Look for one like this http://www.geocities.com/myfishtank2001/skimmer.htm I think MF sells them... They can also be had on ebay.