surface film

kassun · 02-03-2005, 03:51 PM

I recently changed out my moded ac500 with a surface skimmer to a aqufuge. Since I no longer have the surface skimmer in the tank the surface is getting a crudy film. Does anyone have any recommendations on keeping the surface clear? I have a spraybar in right now. Would adding another PH and aming it towards the surface help?

Thanks,
-Kassun-

fugucuts · 02-03-2005, 05:20 PM

more flow/agitation should help

Graham · 02-03-2005, 07:40 PM

Unfortunately it's not likely that agitation will make it go away, though. The only way I've found to prevent it is (yes) surface skimming. Agitation will prevent it from forming one big slick on the surface, but it will still form in broken sheets IME. I would get this in the holding tank I used over last summer and no amount of surface agitation would make it go away. I didn't feed the tank much at all and I skimmed the heck out of the tank as well. I ended up using a bowl to manually remove it, but that's not a very practical long-term solution.

fugucuts · 02-03-2005, 08:04 PM

glad I never had to deal with that, G.
what do you think it was, some kind of fatty substance?

Jeremiah · 02-03-2005, 08:12 PM

Basically without some surface skimming your tank is acting like a protien skimmer. The suff that would normally get to your skimmer via overflow's is collecting to tiny bubbles in the tank and rising to the surface and from there doesn't have anywhere to go. I didn't have a sump on my 30 and tried everything I could think of including lots of suface agitation and nothing work except manually skimming it out every day like graham mentioned...

Graham · 02-03-2005, 09:24 PM

Yeah Deseon. I think it's mostly lipids - oils and what not. Things that are lighter than water. When I did feed that tank, mysis was often included - like the oiliest food known to reefers.

Have you ever noticed how that stuff will shut your skimmer down for an hour or two when you feed it? No other food does that IME...

djyox · 02-03-2005, 11:56 PM

I got some of this crap on my water top too, because I need to make the holes on my over flow bigger... I got the AGA Twinflow, and they toped off the overflow teeth. So no surface water flows over, I need to do something about it, it bugs the heck out of me... Even more so when my g/f pointed it out to me again...

sdebol · 02-04-2005, 09:28 AM

Even with skimming, I have the same problem from time to time. Another short term solution: Turn off your powerheads, etc. so that the surface is calm. Lay a sheet of paper towel gently on the surface and then pull it off as soon as it's soaked (after a second or two). This lifts the film right off. Just use as many as necessary to take care of the whole "slick".

Steve

Sea monkey · 02-04-2005, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graham

Yeah Deseon. I think it's mostly lipids - oils and what not. Things that are lighter than water. When I did feed that tank, mysis was often included - like the oiliest food known to reefers.

Have you ever noticed how that stuff will shut your skimmer down for an hour or two when you feed it? No other food does that IME...

mysis does this to my skimmer also . if i didnt have surface skimmer box for my skimmer i don't think id feed mysis anymore.

I think your only long term options are to get some sort of surface skimmer or change the foods that you feed maybe ?