need an idea

[512148048]

ok so in my 35 long i have what seems to be a coat of oil on the top it floats and it dosent mix with the water so i assume its oil. i have some spare acrilic a PH and tubeing anyone have suggestions on how to make it a surface skimmer?



drawings are good!

i think it might be the food

[Doug1]

Can you point one ore more powerheads toward the surface just enough to get some disruption up there? Are you using a skimmer now?

[SaltBlock]

I believe what you see on the surface of your water is protein. It is not only unsightly, it can interfere w/ the gas exchange at the surface. It is easily removed by mixing the surface water with air. As you alluded to in your post, a surface skimmer would be an effective solution.

I have a 30 gallon w/ a 10 gal sump that is fed via a DIY surface skimmer. It's basically two chambers, one on the inside (holes at the desired water level) of the tank and one on the outside. Water passes from the inside to outside chamber via two siphons (1.25" PVC). The outside chamber has a Durso Standpipe which is connected to the drain (which leads to the sump).

An alternative to this system, which does not require a sump, is to make an acrylic box (w/ holes drilled at the desired water level) that hangs on the inside of the tank and contains a small powerhead. I have no direct experience with this style of surface skimmer, but I have heard they are effective if built right. I am not sure how you would prevent the powerhead from sucking in bubbles and creating a microbubble disaster.

I have some pics of mine on my homepage. It was made with 1/4" acrylic, plastic bonder (marine tank safe), and silicone. I can send more details if you need them.

The files attached were drawn in Microsoft Paint.

AEB

[SaltBlock]

Here's the two chamber.

AEB

[SaltBlock]

I'm not sure about those files I attached. they didn't seem to work out.

Here is a top view of my overflow/surface skimmer. Note that the siphons are not in place.

AEB

[512148048]

i have plenty of aeration because of my wet dry it is submercibal and it does alot no i cant afford a proteine skimmer right now

i just dont like that way it looks

[512148048]

oooooo i have an idea! from the 1 chamber one

[Doug1]

is your wet/dry built in or in sump, how does the water get to it?

[thefatman]

the oilslick you see, is more than just bad looks, as saltblock pointed out. this is protein buildup, and will prevent the exchange of gases, namely oxygen and carbon dioxide.

the tank can essentially suffocate, if the problem isnt solved. the simplest method, like doug said, is just pointing a powehead at the surface, for surface agitation.

or going off drawing one, you could make a surfce skimmer, with a powerhead in it.

can you post some pics of your wetdry setup? is this in the tank, or below the tank. if its below, i would think you already have some sort of overflow/surface skimmer in place. if its in tank, how does the water get into the wetdry? an overflow/surface skimmer can be setup to work with it.

also where is the return water coming from? that usually should be enough to create good surface agitation.

[512148048]

ok well the wet dry is really neay it is a box with three chambers and a powerhead ill get a pict since my hood is being painted. oh yeae its an in tank wet dry

[512148048]

here is a sketch and a web adress is http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/manuals/biolife01.cfm

the water enters through the sponge on the right then travels through a finr filter then to a tube where water is sucked by the power head from the tank and the middle part. then it either re enters the tank via same PH or goes through the bio aera in the middle again it is a 5 stage filter

[512148048]

i hate silicon

[512148048]

hi

[thefatman]

ok, so, based on what you have, the simplest and most cost effective solution, is to add a powerhead on the other end of the tank from where the filter is at, and have it pointed slightly up to give some good surface agitation. this will also flow the water towards the filter, and clean some of that stuff out.

with that sort of filter, you'll want to clean it (the sponge) weekly if possible, bi weekly at the most, and monthly at the absolute worst case.

[512148048]

well the box is almost done so ill aim a ph at the filetr and see if i can make to box work for me to. im so sry i forgot to thank you for the help and salt i really thank you for the drawings i know how to make the skimmer is is easy in my mind (im a nut about sciense so its my thing)