Sponsor Our Community
Go Back   The Reef Tank > Reef Discussion Forums > General Reef Discussion
Have a question? It's Free!

General Reef Discussion In this forum we discuss issues related to keeping marine and reef aquariums in a friendly flame-free environment.


Registered Members don't see these ads. Register now it's free!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 01-01-2007, 09:20 PM   #1
tunatamer4
squid
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: north carolina
Posts: 3
Question

Newbie with a....


Hey Y'all-
Just stumbled across the site and after looking around awhile thought I'd ask a question if I may.
I have a 75gal. tank with no coral. The livestock consists of a Percula Clown, Mandarin, Lawnmower Blennie, Pacific Blue Tang, 2 Skunk Cleaner shrimp, a Hermit crab and a few turbo snails. There is approx. 50-60 lbs of live rock and a two inch layer of crushed coral substrate.
The filter is a Fluval 403 and there are two power heads to aid in flo.
There is also a very healthy growth of Caulerpa in the tank which I MUST thin out every two weeks.
My question is this, recently (within the past month) a brown "film" has developed on the surface of the water. Any idea what it's from and how do I get rid of it?
The fish get fed every other day a varied diet.
Thanks in advance.
Registered Members don't see these ads. Register now it's free!
tunatamer4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 09:54 PM   #2
dobejazz
Duper Mod !
 
dobejazz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Illinois
Posts: 14,331
Images: 1312
Reviews: 10
Welcome to TRT!

I'm not sure on the brown film
__________________




Kelli
dobejazz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 10:27 PM   #3
hng
 
hng's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: spartanburg, south carolina
Posts: 4,960
Images: 38
Welcome to TRT! Sounds like you gotta lot of nutrients going into that tank (fish fed every day and having to harvest caleurpa every other week). I would think that it's some kinda waste film. Do you use a protein skimmer? Do you have some way to skim off the surface of the water, like with an overflow? Do you use activated carbon? How long have you had the tank set up? How often do you change your water?
__________________
hng is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 10:32 PM   #4
ChrisPrusha
I loves me a water change
 
ChrisPrusha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: WI
Posts: 7,901
Images: 4
Welcome aboard!!! w000000000000000000t!!! Hoang asked a bunch of great questions...the only thing I would add now is that your Fluval may be adding nitrates to your tank.
__________________
Chris

http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/image.php?u=16323&type=sigpic&dateline=1203517958
ChrisPrusha is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 10:51 PM   #5
Koddie Doo
Let's Hug It Out .......!
 
Koddie Doo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Just East of East St. Louis
Posts: 667
point a powerhead at the surface to agitate the water
__________________
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87558
30 Gallon Hex Build Thread
http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=111479
Nano Buildoff 2008 "Self Declared Winner"
Koddie Doo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 11:10 PM   #6
Loverotties
I've got the REEF rash!
 
Loverotties's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 34,119
Quote:
Originally Posted by hng View Post
Welcome to TRT! Sounds like you gotta lot of nutrients going into that tank (fish fed every day and having to harvest caleurpa every other week). I would think that it's some kinda waste film. Do you use a protein skimmer? Do you have some way to skim off the surface of the water, like with an overflow? Do you use activated carbon? How long have you had the tank set up? How often do you change your water?
Welcome to TRT! I like all these question plus tell us your water perimeters are?
__________________
Loverotties is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-01-2007, 11:26 PM   #7
Marcalo
Little Fishy
 
Marcalo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Des moines
Posts: 134
is it possible for a gasket or rubber O-ring to be burnt up and maybe some grease from a bearing on a sump pump or something to be contaminating the water? i'm new as well but was wondering if that was possible.
Marcalo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2007, 08:36 AM   #8
VWD
BIG SMELLY MOD
 
VWD's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Denham Springs, LA
Posts: 18,738
Images: 445
Reviews: 21
Welcome to TRT!!!


I agree with HNG, sounds like excess nutrients in the water.Protein skimmer may be needed if You don't have one.
__________________
Vince aka VINNIE
.
VWD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2007, 09:42 AM   #9
jenajet
Saltwater Mom
 
jenajet's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Ga
Posts: 5,868
Images: 235
Welcome to TRT! Skimmer and water surface agitation should break it up.
__________________
Jena

Newest member of the BRW crowd!
jenajet is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2007, 11:45 AM   #10
tdwyatt
senior member
 
tdwyatt's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Walnut Grove, SC, USA
Posts: 15,170
Images: 46
Heh! Great name, tunatamer, and welcome to TRT.

The issues most likely to present problems for you involve how much you have to feed your fishes, the substrate as crushed coral, and the presence of the fluval. These factors all lead to a large amount of both fish waste and uneaten foodstuffs, as well as plenty of surface area and digestive bacteria that allow both the waste and any uneaten food to be quickly converted into available nitrate and phosphate for the growth of your Caulerpa spp. of macroalgae as well as phytoplankton and misc. other microalgae. This in and of itself is not a problem, but excessive growth of macroalgae, in addition to no real means of breaking up and removing Gelbstoff from such a leaky macroalgae (Caulerpa) allows an accumulation of these byproducts of macroalgal growth to concentrate on the surface. In addition, certain spp. of microalgae will grow on interfaces such as surfaces of rock and sand, the glass and at the interface of the ASW and air. This will be a good bit of your films that are forming, but does not include the possibility of films that sometimes include other organic compounds and calcium carbonate could be forming at the surface as well.


In systems that are primarily fish and/or fish and macroalgae, this does not present a real problem, as you are exporting nitrate and phosphate when you remove the Caulerpa's biomass from the system, leaving the cosmetic issue only from the accumulating Gelbstoff and misc. other organics at the surface. However, in systems that contain corals, especially stony corals, the accumulation of this potential level of nitrates from the available sites to trap leftover food and wastes for aerobic nitrification (the fluval and the crushed coral substrate) will lead to reduced calcification in stony corals and browning of their coloration as these substances increase both population density and overall numbers of zooxanthellae in autotrophic corals. We strive to keep our corals colorful and improve their growth and calcification rates, and high nitrates are the bane of our desires to promote this. Remember that zooxanthellae are nothing more than algae, and as such, these endosymbionts respond to high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus the same way that any other autotrophic algae would, by increasing their numbers...

The easiest way to reduce the production of nitrates and accumulation of phosphates in marine systems is to limit imports of substances that can decompose to form excessive nutrients, and to maximize the export of these same potentials for excessive nutrients. Potentials for limiting imports includes reducing the numbers of fishes, or reducing the frequency and quantity of the food we provide for the fishes, using water that is free of nutrients for evaporative replacements (RO/DI), and providing and/or preparing foods that are low in excessive amounts of nutrients (e.g., rinsing frozen foods with RO/DI prior to feeding). Maximizing exports means reducing the number of sites that excessive foods can collect and decompose in the tank (the size of your granules of the substrate, the fluval, etc.), removing the substances that can decompose to nutrients before the dissolve into the water (aggressive skimming, Granular Activated Carbon=GAC, resins, etc.), macroalgae harvesting**, etc.

For you currently, I would recommend aggressive skimming and the use of a surface skimmer to collect surface water and the organics that are accumulating there to export the materials and algae, etc., from your water column. Directing water flow at the surface will improve oxygenation in your tank, but will redistribute the organics that are already concentrating there. Rather than have you redistribute these substances, I would recommend that you take advantage of the natural tendency for these compounds to concentrate at the air/water interface and collect them with a surface collection overflow. Once collected, skim them out of the water via a foam fractionation column. This along with the use of GAC will not only remove the potential for algal blooms, but will make your water much clearer*


Much of what you will need to do will depend on what your goals are for the system. Could you tell us more about your system and where you're going?


HTH




* look through your tank from one end to another and look at a piece of white paper, Does it look white? Even better, get a color chart of light yellows from a paint store and do the same, which ones can you see?

** Macroalgae harvesting has its own issues, depending on which macroalgae you use to export excess nutrients, we could make things worse for your system in the long run, but this will again, depend on what the goals are for your system. We could make (and have done so in the past) entire posts on this subject. Much of the decisioin to do this will depend on what the goals are of the biotope you are trying to emulate.
__________________
Tom <"))))>(
(TDWyatt)
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something. -Plato
tdwyatt is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-02-2007, 01:05 PM   #11
Wiskey
Just some guy, you know?
 
Wiskey's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 18,936
Images: 71
Welcome to TRT! I agree, a skimmer will go a long way to help remove the Film, it's probably desolved organics that tend toward the surface.

Whiskey
__________________
Vagabond
Computers are the worlds most plentiful source of unique, and unimaginable problems.
Wiskey is offline   Reply With Quote
Comparison Shopping
H2O Life Green Seaweed 150g

As low as $22

at 3 sellers

Ecosystem Aquarium Eco Iron - 16oz

As low as $10

at 3 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Seachem Discus Buffer 250 g

As low as $5

at 25 sellers

Super Skimmer - Needle-Wheel System up to 125 G

As low as $124

at 40 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

150 Watt 20000K Metal Halide Bulb - Aqualine AB Double Ended

As low as $80

at 5 sellers

ViaAqua 4900 Pump

As low as $56

at 9 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Danner Model 2 Supreme 250 GPH Pump w Fractionating Impeller

As low as $51

at 5 sellers

30 Inch / 24 Watt T5 HO Bulb (All Brands / Colors)

As low as $7

at 37 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Tunze Nano DOC Protein Skimmer

As low as $152

at 6 sellers

400 Watt 14000K Metal Halide Bulb Double-Ended (All Brands)

As low as $27

at 8 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Current USA Single LED Strand Replacement

As low as $7

at 3 sellers

12 Inch Giesemann Nova II Pendant 150W

As low as $407

at 3 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Mag-Drive 5 / 500 Pump

As low as $66

at 37 sellers

Taam Rio Polario Turbine 22ML Dual Action Programmable Aqua Pump Powerhead

As low as $300

at 8 sellers

Members with more than 50 posts don't see this bar

Reply

Tags
algal blooms , blue tang , crushed coral , crushed coral substrate , granular activated carbon , hermit crab , lawnmower blennie , pacific blue tang , percula clown , power head , protein skimmer , skunk cleaner shrimp , stony coral , stony corals , surface skimmer , turbo snail
 
Quick Reply
Reply:
Image Verification
Please enter the six letters or digits that appear in the image opposite.




Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Sitemap:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196
Sponsor Our Community

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:18 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Our lawyer tells us that, by pressing the "New Thread" or "New Reply" button, you acknowledge that the opinions and information expressed in your article are yours alone and not those of thereeftank.com, dba The Reef Tank. Further, you agree to indemnify The Reef Tank, its moderators, administrators and agents from any and all liability which may arise as a result of your article. (C)opyright 2006 TheReefTank.com
 
close
Sign up for free and join one of the largest communities of saltwater aquarists!
Our members will be glad to help you with anything you need!

Join over 30,000 TRT members!

Email

Email Confirm Email
Username
Password Confirm Password

I agree to the website rules