Surface film

[mdcorcoran]

I didn't want to hijack Amy's thread, but someone commented about how the powerheads were setup and how it could be disturbing the surface too much which can harm the tank.

I have a 55g w/ a AquaC Remora Pro and 2 seio 620s. I noticed that if I do not have my biowheel running, there is a film at the surface of the water. I assumed it to be undesirable, so i left the biowheel running (empty, occassionally carbon) because the film is absent when the biowheel is there. Should I have the film? What's the deal?

[TheReefer12]

I don't think the film is suppose to be there. I usually have extra flow towards the top just for that purpose. I believe the flow mixes that film in with the rest of the water and is eventually taken out by the skimmer or your bio wheel.

[ScruffyRubicon]

Is your tank "Reef Ready"? If it is, that film should be getting contantly removed at the overflow. If not, get more flow at the surface so your skimmer can get it.

[Fly Guy]

Surface film is bad. Stagnant filmy surface water makes for poor gas exchange. The comment that agitating the surface is hurting anything is false.

Good surface agitation and surface skimming is all positive.

[mdcorcoran]

not reef ready, everything is hang-on. i thought it was bad, thanks.

[JY13131]

What Did You Get!!!

[know-it-all]

you can get a surface extractor to skim the surface and feed it into your skimmer

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/...13892/cid/3869

[beach bum]

getting that stuff to your skimmer will make a nice difference for you, but for the gas exchange part of it, all you probably could need is being taken care of by your skimmer.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by know-it-all

you can get a surface extractor to skim the surface and feed it into your skimmer

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/...13892/cid/3869

This should help.

[crvz]

Originally Posted by mdcorcoran

I didn't want to hijack Amy's thread, but someone commented about how the powerheads were setup and how it could be disturbing the surface too much which can harm the tank.

I have a 55g w/ a AquaC Remora Pro and 2 seio 620s. I noticed that if I do not have my biowheel running, there is a film at the surface of the water. I assumed it to be undesirable, so i left the biowheel running (empty, occassionally carbon) because the film is absent when the biowheel is there. Should I have the film? What's the deal?

Hey mdcorcoran, I think I made that comment in Amy's thread. There's no way I'll be able to find my source here, but I was reading a thread regarding skimmer productivity (it could have been a Calfo thread on RC, but I'm uncertain). I would say you definitely don't want to allow a film to establish on the water surface; but at the same time, if you have an overflow or a surface skimmer, you don't want it to be so turbulent that the material that comes to the top does not have an opportunity to be removed. Again, just something I read that seems to be logical, and it also seems that there is kind of a fine line, as you don't want the surface to stagnate.

In your case, unless you have or get a surface skimmer, I wouldnt bother giving it another thought...

[Fly Guy]

Originally Posted by beach bum

but for the gas exchange part of it, all you probably could need is being taken care of by your skimmer.

Not to be argumentative, but test your ph and then put a glass or acrylic cover over your tank for a few hours. Then test your ph again.

[beach bum]

It's ok to be argumentative. But with a skimmer running full time, I don't think I would have a problem. The air/bubble surface area available, and degree of turbulence, in a skimmers reaction chamber at any one time is pretty sizeable.


edit - on a different tact, can you tell why there would not be any decent Co2 exchange in the reaction chamber?

[mdcorcoran]

I have 1/8" acrylic covers over my tank and the it is pretty warped especially at the corners, plus I have about 2 inches between the covers and the surface, so hopefully i'm getting enough gas exchange