how do you keep water surface clean?

[bigsky]

I have a 40 long tank with 4" of sand and 30 lbs of rock.
I use a marineland 350 canister filter with floss and charcoal, a seaclone 100 protein skimmer and three maxi-jet 600 power heads with one hydor-flo.

Problem is, when you look up to the surface of the water it looks like it is covered with dust. I assume it is dead bacteria.

How do you go about keeping the surface of the water clean? It is probably blocking some of my light, and is ugly.

 

[elke]

one way would be a surface skimmer and then there is the way i do it just aim a powerhead towards the surface and move the water on the top and you get the wonderful ripple effect in the water if you have moon lights

 

[Civicman86]

one way would be a surface skimmer and then there is the way i do it just aim a powerhead towards the surface and move the water on the top and you get the wonderful ripple effect in the water if you have moon lights

I love that effect. I almost like the lights off more than I do on lol.

 

[JG]

Yep - powerhead across the top. Not only pretty ripples, but agitates the surface and allows more oxygen to be dissolved.

 

[MT79]

I assume it is dead bacteria.

Excessive DOC's cause the film your seeing.

It is probably blocking some of my light, and is ugly.

Your right on both points As mentioned aiming a power head at the surface will help. Regular PWC's, good feeding habits, running GAC, and a good skimmer will prevent this from happening.

 

[i have crabs]

seems you cant get rid of it no matter how much water i scoop off the top my prizm skimmer i have on 1 tank deals with it preaty good the power heads pointed at the surface helps but it just builds up in 1 or 2 corners tanks with overflows in the corners are always clean from the water flowing off the top into the sump

 

[flamingonhot]

Basicly what i do is change a lot of the water and run pumos and what not.

 

[bigsky]

Ok, what I did was raise the powerheads up higher because they were already pointing at the surface and nothing happened it would make a clean circle where the current hit but that was it so next day removed the magnum 350 canister (it's return hose is beneath the waterline) and installed two penguin 170 hang on back filters that I had laying around they pour the water back in onto the surface. about 3 hours later-clean water surface.

Thanks for getting me to think in the right direction.

 

[malkore]

I added an AquaClear mini, with 1 sponge. it knocks the surface scum into the water, where my skimmer collects it.