Film on surface of water

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chimmike

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
56
Location
Parrish, FL
My tank has been up for about a week. Ammonia and nitrite are at 0, nitrates are 10-20ppm, running submersible filter system, and I've got a strange like film on the surface of the water.

Don't have a powerhead, and will be doing a fuge here in a couple of weeks.

All levels look to be good, and my green chromis is great as are the hermits. any ideas?

oh, 30g w/30# cured LR and 40# live sand.
 
DOCs and possibly oils from your hands/arms. That's one of the reasons for having a powehead pointing towards the surface to ripple the surface. DOCs or any surface film prevent the proper gas exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide from taking place. This lowers the oxygen the level in the aquarium and lowers the pH (from increased CO2).

A skimmer is used to remove the DOC's.
 
I have a ph pointing at the surface of my tank. Clears up that oily substance
 
Yes for now get a PH and point it at the surface but in the long run a skimmer will be better.
 
The PH pointing to the surface is something you want to do regardless of the surface scum, for proper aeration. The additional thing that you can do that will help is to get one of these...

Aquarium Surface Skimmer

... and hook it up to your submersible filter. That way you'll pull water from both the surface and from under the surface.
 
I'll be setting up a fuge in the next couple of weeks but my buddy has a PH I can borrow, albeit a super powerful one.

unfortunately, my current submersible filter doesn't have an intake as that skimmer utilizes.
 
You can buy a kit that will pull water from the surface or you can make one yourself. I did that for my 5g nano. I had a simple HOB filter that had nothing it it and I used PVC to make a surface skimmer it worked out pretty well.

When you add your fuge are you going to add an overflow or just a HOB fuge?
 
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