I've noticed over the last 3 months or so that the surface of my water is quite nasty. I do a weekly water change of about 20%. When doing so, I use a good sized bowl to skim the surface, removing the vast majority of it. By the time the following week comes around the surface is, again, quite covered with a soupy mix of gunk. I have no idea what it is. I feed spectrum pellets and nori flakes, alternating the two daily. Is this normal? Am I missing something?
Surface Scum
- Thread starter Foody
- Start date
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
sounds like you're missing a surface skimming overflow box.
Think: swimming pools. 99% of the gunk floats at the air/water interface. That's why pools have a an overflow box / prefilter.
blanden.adam
Team RC
What's your setup? Sounds like you might be able to benefit from a change to a Overflow/Sump/Skimmer/Return setup.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
can you shut off the intake from below surface so ALL water is drawn from surface? Eheim used to market a device called the "Surface Extractor".
(When all is said and done, you can't beat a surface skimming overflow box.)
(When all is said and done, you can't beat a surface skimming overflow box.)
I would LOVE to move to an overflow with sump situation but it's a bit cost prohibitive at this time. The only way I could do this would be to put it all in the basement. The pump alone would cost $220. Altogether I can't see it for less than $600, not to mention I don't have the expertise to do it and would need help. I have considered Gary's suggestion. I'm not altogether certain how I would go about it yet short of simply removing the lower intake and sealing it with duct tape or a cork trimmed to size. Any suggestions on how to seal off the lower water intake?
cardiffgiant
Active member
Have you cleaned the canister recently? I haven't used one in a long time, but I remember that I would get a lot of film on the surface when it was ready to be changed.
The basement sump isn't that hard to set up and I've seen a lot of used pumps go for under $150 on the main forum.
Steve Canyon
New member
I had similar issues with surface scum until I directed powerheads up to create fairly significant surface turbulance.
I have 2 powerheads in my tank, one on each end, both pointed toward the surface. As for the previous suggestion re: a dirty canister filter, I clean it faithfully once per month, swishing the parts in the "dirty" water to remove solids, before re-assembling.
Pump, $150, Skimmer, $200, Overflow box, $75, etc., etc....and, once again, I don't have the knowledge of how to put it all together anyway.
The surface acts like a skimmer ;molecules that have amphipathic polarity ( one side liking water and the other reppled by it )gather there along withsome hydrophobic molecules. I see some surface scum once in awhile on the softie tank I run with just a canister filter. Usually adjusting the intake to insure more water goes in at the top than the bottom helps clear it up . Sometimes a little algae grows in the surface input and needs clearing to enhance surface skim. A power head htting the surface helps a little too.
To get it out you can blot the surface with a paper towel or better siphon it.
To get it out you can blot the surface with a paper towel or better siphon it.
cardiffgiant
Active member
That's what I meant when I said that it isn't that hard to set up. The knowledge part is what this place is for
Seriously, if you want a hand planning it and staging what you'll do, more than one of us would be willing to help. It sounds like you're doing everything that you can do with the surface agitation, canister maintenance, and using spectrum (pretty "clean" pellet, in my experience). Is it worse after adding nori? I wonder if changing brands might help.
A few more thoughts:
A chunk of nori can float into a small surface skimmer apparatus and clog it, sometimes.
Letting the water level drop form evaporation can minimize the effectiveness of the surface intake .
A used small inexpensive hang on the back skimmer with a surface intake may be of use to get a little more off the surface; since you don't plan a sump.
The system you have will likely always have high organics and a little surface scum from time to time . Higher organics/skimmerless or almost skimmerless are good for some leathers, mushrooms and other soft corals but not more sensitive stony corals, ime. Zoanthus don't like them either.
In your set up you need to draw more water off the surface as Gary originally noted and the problem will go away. That works for me on the system I run on an old time fluval 404 with the surface skim attachment.
A chunk of nori can float into a small surface skimmer apparatus and clog it, sometimes.
Letting the water level drop form evaporation can minimize the effectiveness of the surface intake .
A used small inexpensive hang on the back skimmer with a surface intake may be of use to get a little more off the surface; since you don't plan a sump.
The system you have will likely always have high organics and a little surface scum from time to time . Higher organics/skimmerless or almost skimmerless are good for some leathers, mushrooms and other soft corals but not more sensitive stony corals, ime. Zoanthus don't like them either.
In your set up you need to draw more water off the surface as Gary originally noted and the problem will go away. That works for me on the system I run on an old time fluval 404 with the surface skim attachment.
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blanden.adam
Team RC
Here's a thought. Why not install an acryllic overflow box but without drilling a hole, sit your backpack intake into the box, and run the output back into the tank outside the overflow box. That way the only stuff your skimmer sees came off the surface, and you can do it for minimal cost and space. It's the same idea as a sump, except in this case your overflow box would function as your whole "sump". You'd just have to be extra careful about your top off level as you wouldn't have much volume to play with. Not ideal but it might get the job done. IDK much about HOB skimmers, so there may be a ready made attachment for them or an easier way to mod them to accomplish the same thing, like the "surface intake" Tom spoke about. Just tossin it out there.
jimmy_beaner
New member
I notice I get some surface build up every once in awhile... I pull the top "U" tube to my drain and it pulls just from the surface and within 30 minutes it's all clean... but it doesn't sound like you have this as an option. I have noticed pointing powerheads toward the surface to create a lot of surface agitation has helped as well.
I use one of these on my canister intake. I've used it for years works well:
http://www.marinedepot.com/Tom_Aqua...essories-Tom_Aquatics-OE1138-FIFRFASE-vi.html
http://www.marinedepot.com/Tom_Aqua...essories-Tom_Aquatics-OE1138-FIFRFASE-vi.html
The red sea prism skimmer I use has a surface intake but if it didn't I'd fit a Tom's surface attachment to it as well.
When the canister surface intake gets clogged usually with a chunk of nori or starts drawing air for a lack of top off, it only functions from the bottom and that is when I get the buildup of surface scum .even when the skimmer surface intake is still working. I think the canister just draws more and keeps the scum out once it does.
When the canister surface intake gets clogged usually with a chunk of nori or starts drawing air for a lack of top off, it only functions from the bottom and that is when I get the buildup of surface scum .even when the skimmer surface intake is still working. I think the canister just draws more and keeps the scum out once it does.
