FishProfiles.com Message Forums |
| faq | etiquette | register | my account | search | mailbox |
 | Scum on the surface? |
Curare  Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004   | I'm noticing a whiteish film on the surface of my tank. It seems to cling together to cover the entire tank. I've been taking steps to clear the surface daily but I'm lost as to what it is. Any ideas? |
 Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 |       |
FRANK       Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002   | Hi, The oily scum is normal. It is the result of fish foods containing oils and the fish themselves. You can eliminate it, to a degree, by changing foods. To remove it, place a paper towel, flat, on the surface of the tank water. It will soak up the scum, and water and then lift the towel off the surface and discard it. Agitation, from airstones, and filter returns will keep it from collecting at the surface. Hope this helps... Frank  -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<-- |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
DaMossMan Fish Guru Piranha Bait Posts: 2511 Kudos: 2117 Votes: 359 Registered: 16-Nov-2003   | I had the same prob in my 10 gal fry tank and Frank is right. I had a corner filter in there with charcoal and floss. It did not provide enough surface agitation. And not enough bacterial aid to break down waste. Eventually it will affect water quality too. Use paper towels or a cup to 'syphon' it out. A penguin mini-filter with bio wheel killed that problem almost immediately. I left the corner filter in for a month to allow bacteria to build up in the new filter then removed it. The Amazon Nut... |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
jake Fish Addict Posts: 594 Kudos: 875 Votes: 2 Registered: 21-Mar-2004 | WHen doing water changes like with a python, just turn the tube upside-down, and lower it until water starts going in it...like a whirlpool. Works for duckweed also. Too easy. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| poisonwaffle Mega Fish Posts: 1397 Kudos: 591 Registered: 11-Feb-2003 | I just use a cup to get mine off when it forms. I've gotten it in all of my tanks...mainly in my 10g betta breeding tank from feeding high protien foods... I believe getting a protien skimmer will get rid of it too... |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| Curare Enthusiast Posts: 196 Kudos: 130 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2004 | The food eh?? I never thought of that. But yeah, I basically tried everything you said, I increased the surface agitation, and used the siphon (it's only a little tank) to suck te crap off the water surface. Thanks guys you've been most informative |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| DaMossMan Fish Guru Piranha Bait Posts: 2511 Kudos: 2117 Votes: 359 Registered: 16-Nov-2003 | Frank, why are you always right ? It gets darned annoying sometimes lol... In my previous post I mentioned my penguin cleaned it up. Well guess what, it came back. I checked the nitrates (10) and counted the otos and guppy fry (all there) so that leaves the 6 diff foods I ground into a powder for the fry. (cichlid flakes, shrimp pellets, guppy flakes, dried tubifex worms, unk pellets) I think its the tubifex worms (fat or oily) and the unk pellets. Time to make some new food, this time leaving out a couple ingredients. The Amazon Nut... |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
DarkRealm Overlord   Moderator metal-R-us Posts: 5962 Kudos: 2166 Registered: 23-Sep-2002 | I believe getting a protien skimmer will get rid of it too... Not unless your FW tank has very very hard water! A surface skimmer attachment on a cannister filter would work well though. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| jungle labyrinth Fingerling Posts: 21 Kudos: 24 Votes: 0 Registered: 25-Jul-2004  | The surface skimmer is only 100% way. I'm not sure how often this is oil and how often some algae(blue green?). If you can suck water from the surface to a bottle and it's green it should be some algae. Whatever it is i have found that bigger gouramies(ie. blue and pearl) will eat it away, probably no matter what is causing it. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| poisonwaffle Mega Fish Posts: 1397 Kudos: 591 Registered: 11-Feb-2003 | I wasn't sure...that's why I said "I BELIEVE..."  I might want to invest in a surface skimmer if/when I get a cannister... |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 | |
| pitbullriot Fingerling Posts: 40 Kudos: 34 Votes: 0 Registered: 06-Aug-2004  | I haven't tried this, but I've heard that you can use a piece of pvc pipe around your filter. The concept of the filter sucking water from the top sounds like it would work, but I'm not sure if it is safe for the fish. |
| Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:19 |  |
 | |
| Jump to: |
The views expressed on this page are the implied opinions of their respective authors.
Under no circumstances do the comments on this page represent the opinions of the staff of FishProfiles.com.
FishProfiles.com Forums, version 11.0
Mazeguy Smilies