More surface agitation as has been mentioned will probably fix this. Also another cause that I have heard about is spraying aerosal cans of some sort in the same room to cause this film...probably not but just another cause.
Film on water
- Thread starter HokieFish
- Start date
Good thought about the aerosols, but we only use those in the bathroom, and even then i doubt they are contributing, but thanks for the thought. I could see how that could contribute in some cases.
We'll see what happens. More filtration, redirected water flow, and the skimmer should definitely make this a non-issue moving forward.
We'll see what happens. More filtration, redirected water flow, and the skimmer should definitely make this a non-issue moving forward.
problem solved for sure! surface skimmer will solve any scum problem. but if you feed pellets you get alot in your filter if your not carefull
Yeah, i'm pretty careful when i feed my FH. I only put as much in there as he will immediately eat (I hate seeing food floating around), but i feed him multiple times per night.
I've had films form in a 55 gallon tank with 4 sponge filters running bubblers. Film on a tank especially a seasoned one means IMHO under filtration. Especially if you see it come back. If you angle a filter return back up so its moving surface water a little(not making bubbles necessarily) and the film persists then it is DEFINITELY a filter shortfall. I feed my tanks plenty of oily foods and only ones that are overloaded get films after feeding that last more than 30 mins. The water change might have averted a tragedy since I've had a oily film prelude a ammonia spike. That skimmer and another filter should do you fine.
I never really saw a spike in any of the params, but I'm sure underfiltration was definitely a contributing factor, along with the direction of the flow. All of the upgrades and adjustments will fix the problem and I'll be back to pristine polished water.
The film is due too excess proteins/organics in the water. This is a common problem in planted tanks, which have better water quality than a fish-only tank. So it's definitely not a filter problem.
I agree with this person. I have been following this thread, I am having the same problem in one of my planted tanks - was hoping a solution would come out of this.
My 125g is planted w/CO2 and has 2 XP3 and a DIY CO2 reactor running it. Stock is 50 cardinal tetras, 3 cory cats, 2 BN plecos and RCS, so I HIGHLY doubt the issue is caused by under filtration/massive bio-load. I have been trying different things to try and fix it - so far dosing less iron has had the best results.
Hope this thread helps out Emily. There has been a lot of good advice and suggestions (a lot more thank I was expecting)
When my old 55 gal was planted I had a slight film (comparable to what I saw in the new 150), but I just skimmed it off during my tri-weekly water changes. I had Cardinals, Corys, Ottos, Pitbull plecos, Bamboo Shrimp, and a few others in mine. It was easier to skim off when i had half the surface area.
I agree that the bioload isn't to blame since there is only the 4 fish in the tank right now, and I would have expected planaria to show up if the bioload was suspect or there was waste in the tank. That being said Right now the tank is moving 800gph, which is lower than I like however. (I hadn't planned on a 150gal tank when purchasing my filters, a 90 was what i was looking for but the deal was too good on the 150 to pass it up) It will be moving 1050gph once I've installed the new filter I picked up today.
As far as the skimmer goes, I'm thinking about placing it in the center of the tank. Is that where you guys would put it, or should it be to one side or the other? I guess it really depends on the surface circulation.
When my old 55 gal was planted I had a slight film (comparable to what I saw in the new 150), but I just skimmed it off during my tri-weekly water changes. I had Cardinals, Corys, Ottos, Pitbull plecos, Bamboo Shrimp, and a few others in mine. It was easier to skim off when i had half the surface area.
I agree that the bioload isn't to blame since there is only the 4 fish in the tank right now, and I would have expected planaria to show up if the bioload was suspect or there was waste in the tank. That being said Right now the tank is moving 800gph, which is lower than I like however. (I hadn't planned on a 150gal tank when purchasing my filters, a 90 was what i was looking for but the deal was too good on the 150 to pass it up) It will be moving 1050gph once I've installed the new filter I picked up today.
As far as the skimmer goes, I'm thinking about placing it in the center of the tank. Is that where you guys would put it, or should it be to one side or the other? I guess it really depends on the surface circulation.
