Terrible Protein Film!

[WolfFisho1]

Well I finally got a canister filter on my planted tank instead of the HOB that used to be on it. It's an Eheim Classic rated for a 66 gallon tank, and the tank is a 30 gallon. I have the spray bar that returns the water at the bottom to keep it from agitating the the surface. Well I am noticing a very, very apparent protein film on the surface of the water! It is so think when I put my arm in the tank for a w/c it began to stick the hair on my arm! And while trying to break it up the bubbles that I made got stuck underneath and did pop for a few hours! And the 2 of my three corys died for an unknown reason which were healthy just a bit ago, and I am wondering if this protein film kept them from surfacing for air.

How do I remedy this? Or is this normal? Because this is my first time having a tank that couldn't have any or needed minimal surface agitation!

 

[johnptc]

can you use a skimmer ??

 

[oOMO3NOo]

well i dont know if this will help but do you have any water movement at all at the top or the tank? caz in my tank i have a powerhead that is right under the surface, this give alot of movement to the surface of that water you just dont want any tumbling water. so maybe you could try moving the spray bar to the top and have it blow downward but almost along the surface to get water movement up there just not any turbulance on the surface. hope that made since

 

[ar0wan]

I'm assuming you are injecting Co2, I have had an experience almost identical to yours. I freaked and did an emergency WC with the siphon very close to the surface of the water; it cleared the tank up completely however it does come back over time. I assume it's my DIY Co2 that is responsible, but the tank plants and fish are doing awesome! When I start to notice any film, I manually skim it off.

 

[amehel0]

some caniusters use suraface skimming try one of thoose!

 

[ar0wan]

 

[ar0wan]

and 2 weeks later

 

[WolfFisho1]

well i dont know if this will help but do you have any water movement at all at the top or the tank? caz in my tank i have a powerhead that is right under the surface, this give alot of movement to the surface of that water you just dont want any tumbling water. so maybe you could try moving the spray bar to the top and have it blow downward but almost along the surface to get water movement up there just not any turbulance on the surface. hope that made since

yeah that's what i was thinking of trying! there is a bit of movement because the spray puts so much water out it does move it a little bit. i wanted to see if there was any reason that it might be forming so fast and thick!?

I'm assuming you are injecting Co2, I have had an experience almost identical to yours. I freaked and did an emergency WC with the siphon very close to the surface of the water; it cleared the tank up completely however it does come back over time. I assume it's my DIY Co2 that is responsible, but the tank plants and fish are doing awesome! When I start to notice any film, I manually skim it off.

yes that's why i dont want the surface agitation. but i can't just siphon it out because i did that last week and this week it was back and just as bad! its so bad that when i drop in floating pellets they go through but then cant get back through it!

some caniusters use suraface skimming try one of thoose!

that would completely undermine the reason to have no surface agitation

 

[robroy]

use sheets of newspaper on the surface-as soon as its wet remove it and repeat. This gets rid of any film on the surface

 

[itzacraze]

ive had the same problem in a south american tank without anything besides driftwood... if anyone knows what its from please post