Scum on top of water

[mitsurs01]

Is there any way of getting rid of the scum on top of the water without having a sump with a sock filter?

[Copperhead1]

Can you point a powerhead at the top to try & agitaite the top of the water?

[indydog1]

turn up the flow. you will need to break the surface of the water more.

and a good protein skimmer

[uncleof6]

This is what an overflow is for. To skim the surface of the water. Breaking the surface of the water will not get rid of it. What factors influence getting it out? Flow rate, and length of the overflow (weir.) The longer the weir, the faster the "surface scum" (dissolved organics) will be removed. You can run a higher flow rate, with a longer weir, however, if the weir is relatively small like too many corner overflows with teeth etc, are horribly inefficient, and draw more subsurface water than surface water. Water going over the weir in a thin sheet is the most efficient. So turning up the flow, may not necessarily help. The thin sheet going over the weir allows the skimmer to do its job more effectively.

OP: A filter sock will not eliminate or even have a small affect on the surface scum, as the molecules are too small for mechanical removal (other than by foam fractionation.)

Jim

[Indymann99]

Depending on your drain system and your weir (usually overflow with teeth), you need to make sure the water "falls" into the overflow. If I have my water level to high IN the overflow the surface will not skim. I have my drain setup (Herbie) so that the water falls about 1-2 inches inside the overflow. This keeps it quiet and promotes good surface skimming.

My 0.02

[gonzapa]

I got a koralia 4 pointing straight up and the film is still there.. Any advice?

[jherrin215]

Read the 2 posts straight above yours!

[insane]

Any piece of equipment that uses a surface skimmer will pull it off. If you use a HOB protein skimmer such as a CPR Bakpak, you can get a skimmer box for it. I think one of the Prism protein skimmers uses a surface skimmer as well.

What type of protein skimmer are you using?

[Harpo1966]

+1 on the skimmer with the overflow box with good surface agitation should take care of it.

David

[kcbonsai_matt]

Add a skimmer! Even a hang on back variety will help break up the surface.

[jhoff]

You could also try one of these
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215112/product.web

[yourbedormine18]

if you are seeing a film on the top of your water more circulation is most likely your problem.

Do you have any power heads in your tank ?

[uncleof6]

Originally Posted by jhoff

You could also try one of these
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215112/product.web

This is a non-useful item that would just be a waste of money, and will not accomplish the required task. A weir is required to skim the surface water out of the tank efficiently. A weir is a "low dam," that sets the water level in the tank, and allows water to overflow in a thin sheet.

Jim

[uncleof6]

Originally Posted by yourbedormine18

if you are seeing a film on the top of your water more circulation is most likely your problem.

Do you have any power heads in your tank ?

Circulation is not the issue here. Circulation and surface agitation are necessary for gas exchange, however this has no affect on the dissolved organic film at the water surface. These organics must be removed from the tank via an overflow, to be processed by the skimmer. Inefficient surface skimming, and low flow rate through the sump, lead to a persistent surface film that interferes with gas exchange. It also reduces the effectiveness of the 'protein skimmer.'

Jim

[mitsurs01]

I am sumpless though. That is why I asked the question. Is there anything to do without having a sump. I do have a skimmer and 2 koralia 3 and 2 koralia 2 heads, so I don't think flow is the issue.

[uncleof6]

Well you need to improve the surface skimming associated with the skimmer then. You have good circulation, but poor flow--if that makes sense. (Circulation mixes things up, flow gets the junk out of the tank for processing) *OR* your skimmer just is not working very well. Most HOB skimmers draw water from too far below the surface, to deal with the surface scum. If the pump for the skimmer is in the tank, you could try an overflow box around the pump......

Jim

[ludnix]

For a temporary solution you can throw a paper towel flat on the water's surface. The gunk will cling to it and you can then remove it.

[jason2459]

Originally Posted by jhoff

You could also try one of these
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/215112/product.web

Originally Posted by uncleof6

This is a non-useful item that would just be a waste of money, and will not accomplish the required task. A weir is required to skim the surface water out of the tank efficiently. A weir is a "low dam," that sets the water level in the tank, and allows water to overflow in a thin sheet.

Jim

I have to say that product works great on my tank. I don't have a sump so I don't have a "weir." I was able to get rid of the majority of the surface scum before with my powerheads aggitating the surface. I just recently reduced the number of powerheads in my system and got that surface skimmer linked above and attached it to my skimmer. It has been working great and I have had 0 surface scum since attaching it.

[thebanker]

Originally Posted by uncleof6

This is a non-useful item that would just be a waste of money, and will not accomplish the required task. A weir is required to skim the surface water out of the tank efficiently. A weir is a "low dam," that sets the water level in the tank, and allows water to overflow in a thin sheet.

Jim

I beg to differ wholeheartedly on this point. I've been using one of these for several months and the surface of my water is crystal clear and scum free. These are made by Tom Aquatics, and for the $10 cost, it has done wonders for my tank's surface. ZERO scum, and it's easy to maintain.

Good buy, and very useful.

[Juruense]

Originally Posted by uncleof6

This is a non-useful item that would just be a waste of money, and will not accomplish the required task. A weir is required to skim the surface water out of the tank efficiently. A weir is a "low dam," that sets the water level in the tank, and allows water to overflow in a thin sheet.

Jim

Hold on a second! When used as the intake for a hang on tank protein skimmer that will be highly effective!

[jason2459]

Originally Posted by Juruense

Hold on a second! When used as the intake for a hang on tank protein skimmer that will be highly effective!

I guess on a 250g tank just one of those guys wouldn't do much. On a smaller tank with out a sump they are perfect.