'oil slick' on water surface?

[Anonymous]

any idea what this is and what it's from? it's like a thin film on the surface of the water. i'm really careful about not putting my hands in the tank if they are dirty. but i can't for the life of me figure out what caused this. my skimmer hasn't been working very well lately either. could this be the problem? i took it apart and cleaned the heck out of it but... any advice on how to clean this mess? everthing looks great otherwise.

 

[olgakurt]

It is a bio-film. If you're having trouble with your skimmer, point a powerhead at the surface until you see it well agitated. Freeing the surface of the skim helps aid exchange of oxygen into the water.
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[Anonymous]

ok, thanks olga. i have 2 ph's pointing at the surface.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
Check to see if there is a broken oil tanker in your aquarium... :wink:

Seriously, surface skimming/agitation and efficient skimmer will help this biofilm problem. Basically it is a hydrophobic end products of decomposition of fish food/additive/livestocks.

 

[Anonymous]

Your question has been answered. So now it is time to start some detective work. 8O

Who spilled what in Ms. Corals tank?

Suspect #1- The old hag slipped the tank the ole mickey! :lol:

Suspect #2 -....

 

[Anonymous]

thanks, 7. not sure what to do about the skimmer... it's not very old. it's a remora pro (HOT) with MJ 1200 pump.

 

[Anonymous]

Your question has been answered. So now it is time to start some detective work. 8O

Who spilled what in Ms. Corals tank?

Suspect #1- The old hag slipped the tank the ole mickey! :lol:

Suspect #2 -....

8O

oh, oh... i think my thread is being hijacked.

 

[olgakurt]

Did you clean the pump/impeller well when you were cleaning the skimmer?
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[ErikS]

Seriously, surface skimming

That's the key, do you have the "skimmer" box for the Remora? If not that may be the answer. I had a HOT skimmer & even when it worked I still had a film, surface skimming (in my case an overflow w/ skimmer in sump) made all the difference.

 

[Anonymous]

Did you clean the pump/impeller well when you were cleaning the skimmer?

yes. i always do when i clean the pumps.

 

[olgakurt]

If the surface is well agitated, you don't really need to get a surface skimmer. It would help, but probably not significantly.
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[Anonymous]

Seriously, surface skimming

That's the key, do you have the "skimmer" box for the Remora? If not that may be the answer. I had a HOT skimmer & even when it worked I still had a film, surface skimming (in my case an overflow w/ skimmer in sump) made all the difference.

don't think i have a skimmer box. i will be adding a sump in the next week or so though! my lfs guy is making my overflow and will set it up for me. part of the deal we have in trade for designing his site. maybe that will help.

 

[O P Ing]

hi.
Just put a couple drops of Dove dish washing liquid, and the oil slick will go away immediately... :wink:

I have a Remova Pro (with Mag 3 pump) too. Once the sump is setup, the overflow box will help this quite a bit because of surface skimming.

 

[mab]

Actually, the best solution is to create a small water fountain effect in the tank where water from a return will fall from a couple of inches or so above the water surface and into the water. This will get rid of all your surface gunk inside of a few hours never to return again. Don't ask me how this works, it just does. Good luck!

 

[Anonymous]

well, whatever it is i can tell you that we who are "in the know" on the subject of cookery can tell you, unequivocally, that oil or fat makes foam fail.

 

[SPC]

not sure what to do about the skimmer... it's not very old.

8O :roll: :roll: .

BTW, the overflow and sump will eliminate the surface oil problem.
As far as the skimmer goes :roll: .
Steve

 

[O P Ing]

we who are "in the know" on the subject of cookery can tell you, ...that oil or fat makes foam fail.

hi.
Please explain this, Miss Orange...
bye -ck-

 

[Anonymous]

hhmm...i'm missing my personal food expert, or i'd go into the actual molecular structure of fats and how they cause foaming to fail.

but! i can give you one very good example, mr. pea. and that is with egg whites. when hoping to whip whites into a frothy foam, or even a good meringue, one must begin with impeccably clean bowl and beaters. not a spot of grease may be tolerated, for any small bit will not allow the whites to hold their bubbles (pardon ME!). when separating the whites from the yolks, one also MUST be certain that not one bit of yolk is allowed to remain in the whites one wishes to whip.

hhhhmmm....where's alton brown and crew when ya need him??

 

[MarkO1]

FWIW. I removed the pvc (rubber) weir thing from my corner overflow which caused much more surface water to overflow into the sump. I was experiencing the same problem prior to it's removal.
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[Anonymous]

ok, i thought i knew most netbreviations, but, for the LIFE of me, i can't remember/figure out what FWIW stands for. a little help, please?