Oil floating on top

[chap]

I have what looks like oil floating on the top of my tank. I do water changes, had a auto feeder on last weekend and also switched foods. What is this and how do I remove it, it disperses easily

 

[Jeff Hood]

Get a filter or overflow that skims the surface. That is normal and most of us use some type of surface skimmer. If you have one then you need to redirect your pump outputs to let that oil slick head to your surface skimmer.

Jeff

 

[esmithiii]

Do you have an overflow that feed a sump?

Ernie

 

[Anonymous]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by chap:
<STRONG>I have what looks like oil floating on the top of my tank. I do water changes, had a auto feeder on last weekend and also switched foods. What is this and how do I remove it, it disperses easily</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


It's the gunk that likes to hang out at the water/air interface. A protein skimmer removes such gunk from your system by making a large amount of such an interface (on lots of air bubbles), and collecting the concentrated gunk.

I agree, if you have your flow return to a sump, let the outgoing flow be drawn from the surface of the tank water.

[ July 28, 2001: Message edited by: Cheese Sandwich ]

 

[bowfront]

The surface scum is common. You'll need some form of surface skimmer to get rid of it.

 

[Grumpy Vet]

I also had this - and yes - I had a skimmer and an overflow...

MY problem was that I had my return from my overlow all slowed down w/ too small a pump - too many elbows on my return to sump and the return buried under too much water in the pump.

Make the flow from your overflow to your sump as straight as possible and get those powerheads up to the top of the tank to agitate the surface (this helped too)...

I have no more scum.....

GV

 

[Nathan1]

I don't know if you tried feeding squid, but every time I do, the water surface gets oily. Skim, skim, skim, skim...

-Nathan