Film on water Surface

[Dono]

Tank Parameters:

Tank running for: 2.5 weeks
Rock: 80lbs of Dry (MarcoRock) and 20 lbs of Haitian LR
Gallons: 75 (4' L) (25gal sump)
PH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5-10ppm
Water: RO/DI water (Salinity at 1.025)

I'm running two 14000 gph powerheads, both are creating agitation on the surface, and I'm using a Reef Octopus in sump needle wheel 6 skimmer. Even with all of this I'm getting a light film on part of the surface.

Here is a picture of my setup, but it's about a week old so I've made some changes. I've moved the left powerhead to the wall and pointed it around the rock and it helped a lot with the circulation, and I've also moved the rocks that are sitting on the sand bed in the center to the sides and filled in some of the rocks.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6578/dsc0078s.jpg

All help will be appreciated.

[TellyFish]

What type of return pump are you running? Surface skimming from the overflow is the best way to eliminate any surface film.

[Dono]

What type of return pump are you running? Surface skimming from the overflow is the best way to eliminate any surface film.


I have a Mag7 return pump. I'm pretty sure it's my positioning of my powerheads I need to workout. Have my overflow left of center makes it a little difficult to get my left powerhead positioned properly.

I don't know what else could cause this. The clouding is not bad yet and I am obviously still cycling (or at least playing it safe if I've completed it), would it be bad to add a small 400-600gph powerhead? I feel like I already have enough flow (40-45x).

[Mike Ordner]

If the live rock you have in there is still releasing lots of organics (from dead stuff in the rock) then this could be forming a oil-like film on the surface and should go away as your tank settles in. Give it more time, with surface skimming and your protein skimmer you should be good to go. Looks like you have plenty of water circulation.

[SuperNemo]

yes, move the powerheads and point them towards the overflow. this will help eliminate the film.

[eja99]

yes, move the powerheads and point them towards the overflow. this will help eliminate the film.

+1.

I had film on the surface of my water until I angled a power head upward. If you agitate the surface, the film/slim will go away.

[Sport507]

I had that for probably a month to 6 weeks. Mine came when I added the sand bed around the liverock the first week. I think the sand was outgasing and releasing tiny particales of calcium carbonate in the water column. It will clear up in time. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, just takes time for it all to come together and the sand to cure as well as everything else.

[heckfire]

i was having the same problem,, the powerheads were just pushing it around, what i did was run a piece of tubing down my fuge/sump intake line ,,,the siphon pulls water/air through it .. the tube intake sits half in the water and half out,, it makes a slight buzzing sound put it pulls all surface scum down into the fuge

[Dono]

Thanks for the input everyone. I worked the powerheada around and got some good angles to knock out deadspots for water flow and get some more surface contact. From what I've observed over the past few hours is the film starting to subside.

Not to mention I do still have some very light die-off from the rock. How a few hermit crabs and snails in there to help clean up some of the rock. Water parameters are looking great as well.

Oh and I cleaned my filter sock for the first time ;) that helped too