2 different questions... Oily Water surface and blue tang diet

[dcc]

1) We have (had?) a peanut worm hitchhiker. About a week ago he came out of the Rock and was hanging out under its ledge. A couple days ago I am pretty sure we lost him. His body was loose, blowing in the current and looked like a sloshy bag. I was headed to work and intended to pull the body after work. However, it disappeared. There's not much in there that could eat him, a small Crimson crab, a blue tang, a clown and a dragon goby. Last night I noticed the surface of the water looks oily. I was hoping it would clear but it hasn't much. Is it probable this his body is disintegrating and causing the oily film?

Second question is about our blue tang. We've had it a few weeks and it was eating a veggie based pellet. We also have flakes for the clown which the tang has decided it likes better and is no longer touching the pellets. I'm concerned about its nutritional needs and what else I can supplement its diet with. Ive read blanched broccoli may be a good idea but would like some additional ideas if possible. Thanks in advance!

 

[lmforbis]

Dried sheets of seaweed clipped to the side of the tank. In my experience tangs love the red seaweed.

 

[flower]

1) We have (had?) a peanut worm hitchhiker. About a week ago he came out of the Rock and was hanging out under its ledge. A couple days ago I am pretty sure we lost him. His body was loose, blowing in the current and looked like a sloshy bag. I was headed to work and intended to pull the body after work. However, it disappeared. There's not much in there that could eat him, a small Crimson crab, a blue tang, a clown and a dragon goby. Last night I noticed the surface of the water looks oily. I was hoping it would clear but it hasn't much. Is it probable this his body is disintegrating and causing the oily film?

Second question is about our blue tang. We've had it a few weeks and it was eating a veggie based pellet. We also have flakes for the clown which the tang has decided it likes better and is no longer touching the pellets. I'm concerned about its nutritional needs and what else I can supplement its diet with. Ive read blanched broccoli may be a good idea but would like some additional ideas if possible. Thanks in advance!

Hi,

Oily looking film on the water surface means you don't have good water flow churning the surface. Point a power head toward the surface to get rid of it... A spray-bar is the best thing. I rigged one using a power head and attached a piece of PVC, capped it and drilled a few holes, it made the power head into an awesome spray-bar to move the entire surface of the water.

 

[dcc]

Hi,

Oily looking film on the water surface means you don't have good water flow churning the surface. Point a power head toward the surface to get rid of it... A spray-bar is the best thing. I rigged one using a power head and attached a piece of PVC, capped it and drilled a few holes, it made the power head into an awesome spray-bar to move the entire surface of the water.

Thank you. We seem to have really good water flow at the surface, lots of movement. I can see where it breaks up the film for half the surface lengthwise. I'll talk to my spouse about rigging something with a little more coverage. Curious as to what causes it, since it just started last night. The tank has been set up for about 2 months now.

Dried sheets of seaweed clipped to the side of the tank. In my experience tangs love the red seaweed.

Thanks! Will see what the LFS has.

 

[flower]

Thank you. We seem to have really good water flow at the surface, lots of movement. I can see where it breaks up the film for half the surface lengthwise. I'll talk to my spouse about rigging something with a little more coverage. Curious as to what causes it, since it just started last night. The tank has been set up for about 2 months now.

Hi,

New tanks go through all kinds of changes the first year. Do you have a skimmer? The film is I THINK algae, a natural part of the little eco system, as the tank matures, tiny living things grow. A SW tank is alive on all levels, and constantly changes. The surface of your water should look like it's boiling, you really want to agitate that surface, it's what sends oxygen to the rest of the tank.

 

[bang guy]

An oily surface could mean that your protein skimmer isn't operating at its best efficiency.

 

[mandy111]

Oily film can be proteins not being skimmed efficiently. Increase surface movement. And make sure skimmer is working 100%.

 

[mandy111]

Tangs love seaweed/nori and macro out the sump.