Is this normal?

[tazsbaby99]

I have a 12g nano, that has been set up since first of aug but took everything from my 29g that has been set up since first of july.
All my levels are good
but the surface of my water has a brown residue on it and i have little bugs crawling around on the sand.
The only things i have in my tank are 5 hermit crabs and 3 turbo snails. I just got the snails 10 days ago.
Its about time for a water change, will this clear up the film off the top of the water?
Thanks for any help given.

 

[teviesfish]

the brown residue on your sand sounds like diatoms and that is normal. Make sure its not left over uneaten food if in fact you are feeding your cleaner crew.Not sure on the bugs and i havent ever had them. I practice a water change once a week.. 10% at least in all three of my tanks. its a good practice to start and will go a long ways to keeping your tank clean

 

[dragonladylea]

Sounds like you need a skimmer to clear up the surface of your water, the bugs are probably pods. How often do you do a water change and are you using ro/di water? You should be doing a minimum of 10% water change with ro/di every week to maintain a healthy tank.