Protein Skimmer trouble?

[emhcee]

Hi all,
In the last few days I've begun to notice a sortof 'film' developing on the surface of the water... not sure what it is. I can see that my skimmer has great flow down into the tube and a good vortex up the middle, but not much is collecting (if at all) up in the reservoir. I just figured it was because my water's in such great shape!
Any ideas on the film? I certainly don't over feed these guys... and nothings been added for months.
Thanks-

 

[scsinet]

Scum on the surface of a tank is completely normal and must be addressed with some means of skimming the surface of the water. An overflow, a standpipe, etc are all ways to accomplish this. Another way is to keep a powerhead or inflow pointed up at the surface to help mix it all up.
As for your skimmer, failure to produce much product isn't of big concern. My reef tank's skimmer only needs to be emptied every few weeks, but that's because it's a 55 gallon tank with four small fish in it. Fish and feedings are what primarily create your dissolved organic compounds (DOCs), which is what skimmers remove.
If you are conciencious and sparsely populate and feed sparingly, then little skimmer waste is to be expected.

 

[emhcee]

Thanks! Very helpful, I'll direct some water flow up that way.