What is that White film ???
- Thread starter ballyhoo
- Start date
T
tizzo
Guest
GregM is definately right. You need to agitate the surface of your water... That's how your tank gets oxygen...
As for the white stuff on the surface, that is fish wastes and proteins. Since you have it it usually means one of...well a few things...
1. You don't have a protein skimmer
2. Your protein skimmer isn't working right
3. It's not big enough for your size tank
4. It's taking in water to far below the surface
etc...
As for the white stuff on the surface, that is fish wastes and proteins. Since you have it it usually means one of...well a few things...
1. You don't have a protein skimmer
2. Your protein skimmer isn't working right
3. It's not big enough for your size tank
4. It's taking in water to far below the surface
etc...
ballyhoo
Member
I do have a protein skimmer. It's a seaclone 100 in the sump of my wet dry, It removes green/blackish smelly water
I have a maxijet 1200 towards the surface.
Now the area where the jet blows the water is obviously clear.
with my sump and my jet I turn my tank over about 20x.
Oh I have a 30g tank, what else can I do?
How should I position the return from the sump and the jet? I have my tank drilled so all I have is a PVC that comes up with a mesh just under my water line for my wet/dry.
I have a maxijet 1200 towards the surface.
Now the area where the jet blows the water is obviously clear.
with my sump and my jet I turn my tank over about 20x.
Oh I have a 30g tank, what else can I do?
How should I position the return from the sump and the jet? I have my tank drilled so all I have is a PVC that comes up with a mesh just under my water line for my wet/dry.
T
tizzo
Guest
If your skimmer is working well, and with the seaclone, sometimes they do sometimes they don't. But if yours is working well then we can look at some other causes. Are you adding buffer or kalk to your tank?? And how many and what kinda fish do you have??
ballyhoo
Member
I'm using purple up every other day which is a Calcium and Iodine supplement.
I have 3 Chromis
2 pec Clowns
1 watchman goby
My Calcium level is at 380
I only have 1 maxi jet 1200, so what I did was buy 2 maxi 600 and I'm going to put them towards the top on the back wall pretty much about 12inch apart with the jets facing towards the front of the tank but at an angle to my like a triangle formation, If you know what I mean....... What do you think????
I have 3 Chromis
2 pec Clowns
1 watchman goby
My Calcium level is at 380
I only have 1 maxi jet 1200, so what I did was buy 2 maxi 600 and I'm going to put them towards the top on the back wall pretty much about 12inch apart with the jets facing towards the front of the tank but at an angle to my like a triangle formation, If you know what I mean....... What do you think????
ballyhoo
Member
Well, I do water changes every two weeks. Its a 30g so I do about 5g. I test for the regular ph,nitrates,nitrites,ammonia. All levels are as follows
ph 8.2
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10
Do you think I have too many fish??
along with the fish I have
1 cleaner shrimp
2 pepperment shrimps
2 sally crabs
8 blue leg hermits
5 red leg hermits
3 snails
2 sand sifting stars
What do you think of the load. :thinking:
ph 8.2
ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 10
Do you think I have too many fish??
along with the fish I have
1 cleaner shrimp
2 pepperment shrimps
2 sally crabs
8 blue leg hermits
5 red leg hermits
3 snails
2 sand sifting stars
What do you think of the load. :thinking:
smarls
Member
It is quite a few fish for a 30, but then again they are all smaller fish. I would be more concerned with them acting naturally and getting along with no agression because they are all in small tank and squashed, and some of them could be territorial.
The reason I say that is your water parameters seem to be in check. That is where I would really expect to see a degredation due to overstocking. I would start testing for phosphates just to be safe.
The film I think you can handle the film by adding flow...it really is just a surface agitation question. Even in the most pristine reef tank, if there is no surface agitation there will be a film (and there will also be a problem with gas exchange, which is really the basic concern here). true, this film may get worse if there is a heavy bioload like you have, but as long as it is not affecting your water quality, and as long as you can add powerheads to deal with it, then I don't think it is a huge issue. But I would definately get rid of the fiklm, not because the film is ugly, but because if you ahve a film, then odds are you are not geting enough axygen transfer at the surface...which is bad.
try the power heads and let us know if that works.
HTH
Stewart
The reason I say that is your water parameters seem to be in check. That is where I would really expect to see a degredation due to overstocking. I would start testing for phosphates just to be safe.
The film I think you can handle the film by adding flow...it really is just a surface agitation question. Even in the most pristine reef tank, if there is no surface agitation there will be a film (and there will also be a problem with gas exchange, which is really the basic concern here). true, this film may get worse if there is a heavy bioload like you have, but as long as it is not affecting your water quality, and as long as you can add powerheads to deal with it, then I don't think it is a huge issue. But I would definately get rid of the fiklm, not because the film is ugly, but because if you ahve a film, then odds are you are not geting enough axygen transfer at the surface...which is bad.
try the power heads and let us know if that works.
HTH
Stewart