Film on the surface

[hiphophippo8]

I have that nasty film on the surface of my water. I really want to get rid of it since its blocking some light from getting through. Its a 55 gallon tank and it doesnt have a overflow. For my filtration system I have a algae scrubber in my sump and the water gets there from pvc pipe sticking about 1.5 inches underwater. I have the return pipe pointing at the surface to stir up the water but its only keeping it clear in one spot. I was going to get some power heads but I dont really want to waste them by pointing them towards the surface. Is there anything I can do get that to go away.

 

[PureDezigner]

I have 2 blowers, neither is pointed to the surface and the surface is still very active due to good circulation. I found that when one of my blowers was broken I noticed film on the surface. This led me to go out and get a new one. Bad circulation can lead to algae blooms.

Try manually removing the film with a fish net. Good luck!

 

[seafansar]

You might want to invest in an overflow. There are some companies that make little internal ones that you can install yourself, which would work in your case since the tank is already drilled.
Other than that, disturbing the surface with a powerhead is your best bet.

 

[hiphophippo8]

thanks for the help ive tried the fish net and it all goes through I will be getting 2 power heads soon which should make the circulation much better

 

[burntricer]

may want to look at a skimmer too, even with the algae scrubber

 

[wm23oh]

If you are careful and don't use Paper towels that have oil's in them you could do what I have done.

Use several Paper towels and cover the entire top of the tank as quickly as possible to minimize the possibility of the scum getting out of under the paper towel. Then pull the towels out as soon as the last towel gets wet (shows water soaked up through the paper towel. Repeat 1 maybe 2 more times. If this doesn't clear it up by 95+ percent then their is a larger problem IMO.

Hopefully this will remove the scum but the sad thing is it will more than likely come back if the underlying issue isn't fixed.

Best wishes,

James

 

[carmexx]

Here's an idea that I found somewhere that worked for me: Use a piece of saran wrap, lay it on the surface and then lift it off..... the film will adhere to the saran wrap and just discard it.