Would a tiny bit of soap help?

[solpete]

Yes I'm serious... Having a thin membrane of fat in the tank. I'm having the idea that some sort of soap could be used in extremely small amounts to turn the fat molecules hydrophilic and get caught in the skimmer. Has anyone tried it by accident?

Remember there are different types of soap.. I bet there is some kind that could be used in a reef tank. I'm taking about one tenths of a drop or so...

 

[Bearjohnson]

No soap as far as I'm concerned in a tank.

If you are referring to a film sitting on top of the water and it's bothering you....Just take a paper towel and lay it on top of the water surface and remove it. The film will stick to the paper towel.

 

[ddelozier]

the oily skum on top is easily removed with paper towls. Simpy drape them flat and drop, pick up flip and repeat with the clean side. dispose without squeezing. Repeat with clean paper towl.

If you are talking ON something, like skimmer parts or power heads...remove and vinegar soak/scrub.

 

[reefer gladness]

Surface scum to me indicates insufficient surface skimming.

 

[gbose]

No soap -- please!!!

 

[Steve L]

Some frozen fish foods use "bonding agents" in them that make skimmers go absolutely crazy and over flow with bubbles. Any kind of soap would do the same thing to your skimmer and it would suds up for hours or days. That's why the soap used in dish washers doesn't create bubbles, otherwise they would create huge piles of suds and over flow into your drain and through the vents.

Some people use paper towels, I like to use a new plastic dixie cup. For some reason the scum sticks to them like crazy. I start scooping and the scum is gone in a few minutes. of course that was before I bought a skimmer that cleaned the surface. It's not a problem any longer. Just keep the filters clean and you'll never get the surface scum.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Plastic cup here, too. Those of you who don't think they have surface scum, turn off all your pumps and check the middle chamber of your sump. I'll scoop that out during a water change every couple of months.