Film on top of water

[Sky042]

Doing a fishless cycle on my 54.
I'm noticing a film across the top of the tank.
The fishless cycle is going perfect but I'm noticing a smell from the water. Not a bad one but not clean water smelling.

Could if be from the fishless cycle?

If it continues I may hook my wet/dry to the tank and let it skim off the film/

Any help?

The film has no real color just looks like a think grey/clear film on top of the water that you can see under light or from an angle.

 

[WILDER]

Just remove it with kitchen paper if it's annoying you.

 

[rdd1952]

If it's the same thing I have, there isn't much you can do to get rid of it. I've tried paper towels, newspaper, skimming with a cup and about everything else I could think of to get rid of it and it still comes back. I finally realized it was something in my tap water as I can run a bucket and let it stand for about 3 days and get the same type film. I even broke down one of my 2.5 gallon tanks, scrubbed with bleach and set back up, running the water in straight from the tap and still ended up with the film again a week later so I know it isn't anything I'm introducing from outside.

I set up my last tank with Fluval cannister filters and surface skimmers. They keep the top clean and clear. On the other tanks, I leave the water level down just slightly so that there is some splash as the water returns to the tank from the HOB filters and also run an airstone. The surface disturbance keeps the film broken up.

 

[andywg]

Usually the film on the top of the tank is a film of protein which is forming on the still surface. Try agitating the surface with the filter return or an airstone to keep the water at the top in motion and to keep breaking the surface.

HIH

Andy

 

[bluefire]

yep surface agitation will get rid of it

 

[Sime]

i see this on mine too from time to time. as everyone said srface movement will shift it, but i found cleaning the filter media will move it with no surface movement too (if you have co2).

 

[DaHerb_what_herb]

yes agitating the surface will remove the film, but if you are worried about something being in the tap water that might be adding to the problem there are a couple of things that you might like to check.

Seeing as you are currently cycling the water within the tank have you used a dechlorinator to remove chlorine from the water and to break up the chloramine bond?? the chloramine bond could be adding to the development of this film.

removing the chlorine and breaking up the chlorimine bond can be done by adding a dose of a tap water conditioner.

Alternatively you could also add carbon to your filter media for a short period of time to absorb any heavy metals, chlorine and odours etc to ensure that there are no toxins other than ammonia, nitrite and nitrate which should be there during cycling anyway.

i myself have just started cycling a new 100 UK gallon tank but i do not get this film on the surface simply because the surface is agitated by a spray bar and the tap water has been conditioned using both a tap water conditioner and activated carbon within my external filter for a week.

 

[Sky042]

yes agitating the surface will remove the film, but if you are worried about something being in the tap water that might be adding to the problem there are a couple of things that you might like to check.

Seeing as you are currently cycling the water within the tank have you used a dechlorinator to remove chlorine from the water and to break up the chloramine bond?? the chloramine bond could be adding to the development of this film.

removing the chlorine and breaking up the chlorimine bond can be done by adding a dose of a tap water conditioner.

Alternatively you could also add carbon to your filter media for a short period of time to absorb any heavy metals, chlorine and odours etc to ensure that there are no toxins other than ammonia, nitrite and nitrate which should be there during cycling anyway.

i myself have just started cycling a new 100 UK gallon tank but i do not get this film on the surface simply because the surface is agitated by a spray bar and the tap water has been conditioned using both a tap water conditioner and activated carbon within my external filter for a week.

My water doesn't have choloramine.

I don't think it has anything to do with tap water since I'm not seeing it on the other 3 tanks in the house.

Also there is carbon in the fitler but I don't see how changing carbon will help something thats on the top of the water when the filter inlet is near the bottom.

I guess I'll just hook up the wet/dry and let the skimmer box run.
The tank could use the extra oxygenation since it's going to be pretty heavily stocked with bottom dwellers anyway.

Right now the filtration is a cascade 700