removing surface scum

[kenneth_kpe]

Just wanted to share how i get rid of surface scum in my small nano tank and even in my bigger 13 gallon tank

Surface scum is a bacterial buildup i think when the surface water become stagnant.... usually caused by the food you give to your fish or sometimes they just decide to appear..

snails serve as my natural fighter against surface scum, they are common pond snails that have grown a liking to eating surface scum. I have even seen some of my malaysian trumpet snails doing the same thing.

There are also other methods for removing surface scum.

a) The paper towel method - effective too but can be frustrating especially if the scum does not want to cooperate

B) increasing surface agitation - highly effective but not advisable for planted tanks due to the fact that minimizing surface agitation is a must to keep good c02 levels.

c) fishes like mollies - i have found this to be effective too but not all mollies prefer surface scum, and with smaller nano tanks, mollies simply cannot fit inside the tank.

d) surface skimmers (DIY or off the shelf) - a good alternative too im not sure about the c02 levels though

*do you guys have other methods for removing surface scum ! ?!? please do share !

 

[houndour]

I don't have scum in my 5 gallon, but I have seen my snails on the surface like yours!! So is that what they are doing?! Eating scum? I thought they had an air bubble or fell of their plant and floated!

Cool tips though.

 

[spanishguy111]

you can also just use a fish that eats surface scum. Any Trichogaster species, trichopterus, leeri, etc of gourami will inhale surface scum amd leave you scumless from day 1.

 

[Misskiwi67]

I just ignore it. The more filtration I have, the less scum I see, but there's always a little bit. However, I don't get ANY in my covered betta bowls, but there is a huge thick layer in my uncovered betta bowl... I wonder if dust settling out of the air has any effect on it??