Surface Scum

[holdfast]

Hey everyone,
I'm new here, so ill tell you what i have before i ask how to fix it!

29 gal tank.
stock flouresent light
aquaclear 50 W/foam and bio-material
aquaclear 30 W/foam and carbon
duetto 50
stealth heater for 55 gal.
tahitian moon sand mixed with 5 lbs of Flourite
driftwood, quartz, and slate
1 amazon sword plant
1 coffeeleaf plant
1 small crypto??

1 Firemouth cichlid 3"
1 Jack Dempsey 3"
3 Rosey barbs 1M 2F
1 black standard pleco


ok...im having a problem with surface scum. i put the duetto 50 at the waterline thinking this would agitate the surface to clean it. i have both aquaclears turned all the way up. still i have a film on the surface. any ideas or tricks would be great.

thanks

 

[idlefingers]

First things first,

The surface scum is most probably a build up of proteins in the water. What do you feed them? I have no idea about the capacity of those filters, but you may need to beef up your filtration a bit, especially considering the dempsey and plec will get too large for a 30g and will need a larger tank.

 

[Yetti]

If you have any rubber bands holding down plants or doing anything else, then those might create a film at the surface.

 

[Underwurlde]

Use some kitchen roll (Bounty) - simply lay it on the surface & then remove.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?s=&amp...t&p=1782652

Andy

 

[holdfast]

thanks for the input guys.

the filters are rated at:Aquaclear 30: 30 gallon tank 150 gph
Aquaclear 50: 50 gallon tank 200 gph

i feed wardley's cichlid flake daily, bloodworms 1-2 times per week, frozen every other day.

no rubber bands or anything like that are in the tank...good suggestion though.

im going to try adding an airpump tonight, if that doesnt clear the surface in a few days, i think i might invest in a canister filter with the skimmer attachment.