Brown layer on the surface of water?

[binylee]

Hi there,
Lately, I am noticing there is a brown thin layer on the surface of my tank's water. I am suspecting I am overfeeding Microplankton and it's polluting my water right now. I just did 10% water change yesterday and planning to do another 2 days after that? Do you guys know what that is?
thank you very much for your help.

 

[Will C1]

first do you have a skimmer? and seccondly how much surface aggitation is in the tank?

 

[danmhippo]

I further assume you do not have a surgace skimmer or overflow to the sump. Actually, this is common especially for tanks without an overflow or some kind of surface skimming device to rid the surface of oil and dust. Daily feeding, airborn dust, and oil from food and hand tend to mix and congregate on the water surface. It won't be a biggie for tanks with overflow to the sump though.

I would suggest you turn a powerhead toward the surface to blow away the surface accumulation to a corner for easier removal. OR, if your skimmer allows, get a surface skimmer attachment that are available for some hang-on skimmer.

 

[binylee]

I decreased the amount of feeding + rotating my powerhead. The problem seems to improve.
Thanks all.

 

[shalegac]

Sorry to hijack but I only have a ten gallon, no skimmer and no sump. I can redirect the powerhead toward the surface but unfotunatley for a ten gallon it realy swings chemical balance because of evap. So are there any other options for removing the surface oil? I heard news paper to soak up the oil but I'm weary of the ink. So now what.

 

[Unarce]

A white, dye-free paper towel laid flat on the surface would do the trick. Definitely consider an overflow box to remedy the problem for the long haul.

 

[Anonymous]

Previous poster had a good idea with paper towel. I used to use newsprint to soak it up - worked like a champ and cheap. Almost any tank with a surface skimmer box and decent circulation this shouldn't be a huge issue - try aiming some of your powerheads so they churn the top layer of the water somewhat too.

 

[LFS42]

I care for a 10 gal nano with the same problem
when I do a water change, I suck the surface of the water, works great.
wipe out the bucket with paper towel before you make up the new water
(that stuff sticks to the side of everything)
wipe off the sides of the tank above the water line

air stones will burn away the scum also
you could run one every couple days for 1-2 hours

but the best way to to get a surface extractor on a filter to suck that stuff off as it forms.

 

[Joey French]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing, surface extractor for a power filter, fluval makes one, fits some small aquaclear filters, and such. Not sure if that would help you, as you didn't mention what type of filtration you are using, though. Joey