Although I always take care to wash my arms and/or equipment before playing in the tank, I still seem to get a slight slick on the water.

I was wondering what are peoples views on Surface Skimmers. Any good? And what stops them sucking down the flake food?

I've never really heard of them being used for freshwater tanks so can't really comment....But as long as your water parameters are not changing I cant see you really needing one....If I have ever had any kind of scum on the suface I have just used one of the fine white brine shrimp nets to do a quick wizz around the surface

I did think of something along those lines, unfortunately I've little clearance to the entire surface due to my tank hood and lights. I can reach the entire surface with a net only if submerge my arm to above the elbow. Although I am able to lift the hood myself, it really is a two person job.

What I've been doing is pushing a jug into the water, and allowing it to fill over the brime from the surface water. A sort of manual skimming, if you like.

I've seen a skimmer in the Eheim catalogue. It certainly appeared to be a freshwater tank in the example photo. I was hoping to save myself a bit of toil.

Just get a pair of aqua gloves. They work great for this type of thing.

Well, I'd never heard of Aqua-Gloves before now. But there seems to be a choice in styles. Which one?

I had the same problem, but it's gotten better since I installed a couple of strong powerheads that keep the surface slightly agitated. Maybe it drives the slick down enough so that the filter is able to suck it out?

What I might do, is actually construct something myself. If it works ok, then that's another Forum Topic to post!!

For a start, I'll make something that hooks to the side of the tank, at a fixed level. Designed to work with water changes. eg. The out siphon.

In the future, ideally, it'd be nice to have a device that floats, thereby remaining static with the water surface.

Of course, that would require pictures and detailed instructions for the rest of us!

i have noticed if the surface water on any of my tanks is too still then a surface film forms. in general i think it is harmless altho i sometimes find algae will form on or near the surface in these conditions. especialy around any plants or wood that touches the surface.

i wouldn't go to the trouble of installing any fancy equipment myself as it is costly, needs another power point and in general is just a hastle.

as mizpriz said all u realy need to do is make sure there is some agitation on the surface and the problem will stop.

in a planted tank u dont real want to much surface disturbance as this causes CO2 loss. saying that tho i have 2 planted tanks and i find its just getting the right balance.

in one tank i dont add CO2 and have hardy slow growing plants so in this one the inflow pipe agites the surface slightly and seems to clear any scum.

in my other CO2 injected planted tank i have the inflow under water but have it pointed up slightly so that it causes only a tiny bit of disturbance on the surface. u can see where the water hits the surface a thin layer of scum being broken up. plus in this tank, because i inject CO2, i also have an airstone on a timer that comes on at night to disperse the CO2 and stop Ph fluctation. this also helps clear up any surface scum.

so, basically just adjust ur inflow slightly or add an airstone and i think ur problem will be cured.

good luck

oh, ment to say also ...

from what i've read and experience, the slick is probably due to the food that u feed. apparently if u feed live foods and similar u dont get the film, i've read.

it doesnt mean u have to stop with flake foods tho. i havent myself as it would be too expensive and time consuming to feed only live foods.

all i would suggest is vary the food a bit and mainly avoid overfeeding. along with a little surface agitation the problem should be solved.

I noticed the water in my brother's fish bowls (2 with bettas, 1 with triops) had some surface film on it. I took a small piece of paper towel and I skimmed the surface of the water in one bowl. I got all the film removed that way. This probably isn't as practical on large tanks though.

small point worth noting i think ...

be carefull what u put in the tank, such as paper towels. so many products these days, including paper towels have all sorts of chemical additives.

fishy heaven forbid that u remove a harmless film only to poison the fish

i have one other small unrelated point for ur brother. i love betas but am against keeping them in bowls. i know this can be ok if enough care is supplied. my main reason for saying this tho is mainly for the happiness of the fish and in consequence the owners too.

if ur brother invests in a tank to put his beta in, it doesnt have to be big either, 5g minimum i'd suggest or even better a 10g tank, i am certain that if he loves and obsreves his fish's behaviour he will see a much happier fish. i would also argue that it is easier to care for the fish in a tank than a bowl, u dont need to change the water so much aslong as it has a basic filter system. add a few hardy plants that can grow in low tech conditions and his beta will be in fishy heaven on earth.

plus it makes it so much easier to breed them when they are happy

Welcome Nick, glad you could drop by!

I know what you mean about the crap in paper wipes and such. I went to clean my spectacles at my Sisters house. It had me stumped - the more I cleaned, the worse they got. Turns out, they are impregnated with Aloe Vera.

My main tank is probaly like your 'other tank'. Lot's of plants, CO2, and a submerged spray bar that points up at a nice angle. Surface agitation to a minimum. So that's probably my problem. I also have a secondary Pump, but it's for circulation rather than surface agitation. Here's a rough sketch I just drew up. From above, circulation is clockwise. From the front (bottom) circulation is anti-clockwise. (Dang! Left the CO2 Bubble Maze out! It's immediately right of the Heater).



The Airstone on a Timer is an interesting idea. The Surface Skimmer I spoke of earlier, would not require more power. It would fit directly into my pump up-take (as I have Ehiem gear).

I'll probaly have a go at constructing some sort of Siphon-Skimmer anyway, 'cos I'm stupid like that. Any excuse to pull out my tools, and raid the local hardware store. Kana the Toolman! aaarruugh!

i thought i'd suggest this idea that i use.

instead of having the spray bar horizontaly positioned i have mine vertical. although it is in front of the heater it creates enough water flow to disperse the heat. it also creates more water circulation without creating surface disturbance.

saying that though, i have the top hole just below the water so it does disturb the water just a tiny bit and it also helps break up the surface film.

just an idea i thought i'd share.

on the pic the heater is in red and the spray bar in green, incase my drawing isnt obvious. lol

That's a very nicely aquascaped tank, is it one of yours? My tanks a real jungle right now. Does anyone know what that grassy plant is, front, just left of center?

Is your spraybar & heater at the front of the tank, or the rear? My preference is to have the equipment as unobtrusive as possible, so it stays well and truely to the rear. I would probably dislike having a vertical spraybar at the front.

Although I do have what I call the 'Causeway', a narrow strip along the rear glass that I leave free from plants and wood. This aids circulation, and provides a retreat for the larger fish. It'd probaly annoy a few fish, if I was to start pumping water along there.