Flow

[reef-nut]

I have a 46 BF and I think I need more flow. I get that oil slick on top. I have a Kor. 2 and a H.O. skimmer and a 280 Emp. All I have is softies and when I add more flow none of them are happy. They all pout a little. Do you think they will get used to it?

 

[Cully]

IME some softies can handle it, some can't. If you're only worried about the surface slick, why not add a small powerhead and aim it towards top center. That's what I do in my refugium to ward off the surface scum.

 

[gflat65]

Softies can be tempermental, but many will acclimate to more flow. I've got some getting hammered by a Tunze 6100 and they love me for it.

Another cheap (and not so pretty) option on the surface scum is to add a surface skimmer hooked up through a powerhead. I used to run them on any non RR tank I had to get rid of the scum. I ran them into small filters, but a powerhead should help pull it off the surface, too.

 

[microbius]

I had the same softie tank dilemma

to solve it i use a small air pump with just the air tube(no airstone) in the water an inch or so under the surface with a low flow of air. this breaks the surface tension of the scum(water) allowing it to be mixed with the water, and then removed by my skimmer, it has completely solved the surface scum on my reef its crystal :biggrin: no extra flow required