Top layer of water

ACEofNONE

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So my question is about the layer of i believe its called skim mate on the top of the water. How important is it to get rid of it? I have a 30 gl tank and im running a AquaC Remora S skimmer rated for up to 75gl. They sell a type of overflow box made for my skimmer that is supposed to skim that layer off but i didnt know if it was worth spending the $40 on.


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GHill762

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That oily sheen on the surface isn't really hurting anything aside from being unsightly. Skimmate is the gunk in your skimmer.. what you're talking about is typically called a surface scum or film..

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GHill762

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I have heard It's a bacterial film, but it's also oils from your skin, foods, etc.. just a filmy buildup. Saltwater has more surface tension than freshwater. If you have plenty of surface agitation it will clear up a bit.

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The oily film that forms on the surface of your water causes less light to penetrate to your corals and also hinders gas exchange. What causes it is the same thing that makes a protein skimmer work. The surface area between water and air is charged and attracts organic compounds that are also charged. This causes a slick of proteins, amino acids, among other desolated organics at the surface your water. In a protein skimmer you make bubbles that create a large amount of charged surface area that attracts dissolved organics that are lifted by the bubbles into a cup and out of the aquarium.


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So my question is about the layer of i believe its called skim mate on the top of the water. How important is it to get rid of it? I have a 30 gl tank and im running a AquaC Remora S skimmer rated for up to 75gl. They sell a type of overflow box made for my skimmer that is supposed to skim that layer off but i didnt know if it was worth spending the $40 on.

Maybe worth it as this top layer of water naturally collects the stuff you want to get into your skimmer - surface skimming is a really nice feature for any filtration system. Maybe consider DIYing something if you cant save up the $40. You may also feed less frozen/more dry feed and/or do more water changes and have luck gettng rid of your slick.

-Matt


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ACEofNONE

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Cool thanks for the info guys. My system is only 2 weeks old so im still waiting on a cycle. Someone suggested pointing a power head up so it disturbs the water. It sound like a good idea except the lights i bought are not on legs it just has those metal bars that rest on the sides of the tank and i dont want water splashing up on them.


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You dont need the powerhead to literally break the surface of the water violently, just to keep it moving. Also the oily stuff I think is mostly associated with oils on the skin, I started to wear long gloves when reaching in my tank they are the gloves that are meant for impregnating livestock like cows lol, but they work great for tinkering with things inside the tank. Since I switched I have not noticed any oily residue on the surface, and I have not experienced a soaking armpit from reaching too far in the tank lol. I started thinking about it because of all the things we touch everyday, for example I'm sure you've touched multiple things with the possibility of having toxins on them, then not thinking reached into your tank thus spreading those toxins to the tank even tho its very small amount, its still something to consider. The gloves are like 6 bucks for 100 of them, and generally you can reuse gloves a few diff times.
 
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ACEofNONE

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LOL...thanks gratefulreef. Ill do that. What do you know about ro vs. ro/di water? The reason i ask is because i pass a place on the way home that sells ro water and my normal place for ro/di is about an hour away. Would just ro water be ok for topping off?


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Otter_rs

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The difference between RO and RO/DI is around 5-10ppm desolated solids. So it depends on what you want to accomplish. I personally think that that 5-10ppm will bite you in the butt sooner or later... Most likely later.


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Otter_rs

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I meant dissolved solids. Oops... Stupid spell check.


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I also use a Remora skimmer with the overflow box. The box is worth every penny. It keeps that skim out.
 

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Directing it with a powerhead is cheap and easy to try - people often do this to direct the slick into a filter's surface skimmer. IME the slick just gets pushed to one end of the tank if you don't have a surface skimmer or take some preventative measure - YMMV.

-Matt


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GHill762

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Directing it with a powerhead is cheap and easy to try - people often do this to direct the slick into a filter's surface skimmer. IME the slick just gets pushed to one end of the tank if you don't have a surface skimmer or take some preventative measure - YMMV.

-Matt


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+1, it will still be there unless you are pushing it toward an overflow.

Also, although I do agree that it decreases light penetration and gas exchange, imo it does both by a negligible amount (which is why i didn't mention it). Easy to prove/disprove light penetration with par meter, not as easy I would think to judge gas exchange capability.

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Otter_rs

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+1, it will still be there unless you are pushing it toward an overflow.

Also, although I do agree that it decreases light penetration and gas exchange, imo it does both by a negligible amount (which is why i didn't mention it). Easy to prove/disprove light penetration with par meter, not as easy I would think to judge gas exchange capability.

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In some systems any decrease in lighting or gas exchange can make a big difference. In my opinion a lot of hobbyists flirt with the low end of those parameters as it is. My thought is, why would you not salve such an easy problem when we strive so hard to keep up with lighting and water flow (which is important because of gas exchange and transport.) just my thoughts.


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The oily film that forms on the surface of your water causes less light to penetrate to your corals and also hinders gas exchange. What causes it is the same thing that makes a protein skimmer work. The surface area between water and air is charged and attracts organic compounds that are also charged. This causes a slick of proteins, amino acids, among other desolated organics at the surface your water. In a protein skimmer you make bubbles that create a large amount of charged surface area that attracts dissolved organics that are lifted by the bubbles into a cup and out of the aquarium.


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Exactly what I was gonna say ;) Excellent explanation!
 

Otter_rs

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what causes it

No single thing causes it. Some of the many causes are decomposition, fish and coral waste, oils from your hands, and compounds directly from feeding.


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