I'm not sure of your exact setup but if you point the spray bar towards the surface so that you have some surface movement but little or no agitation you shouldn't lose that much cO2.
How to create surface movement to remove surface film
Hi,
I need to create some surface movement in my tank as a I am getting a surface film. What I can think of is
1. Using an air stone - However, i'd like to avoid using an air stone as I have sand at the bottom and i'll end up with a hole where I place the air stone since the air stone bubbles will move the sand
2. Pointing the spray bar of my filter pointing to the surface. I'm not convinced this is the best way as CO2 is coming out of that spray bar so I will end up losing quite a bit of the CO2
3. I'd also like to avoid using a surface skimmer
Is there any other option? Or should I for example point the spray bar to the surface and add more CO2 to counteract the loss in CO2?
thanks
I need to create some surface movement in my tank as a I am getting a surface film. What I can think of is
1. Using an air stone - However, i'd like to avoid using an air stone as I have sand at the bottom and i'll end up with a hole where I place the air stone since the air stone bubbles will move the sand
2. Pointing the spray bar of my filter pointing to the surface. I'm not convinced this is the best way as CO2 is coming out of that spray bar so I will end up losing quite a bit of the CO2
3. I'd also like to avoid using a surface skimmer
Is there any other option? Or should I for example point the spray bar to the surface and add more CO2 to counteract the loss in CO2?
thanks
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
How are you injecting your CO2? I assume that you are putting the CO2 output near the intake of your filter.
Using an airstone is essentially out of the question. It will outgas the CO2 quite quickly and effectively.
Your best bet is to aim the spray bar of your filter a little higher. The amount of CO2 lost should not be that great, but if it is, you can always turn the CO2 on a little higher to compensate.
Using an airstone is essentially out of the question. It will outgas the CO2 quite quickly and effectively.
Your best bet is to aim the spray bar of your filter a little higher. The amount of CO2 lost should not be that great, but if it is, you can always turn the CO2 on a little higher to compensate.
increasing surface movement ever helped for me. In the end I got one of these:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...er?&query=skimmer&queryType=0&hits=12&offset=
Works perfectly.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...er?&query=skimmer&queryType=0&hits=12&offset=
Works perfectly.
If you aim the spray bar to the surface, as long as you aren't causing the water to break you shouldn't lose much more CO2. My 20g has a slight ripple on the surface and it keeps the surface free of scum. My 29g with absolutely no surface ripple has lots of scum on it unfortunately.
Uh, if you increase CO2 loss by increasing surface movement, why not just increase CO2 rate as well?
Seems like common sense to me. Also, for my surface scum problems, taking the spray bar off and just having the water flow out of the elbow picked up the speed at which the top layer of water turns over.
Seems like common sense to me. Also, for my surface scum problems, taking the spray bar off and just having the water flow out of the elbow picked up the speed at which the top layer of water turns over.
Your surface oil film is caused by high abundance of nutrients not sure exactly what you call them usually due to overfeeding. Scooping them slowly like dipping a water bottle little by little to let the oil film in on your water surface and then do a water change.
Well, I don't think it is always caused by nutrients. There are many tanks with high levels of nutrients (EI tanks) that don't have any problems with surface scum. Most of the year, my tank doesn't have the problem either, but the past two weeks it has. I don't have very many fish, and only feed a few days a week. I suspect water additives, or it could just be me.
Do you feed sinking foods like wafers or pellets?Hi,
I need to create some surface movement in my tank as a I am getting a surface film. What I can think of is
1. Using an air stone - However, i'd like to avoid using an air stone as I have sand at the bottom and i'll end up with a hole where I place the air stone since the air stone bubbles will move the sand
2. Pointing the spray bar of my filter pointing to the surface. I'm not convinced this is the best way as CO2 is coming out of that spray bar so I will end up losing quite a bit of the CO2
3. I'd also like to avoid using a surface skimmer
Is there any other option? Or should I for example point the spray bar to the surface and add more CO2 to counteract the loss in CO2?
thanks
increasing surface movement ever helped for me. In the end I got one of these:
http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCa...er?&query=skimmer&queryType=0&hits=12&offset=
Works perfectly.
#1 this thing is cheap and does not need to be permanent, it pops right off..
-Orlando
If surface scum is from fish food, why have I repeatedly gotten rid of it by increasing CO2?
Like algae, surface scum is a symptom of a tank that is less healthy than it could be, and that means a CO2 issue nearly always.
Point your spray bar so that you get at least a bit of surface movement, raise your CO2(slowly and carefully, dead fish are bad!) and give it a few weeks for your plants to respond to the new conditions.
Like algae, surface scum is a symptom of a tank that is less healthy than it could be, and that means a CO2 issue nearly always.
Point your spray bar so that you get at least a bit of surface movement, raise your CO2(slowly and carefully, dead fish are bad!) and give it a few weeks for your plants to respond to the new conditions.
Pointing the spray bar at the surface definitely does not remove the surface film for me... :icon_neut:
You're best bet is to go with the filter intake attachment linked above.
You're best bet is to go with the filter intake attachment linked above.
1 - 11 of 11 Posts
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