A layer of oil

**Mrhello88** · 27th Nov 2012, 22:45

Hi all, found a thin layer of oil on top of water inside my tank! Tried to change whole tank of water b4 without removing soil layer and even try to scoop up the surface water daily & top up but not efficient at all. Pls help.

**milk_vanilla** · 27th Nov 2012, 23:52

Are you using ada soil? If so it's a common. Just regular wc, it will keep maintain from over exceed.

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**darrentyl** · 28th Nov 2012, 07:34

Put in air pump to generate bubbles. It will help.

**cheetf** · 28th Nov 2012, 07:59

It should be a protein layer, unlikely to pose a problem to your tank. Like bro Darren says you can use air bubbles to break it up or you could get a skimmer if you are using a canister.

**Navanod** · 28th Nov 2012, 10:05

The hardworking way is to lay a piece on kitchen paper towel flat on the water surface and then pull the entire piece of paper across the tank and draw it out of the tank without letting it crumple up.
That'll remove quite alot of the protein film. Repeat with a fresh paper towel until the film is mostly gone.

**tetrakid** · 28th Nov 2012, 10:21

Is yours a marine tank or freshwater?

If freshwater, then there should not be any surface layer at all. prevention is much better than anything else.

The best way to prevent a scum layer is to ensure there's continuous active surface agitation. This is done by directing the outflow of the filter (any filter) to span laterally over a wide area of the surface as possible, causing a rippling effect all over the surface.

If you look at my avatar, you will see that that is the wrong way to let water flow back in. Doing that will cause many problems. The correct way is to top up the water until it touches the lip of the filter.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Mrhello88

Hi all, found a thin layer of oil on top of water inside my tank! Tried to change whole tank of water b4 without removing soil layer and even try to scoop up the surface water daily & top up but not efficient at all. Pls help.

**Shadow** · 28th Nov 2012, 10:28

Put surface skimmer, you can also put guppy inside, assuming not shrimps tank.

**cheetf** · 28th Nov 2012, 13:28

Originally Posted by tetrakid

Is yours a marine tank or freshwater?

If freshwater, then there should not be any surface layer at all. prevention is much better than anything else.

It happens in a freshwater tank too.

**tetrakid** · 28th Nov 2012, 15:13

Yes, exactly, and true that freshwater tanks can easily develope a thick layer of scum. That is why I urge agitating the water surface by the means I recommended above. It is important to ensure the surface has no chance to form. If successful on that, the water/atmosphere interface would be clean, which means to say there will not be any surface layer at all. With marine tanks, the variables and factors are more complex, hence more involved methods are called for.

A lot of freshwater hobbyists unintenionally create a thick scum layer because they think that making the water flow back into the tank like a small waterfall (at one spot) is a very interesting thing. But when fishes die later, that's not the least interesting.

Originally Posted by cheetf

It happens in a freshwater tank too.

**cheetf** · 28th Nov 2012, 18:05

Originally Posted by tetrakid

Yes, exactly, and true that freshwater tanks can easily develope a thick layer of scum. That is why I urge agitating the water surface by the means I recommended above. It is important to ensure the surface has no chance to form. If successful on that, the water/atmosphere interface would be clean, which means to say there will not be any surface layer at all. With marine tanks, the variables and factors are more complex, hence more involved methods are called for.

A lot of freshwater hobbyists unintenionally create a thick scum layer because they think that making the water flow back into the tank like a small waterfall (at one spot) is a very interesting thing. But when fishes die later, that's not the least interesting.

I don't really get what you mean. Most planted tanks have no surface agitation, how come a thick layer of scum is not formed?

**Shadow** · 28th Nov 2012, 18:30

It depend on what plant you have. Tank with fast growing plant will have thick layer of scum but tank with slow growing plants like fern or nana normally do not have scum. At least that what happen in my tank and tank at ADA gallery as well. That is why they come up with Vuppa.

**felix_fx2** · 28th Nov 2012, 18:32

Originally Posted by Navanod

The hardworking way is to lay a piece on kitchen paper towel flat on the water surface and then pull the entire piece of paper across the tank and draw it out of the tank without letting it crumple up.
That'll remove quite alot of the protein film. Repeat with a fresh paper towel until the film is mostly gone.

I'm very seriously thinking of a daiso item when you mention this.

Product name : scum remover (its for removing oil from soup lol)

TS,

Just briefly inform you some stuff.

The oil/protein/scum layer does not pose high risk to your live stock. (unless your tank is overstocked yes)

Common methods to get rid of it mention above generally is just create enough water movement (using air stone, filter output.... Ect) to break down the layer.

Personally speaking, it's a giant eyesore. Plus one fact, that it seems to contribute to the mineral deposits (aka water marks) pretty much.

**cheetf** · 28th Nov 2012, 18:45

Originally Posted by Shadow

It depend on what plant you have. Tank with fast growing plant will have thick layer of scum but tank with slow growing plants like fern or nana normally do not have scum. At least that what happen in my tank and tank at ADA gallery as well. That is why they come up with Vuppa.

I have had a densly planted tank before. What I observed was a layer of 'oil' like layer on the top but never scum. A surface skimmer solved the problem for me. I have also used a 'lily pipe' which solved the problem easily as well.

TS, to give you an idea how the lily pipe works.

http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/...f/2cd50621.mp4

But I don't understand what he means by water flowing at a certain spot and how that can be dangerous to the fish

**Mrhello88** · 28th Nov 2012, 23:35

Well, I do hope the layer of "oil" is just protein layer as mentioned by few forumer here. My tank is fresh water tank with some plant inside, using external filter and having co2 with lily pipe. Besides that, the outlet of water is parallel with water level in tank thus having water movement at surface most of the time. 30 ea of neon tetra still surviving till now. That layer of "oil" is an eyesore and everyday after I came back from work will tend to see some bubble either at the side of tank or flowing along water movement. Should I try the scum remover which can get at daiso or use kitchen paper?

**Navanod** · 29th Nov 2012, 09:11

Kitchen paper is safer...I'm not sure if there are any surfactants or chemicals on scum removers

**Shadow** · 29th Nov 2012, 09:35

1 or 2 guppy better, it is not shrimp tank anyway since you have neon tetra

.

**bravobb** · 7th Dec 2012, 23:36

Just to add...
My freshwater sump tank also have a layer of oil like... although not harmful... but i have an internal filter that also clean the surface.. something like surface skimmer...
So, it is happening in freshwater also... could be too much feeding that is protein rich....

**Mrhello88** · 9th Dec 2012, 23:37

Internal filter which clean surface? How does it looks like?

**bravobb** · 10th Dec 2012, 00:44

Actually just get any internal filter with top level water intake and stuff with the right wool and biofilter will clean the surface...
This is mine... used in sump... and it can apply to any aquarium tank.