Oil On Water Surface

[SpEeDhOrN]

i have done a fishless cycle and alls gone well but an oily substance is all over the surface of the water. any ideas what it is and if it will do ne harm ?

 

[rdd1952]

I think some water supplies are just that way. Mine certainly is. I can leave a bucket of water sitting (covered) for 3 days and it will develop a film. There are a few ways to remedy the problem.

The most suggested one (and one that never seemed to work for me) is to take a paper towel and lay on the surface of the water to absorb it or to lift it off. As I said, that never seemed to do much good for me.

Second, you can add surface disturbance either by leaving the water level down a little so the water from the filter splashes into the water. This method seems to work well but is not good for planted tanks since the splash creates more oxygen in the water and drives out the CO2. You can also use an airstone to create the surface disturbance but once again, not good for plants.

Lastly, if you have a canister filter, you can buy a surface skimmer (about $10) to run with it. I am running them on my 75 gallon with 2 Fluval 304s and they work great. I don' t have any film on that tank.

 

[Gavilb]

Another good tip is to angle your pump so the flow breaks the surface of the water. This way the film clears up and gets filtered leaving the surface nice and clear.....