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Question About Surface Water Level in Tank???.......

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sandysylvester

Does anyone know how to remedy this? I got the tank running, everything seems fine but I keep developing a film on my surface. The tank came with a homemade protein skimmer, but not in use. Do you think that would help resolve this? Any opinions appreciated...
DSC_0001.jpg
 
panmanmatt

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
If you have a film forming on the top of your tank then you don't have enough surface agitation. The film is most likely dissolved organics and a skimmer would definitely help remove them. You need to increase surface agitation though, try aiming a powerhead towards the surface that usually does the trick. Or you can aim one of your returns up slightly to get the same effect. With the overflow box this shouldn't be happening unless your using an undersized pump that isn't providing enough flow to draw the film into the overflow.
 
greybolt03

greybolt03

What do you have for flow in the tank? Do you have any power heads that you can aim at the surface of the water that should keep the film from forming on the surface. And a skimmer will help out too.
 
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sandysylvester

The power head that came with the tank was junk. The return hoses are connected to a 1800GPH pond pump/utity pump. Maybe getting a new powerhead would be the cheapest option to try??
 
thirty5

thirty5

Is the tank running in that picture? I dont see the teeth from your overflow??? Should be able to see the bottom of the teeth from that pic???

You should never have any surface stuff at the overflow box?

Do I see a dual return on the left side of that picture? Put some loc line on that and aim one of them toward the top of the water. You should be able to see the water actually move on the surface from the flow.

What size tank is it? An 1800 gph pump is a pretty nice size pump.

This is a pic that I just took...

IMG_20120303_125913.jpg
 
shipwrecked

shipwrecked

I agree with others,more flow as in powerheads.Or the return line.Also gd point about the overflow box,is the slits where the water travels into it?I also noticed slight signs of cyano building up,which could also be a lack of flow indication along with other potential issues that are building.I recently bought a Taam10 powerhead,its a gd powerhead for the $$-not controllable but it does ramp up and alternates from left to right...hope this helped
 
S

sandysylvester

Thanks everyone for the advice! Tank is a 72gal.

Well the overlfow slits are lower than the water line. If I take water out to the 1st slit, then it seems to resolve, problem being the 1st slit is much lower than the water level should ever be.

Hubby thought of opening up another slit at ideal water level to see if that helps but I am afraid to alter it too much.

The tank is running, but my returns are not completely pointed to the top so you can only see a small amount of turbulence not seen in photo.

I did agitate the top water around, particles dropped and immediatly sucked into the filter (overflow).
 
downbeach

downbeach

How big is the tank? The return and overflow lines? Is your return pump throttled back with a ball valve? Your water level in the DT should be about 1/4 to 1/2 way up the slots of the overflow chamber and the water level in the overflow chamber should be about 1/2 to 1" below that of your tank.
 
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sandysylvester

72 gallon tank.
To be honest downbeach I have no idea. I bought the whole setup for a hundred bucks, and am using all the stuff that came with the tank. The slits in the front start about 1 inch from water level, then there are slits on the bottom of each side. All my parameters seem good, with the exception of cyano starting of course...
From looking at when whoever had it running a long time ago, it looks like they were more sucessful, hoses etc. had lots of purple coraline etc. They did however have some weird homemade skimmer, and a powerhead with all the "stuff". Skimmer I tossed as I rather buy a brand so I have directions to follow:p, and powerhead needed replacing which I have not done as I thought I had enough flow with just the pump.
 
downbeach

downbeach

I'm guessing, but it sounds to me like you're not getting enough flow from your returns, an 1800 GPH pump would/should be overkill for a tank of that size, and if it were running wide open I doubt that your overflow would even be able to handle that much volume. Is your sump and return in the cabinet under the tank?

PS In what part of the state do you live?
 
S

sandysylvester

Tuckerton. I just put a new impellar in the pump. The black box is the filter I guess. 3 levels, 1st a sponge, 2nd carbon, 3rd bio stuff. I will get a photo of pump underneath.
 
downbeach

downbeach

So, the white goose-neck is a siphon? And the returns are over the corners at the ends of the tank? Are there any holes in the bottom of the tank under the overflow chamber? That picture does look like the bottom of a mag drive pump.
 
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sandysylvester

Yes That is it. The returns pump out water pretty hard though. Yes there are slits on each side of chamber, not the main front one though. If you look down from ariel vew there are 3 chambers, but they all flow/move the water into the middle part which runs it though like a filter.
 
howze01

howze01

NJRC Member
I really don't think it's a matter of surface agitation or flow. I think because the overflow isn't skimming the stuff from the surface. I wish I was closer to you, it sounds as though someone coming to check out the setup might really help.
 
downbeach

downbeach

howze01 said:
I really don't think it's a matter of surface agitation or flow. I think because the overflow isn't skimming the stuff from the surface. I wish I was closer to you, it sounds as though someone coming to check out the setup might really help.
Click to expand...

+1 I think it needs some experienced eyeballs on the filter and plumbing.
 
thirty5

thirty5

I have to agree.. I cannot see how the overflow is actually skimming the surface as an over flow should do. I guess that system is just a large AIO system.

To help with it for now, just get a powerhead aimed at the surface to agitate it, will cause that stuff to go into the water column and then into the filter (hopefully)
 
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