Surface Sheen

Well, you are right that is plenty of flow...

How much skimmate are you producing?? Normal color skimmate?

I am wondering if you skimmer is doing its job,

M

 

Mark, my skimmer does an ok job in my opinion. The collection cup never fills up but I do have a small amt of green liquid in the bottom of it. Most of what I get is thick bubbles from the water line all the way up and just over where it ends below the top of the cup lid. (IF that description makes sense) So basically the only part I really need to clean is the inside of the main tube that three or four inches between the water line and the collection cup is where it gets the most build up. Green. Slimy, Smelly. I clean once every two weeks or so.

 

I had the same issues on my 65.....I had canister filters and a HOB Skimmer and even added more powerheads.....I always had a spot where I had surface sheen.......
Final fix......flipped it to a sump system with an overflow box and no more sheen
no if my prefilter in my overflow box gets clogged I start to see a shee and that is rare as I make sure any filter type is kept clean all the time unless I leave town for a few days.

 

Pierce thanks for your experience. I'm not prepared nor able with space to set up a sump, the tanks only 29g. To me a filter and skimmer system would work best if it pulled from the surface.

 

Depending on what type of HOB skimmer you have you might be able to figure out how to add a skimmer box to your skimmer intake.
The Aqua C Remora Pro HOB skimmer has a skimmer box as an attachment you can buy

Now I do have one for sale with a MAG3 pump......I did not get the skimmer box for it as I decided to heck with it and went the sump route.

The one I have for sale is in great shape and can be had for $100.00 plus shipping. If I do not sell it soon I ma going to use it on a 45 cube for a hosipital tank

 

I took out my skimmer box. It was unsightly and took up a lot of space and really still not pulling from the top. Biggest draw back to not having it is occassionally ps will introduce micro bubbles.

 

All I can tell you Nick is that there are some things that are just pure physics and surface water needs to be skimmed somehow or be so turbulent that the scum is mixed into the water column to be sucked in by your PS intake or filter intake

Even with my sump I have a Korola breaking surface tension as well as the sump return is set to shoot across the length of the tank; that also gives the tank the surface motion so my lighting gives my tank the light motion I wanted

 

Well.... I agree completely on the surface skimming.... also, your skimmer never filling up and only gunking up the tube sounds like your skimmer in under performing to me. I would try surface skimming if you can and adjust your skimmer to have more bubbles. You should have a "tea" colored water for skimmate.

M

 

Mark I think a surface skimmer approach would be ideal and solve my issue. The box wasn't pulling from the top but rather from the bottom as it had slits cut into it. (manufactured that way) So I need a viable way to draw surface water into my ps pump.

 

you could try to make your own with a drill/dremel and a acrylic specimen box.