brown skum keeps building up

i have a 55 gallon tank with a yellow tang, royal gramma, 2 azure damspel, 2 clown fish, 15 pounds of live rock. my problem is, there is a lot of brown skum whitch I think is alge. i will vacume the bottom, and then a week later it comes back? is this normal? what can i do about getting rid of this problem?

another problem is with my protien skimmer. The waste catcher just fill up with water, and it puts alot of fine air bubbles back into tank. it is a seaclone 100.

 

I believe the brown scum are diatoms (usually comes in a newly set up tank). Check phosphates and nitrates, nitrite... Do you use RO water?

IMO you should invest in a better skimmer. i heard that seclones are very problematic. i hear good comments on remoras and i personnlay have a coralife that works great for the money (if only i had more )

 

forgot to add.. try to get more live rock. a 55 needs more than 15 pounds. more rock means stronger biofiltration and a happier yellow tang.

 

phosphates and nitrates, nitrite levels are ok. water RO?

 

I'm thinking dinoflagellates more than diatoms. Is the stuff slimy and does it have air bubbles trapped in it?

 

Big words for such a small lady...

 

just out of curiosity do you have a clean up crew in there?

 

My guess is your feeding to much food

HI,
If your system can't handle the waste, it will accumalate and feed algae and the other things, so you need a better skimmer, try and get a Coralife or another type, I reccomend the 220 cause bigger is better in the sump.
If your skimmer is over flowing you need to lower the water level, I try and set mine up where the water level is just starting up the tube, if the water is dirty it will overflow till the skimmer reduces the waste and then its easier to tune. When your water is loaded it will look a little yellow in the light againts white paper, maybe add a little good carbon to the equation, my carbon only last about 2 weeks and then its exhausted.
I run two skimmers in my sump,
if you don't have a sump that would help by adding a place for a DSB, , I have a small shoebox reforguim with a light, this is also another way to lower phos and nitrates.
What are you feeding and how much ,
Doug
here's simple sump I made out of a 20 gal tank it aint pretty but it works.


its a little more crowded in my sump now with two skimmers, 2 fish phos reactor and a water top off valve.and the shoe box reforguim more snails now they had babies.

 

I'm not that short!!

 

Yea you are, I have a picture to prove it.....remember Roger snapped a pic of ya! 8)