I have a bunch of brown little dots floating at the top of my water, I think it is diatom, but why would it be floating on top for and how do I get rid of it?
I have got....
- Thread starter reefking
- Start date
one of two things:
dust (most likely)
or dissolved organics if it is more of a film
having more flow on top will disguise the dust. as far as the organics, frequent water changes and a good skimmer
dust (most likely)
or dissolved organics if it is more of a film
having more flow on top will disguise the dust. as far as the organics, frequent water changes and a good skimmer
I am actually running coralife super skimmer on my 30 gallon and do water changes every 2 weeks, once I do a water change it goes away then comes back before I do another water change. Also I don't know if anyone else has this problem, I have to constently clean brown algea of the walls of my tank every other day, and also my sand bed, I've tried even limiting the use of the lights to try and kill and it hasn't, any idea's.
How well established is your tank. Brown algae (diatoms) is something everyone goes through. It should go away in your tank is reatively new. Also using RO water decreases the growth of this. It is a very good investment. Makes tank watching much more enjoyable when you dont have all the algae.
My tank is about a year old, and I do use RO water, if this helps at all. I heard that it will go away eventually but I have had it now for about 3 to 4 months, I have to clean it all the time. 
Does the skimmer produce much gunk? If not, try adjusting it to increase output. Also, adding a surface skimmer will help keep the protiens dissolved in the water until they can be filtered out. In the mean time, more frequent water changes would probably help--what are your nitrates at?
My skimmer is getting alot of dark stuff, so that works, and what do you mean by surface skimmer, what brands. I wish I could bring my pump that high to catch all that nasty stuff, but I can't. Also my nitrites are at about 25.
reefrash
bartender another round of skimmate
A surface skimmer is a way to circulate/filter water by creating an "overflow" cascading the water from the surface into a sump, filter or other unit. I'm positive you've seen it in action. How about this is there a chance you can use the return from the skimmer to agitate the surface more?