# Should I get a skimmer?



## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Lately I have been getting a film collecting on the surface of the water in my 120 gallon. I have just been scooping it up to get rid of it but this is quite tedious and I and doing it almost every night. I really don't know what's causing it. I thought maybe it had been a while since I cleaned my filters but cleaning then didn't make a difference. Should I try a skimmer?

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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

you'd be pleasantly surprised at the amount of proteins that will fill that cup in a short period of time,I always went skimmer with my saltwater setups It definitely cant hurt.


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

Skimmer adds more hardware in your tank so it doesn't look as clean. But that being said, I bought an aquaclear one and I've been happy with the crystal clear water surface. It will suck in bits of plant floating at the top though.
You can try creating a bit more water ripple at the surface which will decrease the film build up.
I believe someone is selling a couple skimmers on the equipment classifieds section right now. Great price. I paid 4x for mine at a LFS.


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## aQ.LED (Nov 13, 2012)

I don't think skimmer works for freshwater, or am I wrong?


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## Reckon (Jul 25, 2012)

there are surface skimmers for fw.


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Surface skimmer could help if set up properly. Agitating the water surface with a spray bar or a power head will help eliminate the film and improve oxygen exchange.


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

aQ.LED said:


> I don't think skimmer works for freshwater, or am I wrong?


You are correct. The intention use of the protein skimmer is not going to work in freshwater.

But if he is only using it for the purpose of getting rid of the surface oil, then it should work.

And what gklaw suggest also works wonderful as well by providing more surface moment either with spraybar or powerhead.


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## tony1928 (Apr 22, 2010)

They make surface skimmers which would help. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12703

Cheap. Also extra surface agitation would help keep the film dissolved. I find that feeding heavy protein foods will contribute to extra film. Especially high fat foods like mysis.


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## monkE (Aug 4, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> They make surface skimmers which would help. Aquarium Surface Skimmer
> 
> Cheap. Also extra surface agitation would help keep the film dissolved. I find that feeding heavy protein foods will contribute to extra film. Especially high fat foods like mysis.


wow didn't know about those... would have picked one up for my freshy tank


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

tony1928 said:


> They make surface skimmers which would help. Aquarium Surface Skimmer
> 
> Cheap. Also extra surface agitation would help keep the film dissolved. I find that feeding heavy protein foods will contribute to extra film. Especially high fat foods like mysis.


I used one of these on my 72 bow front FW tank and it worked great and they hook up to a A/C filter. Also agree with Gordon regarding the surface aggitation with a spraybar and or a powerhead.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

you've got a film on on the surface of your freshwater tank ?

do a google search for "aquarium protein film"

before investing in additional equipment, have a look to see what it is first, in your search you'll likely find it's cause, what it is, and how to get rid of it.

ditch the skimmer idea for a freshwater tank unless you feel like throwing out money, ... in which case i'll take it off your hands  (the money)


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

I would just grab one from our local sponsors. They are dirt cheap - around $10. Part of the hobby is about trying and learning, right?
When done, just sell it at 50% and let other members play with them.


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

I think a lot of it is dust(open top). But a lot of it is some kind of oily film. Nothing has changed in the tank for 6 months. I have quite a bit of surface agitation as I have my ac 110 on the end of my tank making a river effect all the way across the top of my tank. This also causes the film to build up at the other end and pile up until it is more than half way across the tank.

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## big_bubba_B (Apr 25, 2010)

i have a whole crap load of salt water stuff i want to get rid of . if intrested shoot me a pm . i have lights. skimmer . wave maker. pump .


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

So I picked up a fluval surface skimmer off a member.. this thing works awesome. I sort of McGuyver'd it to the opposite end of my tank and ran it too my ac100. I probably won't leave it in all the time as it is unsightly, it is proving quite useful.

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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

aQ.LED said:


> I don't think skimmer works for freshwater, or am I wrong?


I dont think a protein skimmers would work for freshwater as they are meant for saltwater and Ive read they dont work on fw tanks. The type these guys are talking about is more of a top water skimmer which by the sounds of it does work on freshwater tanks


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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

Here are some before and after pics. 
Before :

















And about 30 seconds after I activate the skimmer:

















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## Foxtail (Mar 14, 2012)

So far for $5 it was an excellent investment... now I just need to figure out how to make it less unsightly 

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