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1st Tank - 3G Nano, Low Tech - Film on Water Surface

Joined
23 Feb 2021
Messages
86
Location
Cochrane, Alberta, 🇨🇦
I am new to the aquascaping scene and recently started my first project (3 weeks in).
Tank: 3 Gallon Marineland Contour complete with internal filter and pump.
Filter Upgrade: replaced with sponge, bio media (fluval) and filter floss
Light Upgrade: ONF Flat Nano
Substrate: ADA Amazonia
Plants:
1. Eleocharis acicularis 'mini'
2. Staurogyne repens
3. Anubias sp. ‘Petite’
4. Limnobium laevigatum
I have done a 50% water change every day (week 1), every other day (week 2), used Seachem prime to treat my tap water and added Seachem Flourish Advance every day.
It’s all going well except for a oil/wax like film that keeps covering the surface of my water.

Can anyone identify it and how to remove it and prevent it?
701800DD-2364-4ADF-AD21-F6A9C86B36B6.jpeg
 
Hi
Welcome to the UKaps!
Surface agitation will reduce the scum or an air pump/stone run during the night!
You can use a Kitchen towel to help remove the scum.
Plants are telling you they are not quite happy, this is probably down to them being grown out of water then transferred into aquatic life!
An all in one fertilizer would be beneficial.
hoggie
 
Thank you for the welcome and the advise! I will look into air pump/stone. The pump is fairly small on this tank and I am also concerned with circulation. I have a little air stone pump that was too much for my betta, so I will dig that out of my basement and give it a try.
 
If you're running the tank low energy (no CO2) then you don't need to worry about the flow so much. I have a 3G tank that I keep at room temperature, with a cheap ($5) filter that has pretty crappy flow, but I point the spraybar very slightly upwards to get a bit of agitation and theplants love it. Doing a wc every 1-2 weeks, largely triggered by enough water evaporating that the spray bar is above the surface :cool:.
 
I’m relieved to hear about someone else with such a little tank combined with a less than ideal flow and yet still having success! I’m preparing to scape my 5Gallon this week, but I invested in a better filtration system (external). It will be neat to see the two tanks progress side by side.
 
After choosing the worst spot to place the air stone, knocking my hardscape and having a bunch of plant float up, I got it all sorted, also adjusted the outlet flow and used the air stone during the night and the results were great! Plus the scape has taken a slightly new form!
 

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