Surface agitation

[rohnds]

I have recently setup my 70gal SW tank with a canister filter, Fluval 403, and wet/dry trickle filter. I also have 2 power heads, Penguin 505. But none of these are making any surface agitation. Is there a better (more powerful) powerhead or even something else that I can use to create surface agitation or something like a wave. I have seen tanks at fish stores with almost wave like surface motion. How can this be duplicated? Is this necessary?

It has only being 2 day since I filled the tank with water and started the filter running but I seem to see oily film at the surface? What could this be? Right now there is nothing in the tank except for the water, dead corals and some LRs.

Rohn

 

[shwnicus]

I don't think its necessary unless you have a really shallow tank and have corals or LR close to the surface. I am assuming however that you have an overflow feeding the wet/dry trickle filter. if you do, then the overflow is skimming the surface, which is causing some surface movement.

I notice you did not mention a protien skimmer. I highly recommend that you use one, especially if you are not going to use liverock as a filter base. the skimmer will have several benefits: 1) removing protein from the water will lower the likelihood of having decreased gas exchange across the surface. 2) will lower the amount of "food" the trickle filter will eat, thereby making the trickle less efficient (actually a good thing). Here's the deal, you trickle is too good of a ammonia/nitrite reducer, it will produce a TON of nitrate, and nothing in your filter system will take care of that save meticulous water changes (and even that can fail to keep up unless you do regular big changes). This why liverock is preferred. once set up properly, the anaerobic organisms inside the rock will breakdown the nitrate too. thats not to say you dont need to do water changes ! just that its a more ecologically balanced system.

long winded, I know. hope it answered the question well enough!

 

[rohnds]

I do have SeaClone 100 protein skimmer but that attached to sump.

Rohn

 

[S.Reef]

from a few online places you can find spray bars for the canister filter...those can do a good deal of surface agitation.

 

[wayne]

I have a Tunze powerhead on a single controller, for the US a cheaper option is a Seio pump, and wait a few weeks till they come with a controller. But once that's on you'll realise all the other powerheads are junk. In your position I would either use a spraybar, or just reposition my powerheads, filter/pump outputs to push together somewhere inthe middle to produce some turbulent flow near the surface.

You will find very few people with anything good to say about the seaclone that is undoubtedly a very bad, hard to use effectively skimmer. I would suggest you learn to look before online reviews before you drop your cash in the future