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[APD] re: surface scum



> > Tom, my CO2 is at 30ppm, but I'm still getting bad surface scum; it's a
> > definite layer on the surface which feels soapy. The plants seems to be
> > producing O2 fine, with bubbles coming off. Low surface agitation to
keep
> > CO2 in. Any suggestions?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Poe

Does it make sense to have low surface agitation when you have scum on the
surface? If the reason that increasing CO2 helps remove the scum by
increasing the O2 (which increases microbial decomposition of the scum)
won't it make more sense to agitate the surface... helping to introduce atmospheric
O2, break up the scum physically and increase its surface area?

Maybe the source of the scum is not the plants: I've had scum form when I
had a large piece of decomposing bogwood in one tank. I assumed it was some
by-product of the fungus/bacteria in the wood. Surface agitation helped alot
but it took awhile before the scum disappeared completely...possibly when
the microbes ran out of what it was they were consuming?

I also had scum on the pond surface when there was an outbreak of some kind
of hair algae. Surface agitation got rid of the scum, but this reappeared
when the agitation stopped. Getting rid of the source of the problem, the
algae, was however the permanent solution.

regards
Stephan
Malta



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