# Cloudy surface water



## blesser13 (Dec 6, 2010)

hello

The surface of my water in my tank look cloudy/dusty, actually im not sure how to explain the problem but is like there something white covering the surface of my tank, only the surface. The water in the tank is fine. Anyone know what it could be? My water surface have constant movement and I also do my wc every week. Thanks forward


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## kshah (Aug 24, 2010)

It could be a protein buildup on the surface. Protein Skimmers are common on reef aquariums. 

Sent from my Inspire 4G using Tapatalk


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

it is protein build up. many methods are used to remove it. Anywhere from a paper towel, to submurging your WC syphon half in the water and half not so you can suck off the top layer of scum, or even a mollie will eat that stuff. The best way to fix it tho is to increase surface agitation.


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## miko64 (Jul 25, 2011)

hello
i bought a 90 galon aquarium and after filling up with rocks and plants,i filled it with water,
i know first the water will be cloudy until it calm down around 24 hour

my problem is ,it`s almost 3 day but the water is still cloudy,i cant see what`s wrong?
is there any reason to be cloudy like that?
i hope i`ll get some help 
also ther`s a marinland c350 canister filter runing all the time


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I think it's a common problem for tanks with no glass covering, for 8 years I've never had surface scum on this tank, but I removed my glass tops due to discussions of them blocking a good percentage of the available light and boom, surface scum. I think it's airbourne polutants from cigarette smoke to kitchen grease and everything in between. There is such a thing as a protien layer that when disturbed it will clump and you'll see it floating in the water, this can be removed with a paper towel for temporary relief but I don't know the cause.


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## andrews02r (Nov 16, 2010)

Miko, 3 days isn't very long for the cloudiness to dissipate. 

Two questions come to mind:
1) What is your substrate and did you wash/rinse it?
2) Have you been moving stuff around or have you been able to keep your hands out of the tank?


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## miko64 (Jul 25, 2011)

oh noaandrew i wasnt moving anything in the room
also yes i washed it before filling up
but today the visibility is litle bit much better
and ther`s 10 gourami happily swimming in theyre new home:red_mouth

i hope tomorrow the water will be much better


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

it is protein build up usually from over feeding or not enough agitation, both. in a tank with little agitation i do a very small water change daily with a cup and i made a little rig i can put a paper towel in like a fish net and skim the surface, however i no longer get the buildup i tuned in on feeding and the tanks stay clean, also a good idea to check for dead fish


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## chiefroastbeef (Feb 14, 2011)

I had a huge surface scum issue, tried a lot of surface agitation, but in the end, the only thing that gave me crystal clear water in my open top tank was a surface skimmer, which can be had for cheap. If you think it will look unsightly in your tank, just get some plants to cover it up. It certainly beats that nasty white scum. The surface skimmer is a piece of equipment I cannot live without.

http://mycichlidtank.oneinfostop.com/skimmer.htm


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