brown staining surface?

[Beemo]

ok theres this brown haze on the waters surface. it wasnt there yesterday when i did a water change.
i went to remove some of the surface haze with a plastic cup and it actually stained the cup brown! omg what is this?
im trying to think maybe its something i add to the water so here is everything i add
kent nano ion buffer A+B once a week
marine snow twice a week
prime reef flakes twice a day (2 flakes)
can any of these products cause brown staining?
there is a slight diatom algae on the sand other wise no algae blooms
the tank is 10g, i change 10% once a week, i have a skilter filter with just the filter running, i turned off the skimmer due to bubbles and it wasnt skimming anyway (i will not turn it back on)
inside the filter i have chemi pure and the carbon/poly cartridge
i use instand ocean salt. lighting is 2x40 pc on for about 10 hrs a day.
amonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 10 ppm
temp 79
ph 8.1
1.025
i dont have any other tests
could it be the iodine in the kent nano buffer?
all the corals, 2 clowns, and clean up crew are acting as if nothing is wrong. they are all eating and acting healthy
what did happen last night tho was a zoa got stuck in the intake strainer, but i got that one out, now this morning i woke up to another zoa stuck on the intake of the power head, it must have been there for 14 hours or so, could it be him releasing toxins and the toxins are brown?

[bertoni]

Surface scum isn't all that uncommon. I would skip the ion buffer on general principles, but it might be making the matter worse. Some paper towels laid on the water surface will remove a lot, and point a powerhead at the surface should help. Since no animals are looking unhappy, I wouldn't worry.

Over the long haul, calcium and alkalinity test kits might be useful.

[Beemo]

thanks so much i feel a bit better
is surface scum usually brown?
i have the nozzle that will point the power head up but do you think that will have an effect on water flow towards the corals? or it shouldnt matter much?

[bertoni]

You might need to tune the flow, but I'd get some surface agitation going somehow. The slick might reduce gas exchange, which would be bad.

I think the surface scum I've noticed in the past was brown, but I have so much surface rippling and preskimmer activity that I don't much see slicks any more.

[Beemo]

theres a small area that has a ripple, its only about 4" long and maybe 3" wide, would this be enough for gas exchange? the surface is totally clear in this area due to the ripple, but surounding areas are scummy

[bertoni]

Might be fine. You could also just use paper towels once a week or so.

Low pH might show up if you have gas exchange problems. The issue would be CO2 buildup in the water.

[Beemo]

thnx so much
ill keep checking the ph, its a hard test to read, sometimes i cant tell if its 8.0 or 8.5...i think i need a different brand lol

[bertoni]

I use a pH meter because they're easier to read and have a wider range. More expensive, though.

[Beemo]

def will be on my b-day list, oh and one of those refracto meters or what ever they are called lol
:)