to break water surface or not

[trueblackpercula]

Ok I am trying to take a poll that we can all learn from. How many of us use some type of water device to break the water surface? and how many do not?

[kawicivic]

I use a powerhead to break the water surface to keep the scum from forming. Most have overflows that do the same thing without have to break the surface. In one way or another you will have to break the surface to keep the scum from forming.

[trueblackpercula]

I should have include that in the Poll. I just assumed that most have an overflow box of some sort.
Thanks for the post can you post a Picture of your tank?
Here is a picture of my overflow as you can see i do not have a problem with oil or film build up on the water surface. This is just another place were water movement is adding O2 to the tank.


This cover that glass

[supervdl]

Heavy flow at the surface with overflow boxes and return pipes only inch below the surface.

[Serioussnaps]

Originally posted by kawicivic
I use a powerhead to break the water surface to keep the scum from forming. Most have overflows that do the same thing without have to break the surface. In one way or another you will have to break the surface to keep the scum from forming.

For a long time, folks like Anthony Calfo, have suggested a calm surface allowing the scum to form as proteins find their way to the top of the surface and thus can overflow and be skimmed.

Efficient skimming and the "fact" that proteins accumulate at the surface of your water lead one to believe that not breaking the surface can be beneficial and actually suggested, which it has by Calfo...I would have to find the literature and it aint new thats for sure.

With that said my tunzes break the surface...to hell with it.

[coralite]

It doenst matter whether you break the water surface of the tank as long you skim the surface. In essence a protein skimmer is a "surface breaker". Without a sump you would definitely want to break the surface up a bit. Either way I prefer to have a little surface agitation to encourage ripple lines.

[ezcompany]

too much water current on the top breaking the surface creates too much salt creep.

[erickrm]

what EZ said i cant help my tunzes breaking it for me but i would def rather have minimal... and let my overflow/skimmer do all the breaking

[pIankton]

I run a 90 gallon sumpless mixed reef. I also have 4 seios that make my water surface boil. My skimmer's also a hang-on so I keep the proteins in the water column. Salt creep is a small issue, but weekly wipe downs are easy to do and not a PITA like most people let them get to be.

[chirocato]

Originally posted by erickrm
what EZ said i cant help my tunzes breaking it for me but i would def rather have minimal... and let my overflow/skimmer do all the breaking

Same ^^^^^except it's my Vortechs.

[smatter]

No sump, chaotic surface, no film. I skim it out before it can form with my internal Tunze skimmer.

[GSMguy]

I am sumpless and have heavy flow at the surface, i see reducing the flow as moving backwards. But if you have overflows that would create a bit of agitation still nothing like in my tank with a vortech and two tunzes near the surface.

[Graf-X]

I always had good luck with heavy/medium surface flow.

[trueblackpercula]

bump

[faded1004]

mediun to heavy... i don't like too heavy cause it will make bubbles... but my reasons for medium heavy top surface flow:

surface particles are pushed to the surface skimmer
my metal halides' shimmer effects
slightly agitating the top increases gas exchange?

my meathod of aggitation: korallia 4 slightly pointed up... my tunzes are sagging... so they dont' break the surface...

[Kip]

heavy, but not full time heavy thanks to vortechs on reefcrest mode

i also did this with my oceansmotions setup

maw-nature has pretty heavy surface agitation.... i figure i should too

[StrategicReef]

when not running enough flow, I can see particles form a concentrated film in one area, I rather turn up the flow to reduce this effect.

[SunnyX]

Heavy flow at the surface. My tank looks like a hurricane at the surface. I love the shimmer lines and the increased O2/Co2 exchange at the surface. From som things that ive read, shimmer are up to 40% brighter than non shimmer.

[gjm258]

I have power heads pointed at the surface because I like the look of the rays of light that it makes.

[GSMguy]

Originally posted by trueblackpercula
bump

HMMMMMM
lol

[Atomikk]

This is a no brainer. Surface agitation aids to the effective gas exchange between your tank and the air in your house. No agitation, and you get a buildup of CO2 under water causing coral suffocation.. which in turn causes fish to suffocate... and thus will have a dead tank (ie crash).

The bonus of heavy surface agitation is that excess protein particles are broken up and then easily skimmed.