Hi buddyboy,
One simple solution is to buy a surface skimmer made by aquaclear. It has some adaptors to fit various intake sizes and simply splits the intake draw from mid tank and surface. Here's a pic of one attached to an A.C. unit on my old 33G. It cost about $17.99
Of course, it doesn't take the place of drilling but it did effectively remove the surface layer of dissolved organic material.
________
Harley-Davidson XL883