Foam and Bubbles
- Thread starter Bmore88
- Start date
mcgyvr
New member
No if those bubbles are caused by your inferior drain setup then the foam/bubbles and the noise will probably not go away.. You can throttle down the outlet of the pump to lower the flow rate or switch to a better overflow design.. Some try filter socks over the outlet and various other "workarounds"..
Typically thats also why the need for a bubble trap (that and the skimmer) in a sump..
The "foam" may go away as sometimes new salt mix can have a bit of a "froth" but bubbles there look like they are caused by the overflow..
And ever try a skimmer in fresh water.. (hint.. it doesn't work at all.. you just can't keep bubbles going in fresh)
Typically thats also why the need for a bubble trap (that and the skimmer) in a sump..
The "foam" may go away as sometimes new salt mix can have a bit of a "froth" but bubbles there look like they are caused by the overflow..
And ever try a skimmer in fresh water.. (hint.. it doesn't work at all.. you just can't keep bubbles going in fresh)
How would the drain setup be considered inferior? Its pvc draining about 1" under the water line. How could it be improved?
There is the typical bubble trap of over/under/over baffles.
There was No foam whatsoever prior to adding the salt and sand and rocks. But that was a few days ago. I would think it would have dissipated by now.
I do have filter socks I just haven't added them yet. I will try this. Also, I need to re-do my supply line to get better gph, currently I used too many elbows which are restricting the flow potential.
and just so I understand, are you saying adding a skimmer will reduce foam? or possibly reduce?
This is around the lines of what I was thinking... It was non existent until I added the sand and salt.
The sand finally settled down which now lets me see that the "cloudiness" is in fact the small bubbles..
I will wait it out for now while cycling. But as mentioned above, I do need to re-do the supply side.
mcgyvr
New member
Now I don't know what you have at the top of that overflow but by doing a durso or herbie or even better a bean animal overflow you eliminate most of the problems/negatives with typical drain setups..
some reading for you just because
http://www.beananimal.com/projects/silent-and-fail-safe-aquarium-overflow-system.aspx
As stated by C.Eymann though.. wait it out a bit.. Sand and new salt can create some "froth" but I think its just the overflow for the most part and just how salt water is different from fresh as far as bubble capacity is concerned..
Ahh. I have seen this diagram for the bean animal system before. I looks great. I wish I would have went with that from the beginning. I am running the CPR90 hang on overflow.
Good news is the Filter sock pretty much cleared it up.
I anticipate living at this house for probably only another year or 2. But when I am good and settled down I will definitely be doing the bean animal...or just get a pre-plumbed tank.
Thanks all
Good news is the Filter sock pretty much cleared it up.
I anticipate living at this house for probably only another year or 2. But when I am good and settled down I will definitely be doing the bean animal...or just get a pre-plumbed tank.
Thanks all
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Just being paranoid as there is still some foam coming from the Filter Sock.
.... if the guy I bought this tank off craigslist cleaned it with soap before selling it to me there would have been Foam and Bubbles before I added the sand and salt right?
I had the tank running continuously for a few days prior to adding sand and salt and had no Foam...
Its just been about 2 or 3 days now and there is still foam..
any ideas?
.... if the guy I bought this tank off craigslist cleaned it with soap before selling it to me there would have been Foam and Bubbles before I added the sand and salt right?
I had the tank running continuously for a few days prior to adding sand and salt and had no Foam...
Its just been about 2 or 3 days now and there is still foam..
any ideas?
scelona
New member
If it didn't have bubbles until you added the sand then I wouldn't be worried at all. New sand always causes a lot of foam even after being rinsed 100 times before adding. Do you have a protein skimmer running? These usually clean up the bubbles pretty quickly.
scelona
New member
No it is definitely not necessary, they are good at removing the foam that the sand causes but if you plan on letting this tank cycle slowly (smart move) then it should just go away on its own. And a few water changes will help if it is really bugging you.
Take your time picking out the skimmer and get something rated 1.5x - 2x the capacity of your tank. Well worth getting an "oversized" skimmer if you can.
ColoReefer970
New member
How did you add the salt?
mcgyvr
New member
normal IMO..
either from sand (probably) or salt or just the overflow itself..
Due to the salinity/ph of the water finer bubbles are possible vs freshwater..
Keep cleaning the filter sock on a daily basis for now to remove the foam/particles its catching and it should clear up if its from the sand.. (usually has a sandy color to it too)
Got a closeup picture now..
either from sand (probably) or salt or just the overflow itself..
Due to the salinity/ph of the water finer bubbles are possible vs freshwater..
Keep cleaning the filter sock on a daily basis for now to remove the foam/particles its catching and it should clear up if its from the sand.. (usually has a sandy color to it too)
Got a closeup picture now..
Yea the Filter sock is beyond disgusting... couldn't even clean it really.
I do think the overflow is contributing because I messed up the return pvc (used too many elbows.) So the flow is around 200gph.
Once I straiten that out and get flow closer to 500 I think the overflow will be more "full." Right now whatever water gets in there immediately gets sucked down along with alot of bubbles, which are broken into smaller bubbles by the sponge filter that surrounds the drain.
....But do bubbles make foam?
I touched the foam and it almost instantly dissipates when it touches the oil on your fingers and there is no residual left behind.
I do think the overflow is contributing because I messed up the return pvc (used too many elbows.) So the flow is around 200gph.
Once I straiten that out and get flow closer to 500 I think the overflow will be more "full." Right now whatever water gets in there immediately gets sucked down along with alot of bubbles, which are broken into smaller bubbles by the sponge filter that surrounds the drain.
....But do bubbles make foam?
I touched the foam and it almost instantly dissipates when it touches the oil on your fingers and there is no residual left behind.
mcgyvr
New member
Foam is bubbles..
Clean the filter sock.. (many who use them have multiples so they can throw them in the washer or whatever/bleach them,etc.. to get them clean you simply swap out a clean for a dirty and clean..
With a single overflow I will bet that if you increase flow you will have more problems.. noise/gurgling,etc..
Your flow more than likely won't drastically increase by just removing a few elbows.. some but not magically 2+x
again.. got a current picture? Many newbies will take a small minor issue and make it much bigger than it is.. I suspect thats the case here too..
Clean the filter sock.. (many who use them have multiples so they can throw them in the washer or whatever/bleach them,etc.. to get them clean you simply swap out a clean for a dirty and clean..
With a single overflow I will bet that if you increase flow you will have more problems.. noise/gurgling,etc..
Your flow more than likely won't drastically increase by just removing a few elbows.. some but not magically 2+x
again.. got a current picture? Many newbies will take a small minor issue and make it much bigger than it is.. I suspect thats the case here too..
