How do I get rid of micro bubbles???
- Thread starter Mark 75g
- Start date
acer
New member
Can you determine where they are coming from = skimmer, turbulence of the water falling into sump from display, etc. need to know your setup= return pump is external or internal, skimmer is in sump or out of sump, etc. after it is determined where the micro-bubbles originate then a solution can be figured out. Usually not to difficult of a problem to solve.
He, he, I was typing when drone posted.
He, he, I was typing when drone posted.
cloakerpoked
New member
There are several ways to eliminate micro-bubbles in your sump, but as stated above you need to determine where they are coming from. The most common sources are from 3 main culprits:
1. Protein skimmer
2. Low water level or splashing over baffles
3. Exceptionally high turnover of the sump
If your problem is the skimmer, try moving it farther away from the return pump if possible. If it's low water or poor sump design, then you need to take corrective action in that way. If your return pump is overpowering the size of your sump and turning it over too quickly, then you just gotta throttle back if safe to do so for your pump, and if not replace the pump all together.
1. Protein skimmer
2. Low water level or splashing over baffles
3. Exceptionally high turnover of the sump
If your problem is the skimmer, try moving it farther away from the return pump if possible. If it's low water or poor sump design, then you need to take corrective action in that way. If your return pump is overpowering the size of your sump and turning it over too quickly, then you just gotta throttle back if safe to do so for your pump, and if not replace the pump all together.
Mark 75g
New member
Sorry for not giving info. Was typing and had some other things happen and hit submit.
My sump: from left to right: return water with protein skimmer (water enters a filter sock first) then flows over fist barrier, under the 2nd barrier then over the 3rd.
Middle chamber houses 2- 9.5 mag return pumps
3rd chamber houses live rock and cheto (this also has a return line but is controlled. It flows over barrier into the middle.
It seems like I am getting bubbles from both sides. The water from the cheto area flows slow but is still creating bubbles below.
I can see bubbles flowing from the 1st chamber and making it thru all the barriers.
I am wondering if I should ad 2 barriersfrom top down one on each side of the return pumps so the water flow under this barrier but leaves the bubbles at the top.
My sump: from left to right: return water with protein skimmer (water enters a filter sock first) then flows over fist barrier, under the 2nd barrier then over the 3rd.
Middle chamber houses 2- 9.5 mag return pumps
3rd chamber houses live rock and cheto (this also has a return line but is controlled. It flows over barrier into the middle.
It seems like I am getting bubbles from both sides. The water from the cheto area flows slow but is still creating bubbles below.
I can see bubbles flowing from the 1st chamber and making it thru all the barriers.
I am wondering if I should ad 2 barriersfrom top down one on each side of the return pumps so the water flow under this barrier but leaves the bubbles at the top.
cloakerpoked
New member
What you are proposing might work, but it will depend a lot on how large the sump is too.
bmiller1234
Member
Since you can see the bubbles I assume you can see whats inititally causing them? Since your running a sock its probably your skimmer making the bubbles, You can put a sock on your skimmer output, or at least angle your skimmer output away from baffles to give them more time to surface.
It sounds like you have a ton of flow thru your sump if you slow it down do you still have the problem? I personally only flow about 2-3x an hour turnover thru sump. Skimmer runs much more efficient if its able to clean water instead of having it blown past skimmer and run back into tank.
It sounds like you have a ton of flow thru your sump if you slow it down do you still have the problem? I personally only flow about 2-3x an hour turnover thru sump. Skimmer runs much more efficient if its able to clean water instead of having it blown past skimmer and run back into tank.
Drone
New member
If the bubbles are large in the return pump area and getting sucked up by the return pumps and minced into micro bubbles then the water flowing into the return chamber from the bottom would fix that. If they are coming from the skimmer then either it's still breaking in or has too much flow or poor design and is letting too many bubbles out of the reaction chamber.
Drone
New member
Haha.....posting at the same time! 
I don't see how the flow into the return chamber would generate bubbles unless it's splashing down from the cheato side. The only way I could see the Skimmer side being a proble would be if the water level gets low enough in the return area to be below the last baffle and splash as it flows over.
Do either of these seem to be happening?
Kevin
I don't see how the flow into the return chamber would generate bubbles unless it's splashing down from the cheato side. The only way I could see the Skimmer side being a proble would be if the water level gets low enough in the return area to be below the last baffle and splash as it flows over.
Do either of these seem to be happening?
Kevin
Mark 75g
New member
No the water level is always higher than the last baffle. I put those sponges in to see if that helps break up the bubbles before entering the main chamber. I can actually see bubble from the skimmer side going down the 1st baffle and up around the second baffle.
Water just flows down the cheto side but it is creating bubbles .
The skimmer has been running for over a year- it is a 3G Protein Skimmer.
Water just flows down the cheto side but it is creating bubbles .
The skimmer has been running for over a year- it is a 3G Protein Skimmer.
Drone
New member
Putting a high baffle on the cheato side with an inch gap between the bottom and the baffle that extends to the top of the sump should hold the bubbles from that side in between those baffles.
What happens if you move your foam from between the second and third baffles to between the first and second baffles? Make them deep enough to contact the lower water surface.
On a side note the Reagl Angel was eating flake food and Spectrum pellets tonight.
Kevin
What happens if you move your foam from between the second and third baffles to between the first and second baffles? Make them deep enough to contact the lower water surface.
On a side note the Reagl Angel was eating flake food and Spectrum pellets tonight.
Kevin
I am actually having a similar problem with micro bubbles making their way to the DT, however another option to add to your list of potential causes - and the cause of mine - is the splashing of the water coming out the top of my bubble magus reactor (got carbon in there). The filter pads were restricting the flor so much it wasn't worth having turned on, however once I took out those the flow through the reactor increased massively, but started splashing down and producing bubbles past the bubble trap in the sump!!!! Argh!!!! Might have to look at squeezing the reactor into the same chamber as the skimmer then!
