How far apart should my baffles be?

justinm0424

New member
Hey, i'm using a 55 gal sump for my 150gal tank and i'm using a dart for the return. It's pushing around 3000gph and im having a HUGE microbubble problem. the sump already had baffles installed but they're 4in away from eachother. The tank's 12" wide. How far apart should they be?


Thanks,
Justin
 
Any reason why you have 20x turnover through your sump? Most do 3-5x the display volume. A smaller return pump sounds like your only sure fix for your bubble issue.
 
3-5x?? I always thought you needed at least 10x. The added turnover helps keep the temp down and skim's better. I think my problem is the baffles are 4" away from eachother. Shouldn't they be more like 1-2"? Should I add a few more baffles inside the baffles that are already there?


Thanks
 
Yeah the 10x+ is movement in the display tank, not through the sump. I would use the pump for a closed loop and get a much smaller pump for your sump, like a mag 9.5.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9857392#post9857392 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davidryder
Yeah the 10x+ is movement in the display tank, not through the sump. I would use the pump for a closed loop and get a much smaller pump for your sump, like a mag 9.5.
I aim at 20x to 50X for the display
 
I tend to place my 3 baffle set wider. Baffle 1 and 3 are four inches apart and the middle is one inch from the baffle closest to the return pump.

Reason I have this wide opening is that I load this chamber with reef rubble.

It provides a great area for pods and also stops any remaining bubbles in the water column. Excess detritus is also halted here and what is not consumed by the inverts I can flush out at water changes.
 
I have rubble rock between my baffles and I put some cheato in there as well. It just seems like the 4in gap is too large to stop the microbubbles.

the gaps are 12in wide 8in tall and 4in between each baffle.
 
I run the same setup on my 210. 55 gal sump/ref with Dart return. With head pressure loss I estimate I'm moving around 2100gph. My DIY sump/ref has baffles 1.25" apart. Never had microbubble problems.
 
I would think that having the baffles farther apart would let the microbubbles rise better. They wouldn't get sucked down under the top baffle.
Mine are 2" apart.
 
I would think the wider the baffles are the slower the water moves through there and the more time the bubbles have to rise to the top.
 
I think it's the force of the water being pulled down faster than the air can be pulled which eliminates the microbubbles. And if the gap is too large then there's not enough force pulling the water.
 
Are you talking about microbubbles or actual bubbles? Microbubbles linger in the water and take a long time to rise to the top.
 
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