Micro-bubbles issue, look at the picture please help
- Thread starter Viajeque
- Start date
What kinda return is that? How many gph?
Tehnically you don't need that last baffle. You have such a high flowrate thru your sump that the last baffle is the one making bubbles when he water falls. Those little bubbles then get sucked up thru your monster return pump and gets pulverized to tiny micro bubbles in your sump.
Ps your first chamber has way too much water. It practically makes water shoot out over the last baffle.
Tehnically you don't need that last baffle. You have such a high flowrate thru your sump that the last baffle is the one making bubbles when he water falls. Those little bubbles then get sucked up thru your monster return pump and gets pulverized to tiny micro bubbles in your sump.
Ps your first chamber has way too much water. It practically makes water shoot out over the last baffle.
Viajeque
New member
630 gallons/min, should I get a slower one? I have 4 ft from my return pump to my overflow box. Its a RIO 12 hf
You are right about the bubbles sucked by the return pump but that's not the case here, the big bubbles dont get sucked and if I add more water I do not have that problem. The micro-bubbles come all the way from the skimmer through the sump and they pass through the sponges and then to the main display. Thanks for the advises.
You are right about the bubbles sucked by the return pump but that's not the case here, the big bubbles dont get sucked and if I add more water I do not have that problem. The micro-bubbles come all the way from the skimmer through the sump and they pass through the sponges and then to the main display. Thanks for the advises.
First isolate and find out if it's really your skimmer. Turn he skimmer off for a few hours and see if it helps any. If so then it's your skimmer. If the setup is really new then this will happen. Wait a few weeks and it should stop.
If you still have microbubbles with the skimmer off then it's something with your setup. I would remove all that foam though. Unless you plan on cleaning it often it will get clogged and could possibly overflow your sump.
You can already see water backed up in the fuge chamber. The water level should only be about where that first baffle is. Not all the way up like that.
I'm not sure if I can post this but Houston has a local reefclub. Www.marshreef.com
Post your problem there, I'm sure a lot of over houstonians are willing to help.
If you still have microbubbles with the skimmer off then it's something with your setup. I would remove all that foam though. Unless you plan on cleaning it often it will get clogged and could possibly overflow your sump.
You can already see water backed up in the fuge chamber. The water level should only be about where that first baffle is. Not all the way up like that.
I'm not sure if I can post this but Houston has a local reefclub. Www.marshreef.com
Post your problem there, I'm sure a lot of over houstonians are willing to help.
mike_cmu04
New member
How long has your system been running sometimes new plumbing can cause this and it will go away as the pipes are broke in.
ill tell you what man i know exactly what will stop those bubbles. i did the same thing as you and i tried using different filter media etc and the bubbles still got thru. UNTIL i got the filter block from eshopps and this thing is amazing man it stopped ALL BUBBLES hitting my return pump.the filter block is dense enough to stop the bubbles but not to dense to where it stops water flow to much. ill try to find you that filter block 
beatle
Member
~600 is fine for a 90.
I had a similar design in my 30g sump that I ran with an Eheim 1260 return (skimmer-> fuge -> return. I only had three baffles, however. My skimmer chamber had a baffle that went all the way to the top of the tank, then one low baffle right after. My fuge was separated from the return with a baffle the same height as my second baffle. Microbubbles appeared occasionally, but that was only when my skimmer was going nuts.
I had a similar design in my 30g sump that I ran with an Eheim 1260 return (skimmer-> fuge -> return. I only had three baffles, however. My skimmer chamber had a baffle that went all the way to the top of the tank, then one low baffle right after. My fuge was separated from the return with a baffle the same height as my second baffle. Microbubbles appeared occasionally, but that was only when my skimmer was going nuts.
Viajeque
New member
At was told at my LFS to put a pitcher with holes at the bottom and live rock all the way up, put a sponge at top and have my overflow input at the top of the pitcher. That did help a lot. I also put a filter sock on my skimmer output which helped a lot to. Now I realize my only source of micro-bubbles left is my emperor 400 power filter, I put a timer to it so it will only work at nights. Any thoughts to fix this? If I get a canister filter would that work better than the emperor 400? or should I just get rid of the emperor and just use my skimmer? Thanks in advance!
