Can someone point me toward a good primer on troubleshooting and fixing microbubbles? The tank is a 210g w/ Oceanic 250 sump, FOWLR and some inverts. Skimmer is a T5000 shorty. Pump is a 1/2 hp pressure pump, which I think may be the source of my woes... It isn't a common aquarium brand--more like a large spa pump or something (1" inlet, 3/4" outlet). I don't see any air bubbles in the sump where the pump is pulling from, so I was thinking there may be a pinhole air leek somewhere in the return plumbing. However, the problem only started to be really noticeable this last saturday, when I made a few changes to the system. I performed the first large water change, and after turning the pump back on is when I started to notice the bubbles being worse. I also added a meshweel impeller to my skimmer, but that was only after I already noticed the bubbles, and the water coming out of the skimmer is as clear as it ever was.
To give just a little more detail, the pump's outlet side tee's off to a manifold that feeds a UV filter and a phosban reactor full of carbon, with flow controlled by a true union ballvalve. It flows into the bioballs section of the sump. Above that Tee, there is another true union ballvalve, then it tee's off to the two returns. All of the plumbing is a mixture of 1" hard PVC and 1" flex PVC. On the intake side of the pump, there is a true union ballvalve and a few turns in the plumbing that comes directly from the sump.
if anyone can help or point in the right direction, I'd appreciate it! thanks!
To give just a little more detail, the pump's outlet side tee's off to a manifold that feeds a UV filter and a phosban reactor full of carbon, with flow controlled by a true union ballvalve. It flows into the bioballs section of the sump. Above that Tee, there is another true union ballvalve, then it tee's off to the two returns. All of the plumbing is a mixture of 1" hard PVC and 1" flex PVC. On the intake side of the pump, there is a true union ballvalve and a few turns in the plumbing that comes directly from the sump.
if anyone can help or point in the right direction, I'd appreciate it! thanks!
