Please help, Microbubbles, simple system-diagram inside...

[Ian]

Tank is a standard 90 gallon. Ive always had a microbubble problem and Ive tried everything from adding baffles to changing pumps to replacing the plumbing from soft to hard. If I turn the skimmer off, the bubbles are still there. The extra baffle is positioned to protect the return intake even more than a standard vertical baffle. Ive changed from a panworld to a mag 3 to the eheim 1260 thats in there now. The most recent thing Ive done was remove the barbs and soft tubing and replaced with PVC and glue thinking there were micro bubbles coming into the return line.

Here's a diagram of the tank as I said its a standard 90, ATB medium skimmer, Eheim 1260 return... Please ask any question and provide any suggestions that you think may help...

waterline in the sump is just below the top of the baffle and kept there by my ATO...

 

[Ian]

Upon a closer look into the return section, I don't see any bubbles

It shouldn't be this difficult to figure out

 

[Ian]

One thing I just thought of is that there are small holes drilled in the loc-line returns for siphon breaks. Could they be producing bubbles similar to what a Beckett injector would do?

 

[108reefer]

when the skimmer is off - there are still bubbles? are the returns under water, or splashing at the top?

 

[Newreeflady]

If you see bubbles running all over the sump even to the return chamber than you have too much flow or no baffles.

If you don't see bubbles, then carefully look for salt creep around your return plumbing as there is probably a small leak somewhere that draws in air as the water is pumped through.

locline should be submersed- If it is, and there is a small hole in it that you don't see a little funnel to from the water line then that isn't the problem.

-A

 

[KJAhp098]

Try putting a valve on your return and dial it down.

 

[gary504504]

hey i had the same problem sometime ago and i found out that the silicon holding one baffle in place had a leak at the bottom and bubbles from my skimmer was getting underneath and in the return area and even though i could't see the bubbles in the return area(probably do to lighting)when i emptied the sump and re-siliconed it the bubbles stop.not saying thats your problem but it's worth a look since everything else has failed