Sump Advice

[CodeBlueMedic]

Hey folks,

In my 125, I have a 30 gallon sump. I've got a couple of questions about it...First off, how often are y'all doing top offs? I started with a 29 gallon and was only having to top off every week or so, but with this one, I have to add water every other day.

My main question is about micro bubbles though....I get a ton of them and I have narrowed it down to my return. As you can see in the pictures, the water flow from refugium to the return section creates a ton of bubbles, which then gets sucked into my return pump and sprayed into my display. I have been battling it by placing a large piece of filter floss in the "water fall" section, which breaks down the bubbles pretty well. Problem is, I don't like having to place the floss in there. My nassarius snails constantly crawl over the edge of the refugium and get stuck in the floss.

Any recommendations for changes that I could make to the sump to correct these issues?

Thanks so much

 

[coralsnaked]

Just try raising the water level in the pump box to the near top of the baffle plate. This should eliminate most of the bubbles and give the rest time to evacuate before being sucked under the baffle

 

[explorer07]

Or you could get a foam pad and stick it in there. Just clean it out once in a while.

 

[MondoBongo]

i have a 75 gallon with 25 gallon sump volume, i top of about 1 - 2 gallons of fresh water a day depending on the weather conditions.

i'm kind of surprised you're only every other day.

i got an ATO for just this reason. cuts down my work, and keeps salinity much more stable for all inhabitants, and everyone loves stability.

 

[explorer07]

I have a 75g with 30g fuge. I use 5g ato a week

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

i have a 75 gallon with 25 gallon sump volume, i top of about 1 - 2 gallons of fresh water a day depending on the weather conditions.

i'm kind of surprised you're only every other day.

i got an ATO for just this reason. cuts down my work, and keeps salinity much more stable for all inhabitants, and everyone loves stability.

If I make it two days, I'm happy. But you are right, an ATO may be in my future...I do have glass tops, so that probably helps with the evaporation.

 

[acabgd]

I do have glass tops, so that probably helps with the evaporation.

Glass tops are not a very good idea with marine tanks, especially if you plan on keeping corals.

 

[Kaosinnyc1]

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[Kaosinnyc1]

thats a bounce

 

[Kaosinnyc1]

this is a yuma
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[JammyBirch]

Ok so back to the point of this thread, not sure why the pics are in here. Anyway ATO is really a good idea, as the water evaporates the salt stays, in other words your salinity will increase. When you add replacement water it returns to normal, this type of fluctuation is not good. Glass tops are also not a good thing it will limit gas exchange.

 

[MondoBongo]

Oh that makes sense. I didn't even think about a glass top. Aside from stability I like my ago because I am suuuuuper lazy. And the more I can automate, the better.

 

[CodeBlueMedic]

I'm with Ya. I've read a lot of mixed information about glass tops and while I understand the concerns, you really don't need to worry about gas exchange when you have a skimmer and sump, as all the gas exchange that needs to happen can happen there. I'm gonna get a piece of foam to place in between the baffle and refugium to reduce bubbles. I've added a ton of water trying to keep it up at the top, but it's like its vanishing

 

[laga77]

It is the waterfall that is causing the micro bubbles. Raise the level in the sump to eliminate them. IMO the foam block will still cause bubbles. There is a ton of chemical interaction going on on the surface of the tank. That is why the returns draw their water there. Lose the glass top to help with this exchange.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Where is the water level in the sump when the return pump is off? The water level with everything off should be about 1" below the top of the sump. If it's more than this there is no reason you couldn't add more water to the system to eliminate the waterfall effect.