Tunze 9004 - Micro bubbles...Help!

[scotia-reefer]

I have a 38gal Innovative Marine Reef tank and I just recently got a Tunze 9004 skimmer to add to it. It does a great job and really collects a lot of skim mate, The only problem is it is always producing micro bubbles. When will this stop? I know it needs time to break in as the manual says but it has been exactly 1 week tomorrow (so 6 days at this point). I had company over today and I had to unplug the skimmer so the tank was enjoyable.

 

[rvitko]

Make sure there is not strong flow by the skimmer, especially problematic is a powerhead or pump positioned under the skimmer. Also be sure the pump is mounted in the clips in the body, they can come loose in shipping.

 

[scotia-reefer]

Its in the sump portion of the tank so I don't think it's a flow issue. As for the clips, I'm not sure why it would have come apart but I will check tonight. Thanks for the help.

 

[rvitko]

The pump tends to come loose in shipping, if this was not checked on arrival it could be the cause.

 

[scotia-reefer]

It's been over 2 months now and I'm still fighting micro bubbles. I had it in the back chamber (filter area) of my tank but have recently moved it to the main tank area. When it was in the back it would be microbubble free for the day until feeding time at which the tank would fill up with bubbles. Now that it's in the main reef area the bubbles continue all day long. I'm extremely frustrated with this and as much as my wife thinks we should get rid of it and try another brand, I was a firm believer in Tunze so I've been holding on hoping it would get better. What am I doing wrong? Is it possible this one is a factory reject? Please help!

 

[rvitko]

The main culprits we see with excessive microbubbles are the following-

1) Pump is upside down, the needles face up to the cup.

2) The skimmer is submerged too deep, their is a sweet spot, if it is too deep or too shallow the force of water rushing in or the pump being starved for water can knock more bubbles out than would be normal.

3) An additive is being used which acts as a surfactant, this can be disregarded if skimmate production is otherwise normal.

 

[scotia-reefer]

I checked the pump...right side up

No additives used so we can rule that out.

I have tried from as shallow as could go to as deep as possible. Nothing stops the rush of bubbles coming from the bottom discharge. Any other suggestions? This is not my first tank nor my fist skimmer so please don't think I'm crazy. I just want to eliminate the microbubbles which is both a nuisance for my fish and viewing and also an intense salt splash on my lights.

 

[rvitko]

Is there a strong flow under the skimmer that may be pulling bubbles out from an undertow? I don't think you are crazy, but the skimmer is relatively simple and I can't think of any defect that would cause this and we have used one long term and at shows and have not seen this ourselves, I have had a few reports of this so my suggestions were based on what we have found caused other issues.

 

[scotia-reefer]

I wouldn't say it's too strong of a flow since it appears that the bubbles falling out of the discharge not being sucked out.

Of the other reports, were any of them resolved 100%?

 

[rvitko]

Yes, in every report I have received the issue was resolved.

In one case the pump was upside down. In another the skimmer was in a 20 gallon tank with a 6015 Nano Stream aimed right under it, the guy upgraded to a 40 breeder which was planned anyway and once he got the water level correct and the flow was no longer right under the skimmer the bubble problem went away. With any skimmer the most common cause is various medias and additives which change the surface tension so bubbles carry farther. The only other culprit I know of is very high oxygen levels from fast growing corals and algae or very intense lighting but in those cases the bubbles get worse the longer the lights are on and that tends to be a new tank issue.

 

[chlwodud85]

I was the guy in the first case Roger talked about.... My pump was installed upside down by this person(me)....

Make sure the pump is aiming up not down (i think the picture shows it as shooting down)

 

[gorally]

I am having the micro bubble issue as well. I have checked the pump is aiming up. However, I can see a trace of buble coming out from the bottom. Some even escape from the side. I have adjusted the hight and reassure the face plate is sitting properly. However, some bubble still coming out.

 

[scotia-reefer]

I couldn't take it anymore, I had to remove it from the tank.

Roger, any chance you want to buy it back from me?

 

[gorally]

will adding a foam at the bottom help?

 

[scotia-reefer]

No, I tried it. I beleive I've tried everything possible. Like you said, it comes out the side and the bottom so foam would only help the bottom discharge not the side.

I think I finally found a failed Tunze product.

 

[rvitko]

We have been using one here without issue and since last September, I am sure this is resolvable. Some pictures of the install would help. The only bubbles we see are a small stream from the back intermittently but these just slowly rise behind the skimmer and are inconsequential.

 

[scotia-reefer]

Sorry Roger, I already pulled it from the tank, cleaned it up, and re-worked the rockscape to fill in the area it was in. To put it back in would be a hassel.

BTW...huge Flash Gordon fan when I was younger, love the avatar!

 

[rvitko]

Thank you Scotia, but I would be happy to get you a return label and check it out, repair it if needed.

 

[gorally]

Here are some photos.

The bubbles from the bottom

Placement

 

[rvitko]

What is the tube in front of the skimmer? The water looks murky like the tank is newly set up, that is a definite culprit as new water tends to be oxygen saturated from being cold and pressurized and it degasses in the tank and a skimmer encourages this, it will stop once the water is no longer super saturated. I would be curious if the bubbles would stop/reduce if you shut off the MP-10, if so moving it will likely help a great deal as well, an undertow under the skimmer will suck the bubbles down and out of the skimmer.