Tunze 9010 making tank cloudy from all the bubbles

[kysard1]

My first skimmer on this tank was a cheap chinese model. I got huge amounts of micro-bubbles. So I sold it and bought this Tunze 9010 for use in sump.

Same problem. Tank is cloudy from millions of small micro-bubbles. These bubbles are so small that they don't rise, no bubble trap baffle or foam would stop these. They have neutral bouyancy. I can turn off the skimmer and they remain for days.

Is it possible that some water chemistry just won't allow the use of a skimmer?

RO/DI TDS 1

Tank:

50G - 9 weeks old
pH 7.9
12 dKH
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
1.025 spg

 

[manderx]

I can turn off the skimmer and they remain for days.

then they aren't coming from the skimmer.

yes, water chemistry can cause microbubbles to persist longer. usually a few days takes care of it unless it's something in the food you use.

 

[kysard1]

Days was an exageration, With the skimmer off for about 8 hrs they clear up.

As soon as I start the skimmer the sump fills with a dense cloud of bubbles, then I can follow them up to the tank.

I feed with Ocean nutrition brine shrimp plus.

I am not blaming the Tunze. The skimmer I sold did the same thing. I was told it would stop, but after waiting 8 weeks I decided I should try a more respected skimmer.

 

[rvitko]

How are you using the skimmer? In tank or in sump? How is it assembled? Can you provide a pciture? Water chemistry definitely plays a big role in this problem. The addition of any sort of colloid (stress coat, some vitamins and medications and dechlorinators) can cause this problem. Saturated levels of oxygen can also cause this. If oxygen saturation is the issue you will generally notice the problem becomes worse the longer the lights are on, fewer bubbles in the morning, much more in the evening.

 

[kysard1]

The problem is the same lights on or off.

I have never added any additives, only use kalkwasser for top-off.

The skimmer is configured for in tank and assembled properly.

These bubbles are very small and have nearly neutral bouyancy.
There are so many that my main tank is cloudy.

The bubble baffles in my sump are over/under/over all 1" spacing.
I could have a hundred baffles and these bubbles would not be stopped because they have no bouyancy.

I had this problem with my first skimmer and was told to wait, after 8 weeks I gave up on it.

How long should I give this skimmer before throwing in the towel ? If I have to sell this one I am done with skimmers on my tank.

 

[rvitko]

And you are positive that you do not have any sort of venturi effect in your return plumbing? I have plumbed probably 100 tanks in my life as I used to own a store and the prime culprit of these bubbles is a pin hole leak in the plumbing, especially with ridgid pvc. The air gets sucked in like a venturi through the leak. I would verify that the skimmer is the source of the bubbles. If it is, closing the shutter door for the inlet should reduce the bubbles as should slowing the flow rate in the sump. The bubbles will reduce in time, they should be less in about 2 weeks and get progressively better but I don't understand how you are getting so many. Normally I would expect some but not as many as you describe. Just the occasional few small bubbles.

 

[kysard1]

Look this isn't just a few bubbles. I ran for a week with no skimmer and had no bubbles. I turned this on and the section of the sump where I installed the skimmer turned into a thick white cloud. I can see millions of bubbles pouring out the output tube and that port on the back of the skimmer.

This isn't just a slight case of micro-bubbles. We're talking millions of little micro-bubbles pouring out of the thing. It is very obviously coming from the skimmer.

 

[rvitko]

I am sorry, I don't have a fast answer for you, I know you are frustrated but without seeing this in person all I can do is offer some suggestions on things to check. This is not normal for these skimmers. I would expect a very few bubbles but nothing major. I use 2 9010's myself on 2 different aquariums and I have run them in tank and in sump and never had more than a few bubbles escape, nothing unbearable. Something is wrong but I could not say without seeing the set up.

 

[kysard1]

I am convinced it is my water chemistry. Some surfactant in my well water getting thru the RO/DI filter.

I'll probably sell this and find a skimmer that can have its output plumbed into a micron filter bag.

 

[rvitko]

Really there is no reason you couldn't just put a bag around the 9005. It would not be as efficient but it should work. I would also imagine that given time the surfactant will break down and you might ask around in the chemistry forum if something will remove or break down surfactants. I would suspect ozone should for sure but there may be a simpler way.

 

[manderx]

if you want to use a micron bag on the 9010, put it in a small bucket/rubbermaid/tub/whatever with overflow water filling it, then use a uniseal or bulkhead or whatever to go through the side of the bucket. water will drain out this hole, and you can direct it through a bag.

have you tried carbon yet?

 

[kysard1]

yes I've tried carbon.

The problem with putting a micron bag on the Tunze is the water that shoots at the back of it. That water is choke full of micro-bubbles too.

 

[rvitko]

I would suggest the following solution. Make a cage roughly 2" bigger than the skimmer out of eggcrate plastic. You would need to try different mesh sizes but wrap a mesh around the cage. I think if the flow rate through the sump is low enough and the mech fine enough the bubble should rise up and escape in the cage. By the way, you could also plug the hole in the back. Inside the skimmer water acts as the gasket that seals the cup, the "gasket" needs to be at the height of that vent hole and the water that is escaping is basically excess. If you plug the hole you have to be more careful about the depth the skimmer is submerged, it has to be lower. The force out of the pipe will also be greater. The output pipe is standard 1" PVC so you could also try different pipe designs. As long as the height wasn't changed and the restriction wasn't changed I could see where you could use an elbow on top and have that pour down an incline over over a foam pad. If I were to plug the hole I would get a rubber stopper so it could be removed if the result was not satisfactory, you can get these at Lowes. I would try building a pipe from scratch with 1" PVC and elbows at the top and bottom such that the water outlet height was the same as the OE pipe.

 

[kysard1]

I tried using the 1" pipe to run the output to a filter bag.

That works and I was able to keep the level the same as before.

The problem is at the bottom the plate doesn't make a good seal. There are bubbles exiting down there too.

I am just going to contact Marine Depot for a return.

thanks.

 

[kysard1]

Update : The bubbles leaking out the bottom where the powercord exits have reduced to a slow trickle.

There are still quite a few bubbles exiting the output tube, but I have this piped into a filter bag.

I am going to silicone the bottom piece in, should still be able to remove for maintenance.

Over the weekend this skimmer pulled out more skimmate than my Octo NW150 did in 4 weeks! This thing flat out skims great. It is very stable, no need to tinker with foam heigth.

The tiny, non-bouyant bubbles exiting the output are gone, I am hoping to have a bubble free operation as it breaks in.

 

[rvitko]

Good to hear!