tunze doc 9015 skimmer micro bubbles

[genzod66]

have a 120 f. o. tank been set up for about a month,my skimmer is sending tons of micro bubbles into tank,i guess their isnt enough bio load only have 3 small clowns and a tang,how long til i can turn the skimmer on without getting the bubbles,its been broken in???lfs said tunze says needs more bio load,liquid is clear,no skim??

 

[rvitko]

Is the skimmer in tank or in sump?

 

[genzod66]

in sump

 

[rvitko]

As far as the basics to check, make sure it is assembled correctly, a coupler that was included should be between the intake grid on the front and the pump intake. The bottom plate has a beveled edge that should face forward and must be on all the way. You need to be using the solid plate that has the suction cup feet on it.

Besides the fish do you have live rock and corals?

 

[genzod66]

everything including the plate with feet is on,only 25 lbs live rock,mostly fish only tank,its very new and clean

 

[rvitko]

I am not so concerned about the lack of skimming as you have very few fish and it probably will not skim much in this set up until it is more mature with a higher stock level. I want to help solve the microbubble issue. How many gph go through the sump and do you have a picture of it in the sump so I can see how it is installed?

 

[genzod66]

hi,dominic from aquarium center in blackwood set it up,he is gonna call you,its a super mag 950 pump,when i turn off skimmer the bubbles go away,i will post a pic, thanx jeff

 

[genzod66]

here is pic

 

[rvitko]

Raising the water level would help quite a bit, could you raise the water level about 3"?

 

[genzod66]

the water is to the top of the tank in the tank,water is at least 1 inch above suggested water line,do i just fill the sump up more and have a higher water line?also i did have it up 3 inches more and there was no difference?? any other ideas,did dominic call you??

 

[genzod66]

also tons of micro bubbles pour out of the return pipe,alot

 

[JJAPHIPPS22]

TRY REMOVING ALL OF THE CONTENTS IN THE MIDDLE SECTION OF YOUR SUMP (THE AREA WITH WET/DRY FILTER, BIO BALLS) THEIR IS A BAFFLE WALL THERE THAT WILL ALLOW THE WATER LEVEL TO RISE WHERE IT SHOULD BE. IF THE WATER LEVEL IS TO HIGH HANG IT ON THE SUMP BAFFLE WALL. HOPE THIS HELPS.

 

[rvitko]

Yes, I spoke with Dominic, the problem is two fold, with the water level low the water knocks in bubbles as it falls from the pipe to the sump. The pump is right next to the outlet so it picks up the bubbles. You need to somehow baffle the return pump and raise the level of the water to keep the bubbles out. The sump is very small so this is a common difficulty with small sumps and I honestly can't think of any skimmer where this wouldn't happen in the given set up. Ideally the return pump would be in a seperate partition to avoid this problem.

 

[genzod66]

well its the correct size wet dry filter,i turned around the pump and put up a baffle wall,it seems to have helped,still some bubbles,maybe it will clear up when breaks in more

 

[genzod66]

also the filter is a pro clear 200,for a 200 gall. tank?can i raise the water in the sump?the bio baslls,some of them would be sub merged. is this ok??the bubbles have calmed down alot,its only been running 2` weeks???maybe it will get better?also screw is not let out at all

 

[genzod66]

hey,sorry to keep asking questions,i read my manual and it says skimmer can be run in 3.9 inches of water,sump is 6 inches deep of water??shouldnt it be ok??

 

[rvitko]

The skimmer can run in as little as 3.9" of water but the water falls further, splashes more and makes more bubbles.

I know the filter is properly sized but it is short so the skimmer and pump are necessarily close which is not ideal. Ideally a sump is a bit longer or with a built in bubble trap like the ones offered by Oceanic.

The bioballs will be fine partially submerged, the water is sufficiently oxygenated and the bacteria will be fine.