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Unread 12/10/2015, 11:09 AM   #18
alin2
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Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 271
Quote:
Originally Posted by slief View Post
I am just kind of stabbing in the dark here since I can't see the inside of the sump and the refugium drain. In looking at the picture, it looks like the water level in the return section is a bit low. Is it possible that the micro bubbles are boing caused by the return pump creating a vortex and sucking air from the surface? Regading the refugium drain, it's a shame you can't move that line over to the next chamber where the skimmer is. Is that line extended below the waters surface? If that is the cause of the micro bubbles and its extending below the waters suface, one thing you could do is take a piece of 1.5" or 2" or even larger pvc pipe with a cap on the bottom and place it under the refugium drain line so that the drain line from the refugium extends down into the pipe. The water would then enter into the larger diameter PVC pipe and overflow out of it This would serve as a bubble trap and allow the micro bubbles to escape at the waters surface instead of being drawn into the return pump. A small acyrlic box where that the refugium line could extend down into that serves as a weir would be another option.

Another option would be to get a round foam piece like this one below and extend the refugium drain line into the foam. That should help supress the micro bubbles as well.
http://www.marinedepot.com/Outlet_fo...PSRPAP-vi.html

You could always get a cut to fit foam block like the one below and cut a piece to go between the drain and the return pump but I am not a fan of foam in the sump as its another maintenance item.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Filter-Bio-S...252100129397?_
The return pump chamber is a little low, but it can't go that much higher to avoid the sump overflowing when the return pump goes off. But, even at that level there is no vortex with the pump at 74 watts.

I wanted to avoid having the refugium drain into the skimmer section to help avoid the pods and small fauna getting sucked into the skimmer and to go to the display as a ancillary food source. Of course, right now I have the RE foam around the slot tube on the RD3 return pump to avoid micro bubbles which defeats that purpose anyways. I wanted to avoid keeping that foam on the slot tube as another thing I have to change for maintenance.

I saw a foam insert cut specifically for the degassing chamber on the German RE website and thought if that was available and relatively inexpensive, it would be easier to change that out frequently.


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