Microbubbles....

j0tca · 01/26/2006, 03:48 PM

Well

i'm close to my wits end. I have a minor microbubble problem and cannot for the life of me figure it out. Does anyone here have a truly bubble free tank that can lend me a hand and some suggestions.

Right now, The bubbles have to be coming from my sump, but when I shine a light in there I don't see anything.

I've removed my return piping and replaced it with tube so that I know no air is coming in after the pump. I've also taken my pump off and siliconed the seals so I know there's no air going in there. The only other place is through my PVC pump intake, but there isn't even any salt creep along it to indicate any sort of seep.

Anyone solved bubble problems that might want to give me an idea of what steps they took??

ledford1 · 01/26/2006, 04:17 PM

My first thought is that there might be too much flow through the sump. This is your 125g tank I take it? What type and size is your return pump?

Double-checking your seals was a good move, and helps eliminate one common culprit.

j0tca · 01/26/2006, 04:50 PM

yup, it's a 125. I've got about 20G in the sump and my return pump is 1200 GPH.

How does too much flow create bubbles? If there are no bubbles in the inlet there should be no bubbles at the outlet no?

Thanks for the help.

ChickenCannoneer · 01/26/2006, 05:36 PM

the reason it is too much flow is because as the water travels down the pipe some air gets mixed in and stuff like that. if you dont have a ton of flowe throught the sump then the bubbles can dissapate and go to the top of the sump and you have no problems, but if there is a ton of flow the the bubbles go into the sump and get sucked right back up to the tank. I would give a couple of filter socks a try and see what happens. Not to bad for a 14 year old huh? Hope this helps, Tim

01/26/2006, 03:48 PM	#1
j0tca Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 916	Microbubbles.... Well i'm close to my wits end. I have a minor microbubble problem and cannot for the life of me figure it out. Does anyone here have a truly bubble free tank that can lend me a hand and some suggestions. Right now, The bubbles have to be coming from my sump, but when I shine a light in there I don't see anything. I've removed my return piping and replaced it with tube so that I know no air is coming in after the pump. I've also taken my pump off and siliconed the seals so I know there's no air going in there. The only other place is through my PVC pump intake, but there isn't even any salt creep along it to indicate any sort of seep. Anyone solved bubble problems that might want to give me an idea of what steps they took??

01/26/2006, 04:17 PM	#2
ledford1 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: NW Arkansas Posts: 2,241	My first thought is that there might be too much flow through the sump. This is your 125g tank I take it? What type and size is your return pump? Double-checking your seals was a good move, and helps eliminate one common culprit.

01/26/2006, 04:50 PM	#3
j0tca Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Montreal Posts: 916	yup, it's a 125. I've got about 20G in the sump and my return pump is 1200 GPH. How does too much flow create bubbles? If there are no bubbles in the inlet there should be no bubbles at the outlet no? Thanks for the help.

01/26/2006, 05:36 PM	#4
ChickenCannoneer Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Hudson, OH Posts: 1,268	the reason it is too much flow is because as the water travels down the pipe some air gets mixed in and stuff like that. if you dont have a ton of flowe throught the sump then the bubbles can dissapate and go to the top of the sump and you have no problems, but if there is a ton of flow the the bubbles go into the sump and get sucked right back up to the tank. I would give a couple of filter socks a try and see what happens. Not to bad for a 14 year old huh? Hope this helps, Tim