best way to get rid of micro bubbles...

[MarvinsReef]

hey guys... I've been struggling with micro bubbles coming from the return pump... I have tried everything I can think of... the only thing that really worked was having a filter sock in there... the only problem atm is my clowns are too small and one of them took a ride on the drain last night... if I have the filter sock, they will get stuck in it and will probably won't make it a few hours in the filter sock... I've tried having mechanical filtration and carbon on the baffle before the return to catch the bubble but the bubbles are still getting in... I'm stuck... any help will be appreciated...

Thanks....

 

[mpoletti]

How is your sump/return set up? pics?

 

[MSU Fan]

Yeah, we'll definitely need some pics to understand how the bubbles may be forming.

 

[killingseed2000]

add some type of baffle in front of the return so it forces the bubbles up and the water down as well as stopping them from entering the return. i have so much flow in the fuge it was make bubbles off the baffle for the return section. i add a piece of glass, not glued , just sitting 45 degree over the return suction and stop them cold.



maybe i can take a picture later

 

[AZDesertRat]

Without knowing how it is plumbed it is hard to answer your question. A series of baffles is usually the best answer if all else is normal. By that I mean there are no air or vacuum leaks in the plumbing, if it is plumbed on the suction side it is of sufficient size and has no restrictions like valves, sponges, elbows and/or fittings that restrict the flow and the sump level is high enough so there is no vortexing. We really need to have a description of your set up including sump size, fill level, pump size, plumbing arrangement and materials, internal or external, pipe sizes, valve locations if any, the age of the system, skimmer or no, placement of the skimer, existing baffles, etc.

 

[MarvinsReef]

:hammer:

a pic will def help... I'll take a pic tomorrow... camera battery just died... charging as we speak...

Thanks again guys...

 

[cparka23]

Judging by your filter sock remedy, is it safe to say that your overflows are the source of the bubbles?

 

[Sikryd]

I have had a pump cavitate before. All I did was unplug it (fill it with water) and plug it back in.
Other than that suggestion pics are needed like they said.

 

[MarvinsReef]

just did this real quick... but you get the idea on how the sump is situated... btw, I think my skimmer is not working properly... seems to skim, then stop... still having the milky bubbles inside the skimmer but hardly any skimming goes into the cup... pardon the mess with the wires and such... when my RKE gets installed, I'll try my best to get it all organized...

 

[iani]

The elbow off the skimmer return needs to be inside the water.

 

[eggie]

Have you try a filter sock on the pipes coming down from the overflows and also a bag with carbon in the last baffle will hold the micro bubbels

Hint: you could always install a tunze in the sump so all the dtritus gets lift up and never settle in the bottom

 

[aerius007]

Is it possible you are pushing water too fast through the sump? When I had a similar sump setup my return pump was too big and rushed the water through the baffles so fast the bubbles just followed. I went to a smaller pump and that solved the problem.

 

[reefpeeper]

try putting some filter floss near the return pump to catch the bubbles or where it flows into the return chamber. try also putting nylon bag around pump. just a couple ideas.

 

[MarvinsReef]

The elbow off the skimmer return needs to be inside the water.

cool... will do that tonight... I thought it didn't matter much coz it was just the return...

Thanks Ian...

Have you try a filter sock on the pipes coming down from the overflows and also a bag with carbon in the last baffle will hold the micro bubbels

Hint: you could always install a tunze in the sump so all the dtritus gets lift up and never settle in the bottom

I do have filter socks and that helped a lot but my Snowcasso's are too small and can get in the teeth of the overflow so I'm not gonna risk it for now... probably another month or two to give them time to grow... I currently have a foam and carbon on the last baffle but it's really not helping much... and yes, once the RKE and other equipment is installed, I plan on having a pump in the sump to minimize detrius build up...

Is it possible you are pushing water too fast through the sump? When I had a similar sump setup my return pump was too big and rushed the water through the baffles so fast the bubbles just followed. I went to a smaller pump and that solved the problem.

not sure.. I'm using a Mag 9.5 as a return...

try putting some filter floss near the return pump to catch the bubbles or where it flows into the return chamber. try also putting nylon bag around pump. just a couple ideas.

I can try this as well...


Thanks again everyone for the suggestions...

 

[Sikryd]

Marvin - got your pm - I'll send you my # to talk to you about it.

The skimmer water level is wayyyy too low for it to work at all properly. This is where some of your microbubbles are probably coming from. (I have the water height on mine at the 10" mark I think. 2 inches below the taper.
I would put a ball valve on the return, or on the pump to tone it down so it doesn't flow so much through the returns.

 

[143gadgets]

Have you try a filter sock on the pipes coming down from the overflows and also a bag with carbon in the last baffle will hold the micro bubbels

Hint: you could always install a tunze in the sump so all the dtritus gets lift up and never settle in the bottom

Beautiful sump bro!

 

[GrouperGenius]

What I did with mine. I tried a bunch of different things and this is what finally worked for me. I have 2- 2" overflows on my tank. The left one is draining into a sock, then by the skimmer, and return in the middle of the sump. The right one, I had to throttle back with a ball valve to eliminate the air/bubble flow into the refuge area. Seems to be working fine so far.

 

[seascape]

try puting a piece of pipe on the elbow of the skiimer further into the water i also added pipe to the supply side extended them further into the water so there was no water drop through the air in the sump.RJ

 

[Yellowtang]

One thing I see is your skimmer return line is pointed right at the bubble trap, so the bubbles are being directed right at the way out to the next section. Turn it towards those incoming water pipes. And for the incoming water pipes I would remove the 90 deg ends and cut a piece of like 4 or maybe 6 inch pvc and stick the ends of the incoming pipes in it. Cut the 4 or 6 inch pipe so that its like 1 inch short of the water depth standing on end and that way all incoming bubbles will be blown back to the surface, giving a better chance of blowing off any bubble from those lines as well.

JR,

 

[MarvinsReef]

Marvin - got your pm - I'll send you my # to talk to you about it.

The skimmer water level is wayyyy too low for it to work at all properly. This is where some of your microbubbles are probably coming from. (I have the water height on mine at the 10" mark I think. 2 inches below the taper.
I would put a ball valve on the return, or on the pump to tone it down so it doesn't flow so much through the returns.

well, I raised the water level in the sump tonight... good results so far...

the skimmer seems to want to do something now... and there's less bubbles coming from the return... we'll see tomorrow how everything is when the lights turn on again... overall, it was a good night tonight...

thanks again everyone for the recommendations...