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Any ways, I bubble. It has worked for me. Cut down my bubbling to about 2 hours a night.
Kinda funny to see a bunch people try to gang up on one person trying to do something for others.
I am unable to try the tank bubble-scrub method and compare before and after numbers yet as I have too many changes going on right now to get a "baseline" to compare only the changes (if any) from bubble scrubs....it will likely be some months before I can start that....however, I did try an experiment where I put a wood airstone at my return pump inlet and dialed up the air to just short of the pump losing all suction (absolute maximum amount of air-entrainment via that method) and then documented the quantity of small bubbles in the tank. I then took the same wood airstone and put it in a corner of the tank just off the bottom. I put a very small powerhead above that, so the powerhead circulated the bubbles around the tank, starting near the bottom. As the airstone was just below the discharge of the powerhead I could dial the air flow right up to the maximum air pump output if I so desired. The amount of bubbles I was able to virtually saturate the tank with was significantly increased many - fold. If the gist of the idea is to turn your display tank into a big skimmer for a few hours each night, it would seem it would be far more effective to put the airstone in the tank and circulate it with a powerhead or similar, than at the return pump inlet. On a side note, I run a simple T5 lighting system about 5 inches about the tank surface. The couple of nights I ran the bubbles through my return pump, my lights were encrusted with a fine salt coating from the "mist" or "smoke" that danced arount the water surface, and it was a pain in the *** to clean the lights everyday. By releasing the air near the bottom of the tank and blowing the bubbles around starting much further down in the water column the amount of salt encrusting my lights was significantly less that when the bubbles exited through my spray bar (just below the surface). If/when I get to try it after I get my tank settled out, I will use the display tank airstone method. There is no way I am going to scrub my light hood every day
Cheers!
I'm just curious, what changes (positive and/or negative) did you see with using bubbles, and was there any difference in these changes from one method to another (airstone in sump vs airstone in display)? Also, what power of air pump (as in liter per minute) did you use or is recommended for those who want to give this method a go (I'm trying to see if there is such a thing as using too little an air pump or too powerful an air pump)? Thank you
@The Macro Guy, I may have missed it (completely possible in this thread), and if I did can you please post them again but I have not yet seen any graphs clearly showing both before AND after with PH & ORP (and showing the time when bubbling was started). I have seen some graphs that only show after but unfortunately that doesn't help.
@Cruz_Arias, It has also been claimed multiple times that PAR has been increased by using bubbling. As far as I am aware the only accurate way to measure PAR is with a PAR meter, so to make those claims someone MUST have the PAR data from before and after, can this please be posted too? (Knowing if the tank the data was taken from was running carbon or something else that has already been proven to increase PAR would be useful too)
What would really make this method credible is if this data was all taken from the one tank, before and after, clearly showing the point when bubbling was started and was posed clearly in one post. I find it a little hard to believe that if PAR measurements were taken before and after (i.e. someone had enough forethought and a good feeling that what they were doing was going to have a positive effect) that PH and ORP wouldn't have been tracked as well.
I actually think if you presented the data being asked for, or at least what ever data you do have in a clear before and after format with just data and no opinions or observations that it would go a long way to having people believe you and I am quite sure that the "skeptics" (I would say I am one of them and that it isn't a bad thing) in this thread would say it is certainly a start to having this method more widely adopted. You have posted the ORP before and after so why not PH and PAR as well and anything else that can be accurately measured? Put it all together in one post. List what equipment the tank has, bio load, how long before bubbling the data was taken and how long after starting bubbling the second lot of data was taken. It seems you already have these numbers, even if you don't think it will convince everyone please post it as it could convince me and maybe some others too.
Well, the little suspended particulates and what looked like amphipod shells, assuming they were in the crevices of the rock, were being floated out of the rock work, from behind and from all the nooks and crannies.What benefits did you see?
I think these guys were banned from posting lol funny.@The Macro Guy
@Cruz_Arias
Anyone? I really would like to see the data you have. @Squamosa I haven't read through your thread, do you know if any of this data is in there? If it has would you please be able to share a link to it or post it here?
Cheers,
Macca
I saw it on both sides actually. LOL grownups arguing over bubbles. HahahaWell, I wouldn't be quite so hard on the bubble proponents as you seem to be. They have strongly held beliefs and perhaps it is somewhat understandable that they get defensive when some of their claims are challenged or disproven.
Or did you mean it the other way around???
I think these guys were banned from posting lol funny.
Well, the little suspended particulates and what looked like amphipod shells, assuming they were in the crevices of the rock, were being floated out of the rock work, from behind and from all the nooks and crannies.
Just observation stuff. Nothing too scientific.
Water appeared to be clearer after a few days, like it was activated carbon scrubbed. How much cleaner? I don't really know.
The fish, tangs and blennies, SEEMED to be grazing on the rocks or something after a few days as well.
Not sure. I think you could pm them.Thanks, that would explain it. Would it have just been this thread or all threads? If just this one then I will post in the other thread and hopefully I can get a response
I don't get any of that popping on the surface of the DT.I am unable to try the tank bubble-scrub method and compare before and after numbers yet as I have too many changes going on right now to get a "baseline" to compare only the changes (if any) from bubble scrubs....it will likely be some months before I can start that....however, I did try an experiment where I put a wood airstone at my return pump inlet and dialed up the air to just short of the pump losing all suction (absolute maximum amount of air-entrainment via that method) and then documented the quantity of small bubbles in the tank. I then took the same wood airstone and put it in a corner of the tank just off the bottom. I put a very small powerhead above that, so the powerhead circulated the bubbles around the tank, starting near the bottom. As the airstone was just below the discharge of the powerhead I could dial the air flow right up to the maximum air pump output if I so desired. The amount of bubbles I was able to virtually saturate the tank with was significantly increased many - fold. If the gist of the idea is to turn your display tank into a big skimmer for a few hours each night, it would seem it would be far more effective to put the airstone in the tank and circulate it with a powerhead or similar, than at the return pump inlet. On a side note, I run a simple T5 lighting system about 5 inches about the tank surface. The couple of nights I ran the bubbles through my return pump, my lights were encrusted with a fine salt coating from the "mist" or "smoke" that danced arount the water surface, and it was a pain in the *** to clean the lights everyday. By releasing the air near the bottom of the tank and blowing the bubbles around starting much further down in the water column the amount of salt encrusting my lights was significantly less that when the bubbles exited through my spray bar (just below the surface). If/when I get to try it after I get my tank settled out, I will use the display tank airstone method. There is no way I am going to scrub my light hood every day
Cheers!
I was thinking the same thing. The bubbles would be finer than the wood block, i would imagine.Just curious,
Has anyone tried sticking a needlewheel skimmer pump in thier tank to compare results?
Cheers!
I didn't read all 58 pages, but I've been bubbling since before I ever read it on here. It works for me. Tank is crystal clear, no detritus anywhere and I have seen "accelerated" coral growth.