A Question On Microbubbles

jaeden · 10/09/2006, 06:21 PM

Currently water testing a 125aga with sump my problem is micro bubbles not alot but enough . Would I be correct in saying the most likely source is an air leak or does it take a few days for the microbubbles to go away , will the presence of live rock in the sump help this issue , is the skimmer creating these microbubbles and just recirculating them within the system , do I need to put a micro sock in the baffles to filter the bubbles , thanks in advance.

crumbletop · 10/09/2006, 08:49 PM

Hi, Jaeden.

Here is a post I did in another thread:

Quote:

Common Causes:
1) The skimmer puts microbubbles into the sump which get pumped into the display.
2) There isn't a sufficient bubble trap (baffles) to remove bubbles introduced by the drain before they get pumped back to the display.
3) Too much flow through the sump (return pump is too much for the sump size) and bubbles easily find their way from drain/skimmer to the return pump.
4) input to return pump is restrictive causing caviatation and air is pulled out of the water resulting in bubbles coming out of the return pipe. This more commonly effects external pumps than internal.
5) The return plumbing (below the display tank) has a leak.

People often remove bubbles from the drain by a filter sock or foam pad, which has to be replaced/cleaned frequently. Another approach would be to reduce flow and/or improve the baffle system to eliminate bubbles.

1, 2 and 3 are most common, IME. You can shine a flashlight in the sump and look for microbubbles. If you do have microbubbles in there, you can test if it is the skimmer by cutting it off for an hour and see if the bubbles go away in the display.

Relevant to your setup, I suspect the bubbles are coming from your skimmer section. The skimmer is likely creating a bunch of bubbles, and it looks like your main drain goes into that section as well. IME, the main drawback of doing the full siphon drains you are doing is that they can create a lot of bubbles in the sump.

You could try turning off the skimmer for a while and seeing if the bubbles go away. If the source is your drain line, I'm not sure how you can tweak that given your setup...

jaeden · 10/10/2006, 01:26 AM

Skimmers off , will take a look in the morning after shining a light in the sump there seems a lot of micro bubbles coming from the skimmer , the outlet is right next to the baffles which doesn't help if this is the source possible soloutions I may try are
1 add a filter sock to the skimmer
2 add another baffle
3 put the skimmers outlet as far from the baffles as possible
4 add micron socks to the baffles or filter
first things first I 'll take a look in the morning and see if there's any improvement thanks.

jaeden · 10/10/2006, 06:48 PM

Thanks for the tip turned the skimmer off micro bubbles went away , after adjusting the gate valve so more water was in the skimmer chamber the micro bubbles decreased , maybe just a case of breaking the skimmer in , if that doesn't work a few plumbing mod's will correct the problem ,good thing is it's not coming from the drains , thanks for tip on common causes .

crumbletop · 10/10/2006, 06:54 PM

NP. Glad you found the source!

10/09/2006, 06:21 PM	#1
jaeden Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hollywood Fl Posts: 356	A Question On Microbubbles Currently water testing a 125aga with sump my problem is micro bubbles not alot but enough . Would I be correct in saying the most likely source is an air leak or does it take a few days for the microbubbles to go away , will the presence of live rock in the sump help this issue , is the skimmer creating these microbubbles and just recirculating them within the system , do I need to put a micro sock in the baffles to filter the bubbles , thanks in advance.

10/10/2006, 06:54 PM	#5
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	NP. Glad you found the source! __________________ "Misers get up early in the morning; and burglars, I am informed, get up the night before." - GK Chesterton Current Tank Info: 90 gallon AGA RR. 20 gal sump. 6x54W T5. AquaController Jr.

10/10/2006, 01:26 AM	#3
jaeden Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hollywood Fl Posts: 356	Skimmers off , will take a look in the morning after shining a light in the sump there seems a lot of micro bubbles coming from the skimmer , the outlet is right next to the baffles which doesn't help if this is the source possible soloutions I may try are 1 add a filter sock to the skimmer 2 add another baffle 3 put the skimmers outlet as far from the baffles as possible 4 add micron socks to the baffles or filter first things first I 'll take a look in the morning and see if there's any improvement thanks.

10/10/2006, 06:48 PM	#4
jaeden Registered Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Hollywood Fl Posts: 356	Thanks for the tip turned the skimmer off micro bubbles went away , after adjusting the gate valve so more water was in the skimmer chamber the micro bubbles decreased , maybe just a case of breaking the skimmer in , if that doesn't work a few plumbing mod's will correct the problem ,good thing is it's not coming from the drains , thanks for tip on common causes .