Injecting nano bubbles into reef tank

[potatocouch]

Have you heard about this new concept?

Injecting nano bubbles with the size of 2 micron or less into the display tank and to be done on the reverse cycle of lighting.

What's needed: limewood airstone, air tube & air pump.

How: put limewood airstone in front of air pump in the sump and off you go.

All the feedbacks have been nothing but positive .. no ill-effect to fish, happy corals, happy fish, increased ph .. everything

Elegant Corals "Micro Scrubbing Bubbles" Technique for the Reef System...

Allows the corals to release excess slime and waste...
Allows the coral membrane to breathe and allow for better osmosis and ion exchange with the water column...
Oxygenates the water and de-gasses excess CO2 in the water column out of the system. (Skimmers and a little ball of chaeto is not sufficient... sorry...)

We recommend 8 to 10 hours a day counter cycle for the first week, then 2 to 3 hours a day counter cycle to the display tank lighting to maintain a more consistent and stable pH level.

The correct pH greatly improves the calcification rates of all hard corals...

Oxygenation also assists in higher beneficial aerobic bacterial loads as well as decrease the bad anaerobic cyanobacteria that many hobbyists struggle with.

The micro bubbles also get under (with proper tank flow) dinos and the cyanobacteria and carry them to the over flow to be removed by an efficient skimmer.

Not just for gas exchange or CO2 degassing... part of the nutrient cycle/export system, as well... excellent water flow is needed and vital to prevent the mucus from a neighboring colony to suffocate or burn another. Quick removal with a turkey baster is suggested for stuck on stubborn mucus.

NOTICE: NO FILTER SOCKS IF YOU HAVE A TRUE WORKING REFUGIUM!!

If fighting dinos, cyanobacteria, or other Reef Tank Pests, we will be adding it to our "NOTES" section in the near future!

https://www.facebook.com/15117056990...type=3&theater

[Jonviviano]

Very interesting. I to have seen good and bad results of excess microbubbles. I would like to give this a shot. The formula above of 8-10 hours a day seems extreme in my opinion.

[Tarawa]

wouldnt alot of surface agitation do the same thing?

[Dmorty217]

It might work but you won't be able to enjoy your corals since you will see nothing but bubbles

[KafudaFish]

It is not a new concept and one of the previous TOTM injected air into the display.

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by Dmorty217

It might work but you won't be able to enjoy your corals since you will see nothing but bubbles

It's reverse cycle as the lighting.

So lighting off, bubbles on for max 8 - 10 hours for the 1st 3 days then 3 hours daily.

When lighting on, bubbles off or have already been off for some time.

So, I don't see any reason to not be able to enjoy corals and see nothing.

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by KafudaFish

It is not a new concept and one of the previous TOTM injected air into the display.

Funny you mentioned that ... why aren't many people follow suit? it's TOTM? surely they're doing it the right way to be nominated as TOTM?

What's the negativity that people shy away from this concept?

For me, i'm no scientist but all seems to click and logically making sense.

re salt creep, because the bubbles produced are sized 2 micron or less, they don't burst on the surface and cause salt creep, rather it'll saturate in the water column itself.

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by KafudaFish

It is not a new concept and one of the previous TOTM injected air into the display.

KAFUDA, do you have link to TOTM that done this concept?

[KafudaFish]

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-04/totm/index.php

The article includes a write up detailing the whys and methods plus a picture during air injection.

Hope this helps.

[USC-fan]

Most likely wouldnt see any difference if you run a skimmer. Most hobby air pumps are only 50-150 lph. Compared to a skimmer its not much air. My skimmer does 1300-1400lph for example.

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by USC-fan

Most likely wouldnt see any difference if you run a skimmer. Most hobby air pumps are only 50-150 lph. Compared to a skimmer its not much air. My skimmer does 1300-1400lph for example.

Surely there's bigger air pump no?

The thing is feedbacks have been +

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by KafudaFish

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-04/totm/index.php

The article includes a write up detailing the whys and methods plus a picture during air injection.

Hope this helps.

Thanks KAFUDA !

[KafudaFish]

You're welcome and hope it helps you with what you are trying to achieve.

[cloak]

I'm not sure if it helped or not, but being that I kind of dig micro bubbles to begin with I used to do this in one of my older tanks. (sort of) The power heads were placed so close to the waters edge that every 30/40 seconds or so they would inject a small burst of bubbles into the tank. If I wanted to turn it off all I had to do was push down on the power head a little bit. I don't have the original picture, but you can see it in the avatar below. The second picture is how the pumps were positioned in the tank to achieve this type of effect. The third picture is another shot of the tank with the bubbles.
Like I said before I'm not sure if the tank benefited from these bubbles or not, but it sure didn't hurt it. Plus it reminded me of some serious wave action going on which I thought was pretty cool.

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by cloak

I'm not sure if it helped or not, but being that I kind of dig micro bubbles to begin with I used to do this in one of my older tanks. (sort of) The power heads were placed so close to the waters edge that every 30/40 seconds or so they would inject a small burst of bubbles into the tank. If I wanted to turn it off all I had to do was push down on the power head a little bit. I don't have the original picture, but you can see it in the avatar below. The second picture is how the pumps were positioned in the tank to achieve this type of effect. The third picture is another shot of the tank with the bubbles.
Like I said before I'm not sure if the tank benefited from these bubbles or not, but it sure didn't hurt it. Plus it reminded me of some serious wave action going on which I though was pretty cool.

Thanks @cloak for sharing that!

I'm collating more positive and negative feedback on this concept. I'm sure they're not ground-breaking but I don't want to solely trust and dependent on those comments in their Facebook page.

I want an independent feedbacks hence folks' input are much appreciated.

I want to hear negativity too if you experienced it in the past .. but it needs to be apple-to-apple comparison for it to be valid.

[zoasguy]

I do not run a skimmer as of yet. Would this possibly help negate the negative effects of not having a skimmer?

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by zoasguy

I do not run a skimmer as of yet. Would this possibly help negate the negative effects of not having a skimmer?

From my limited understanding (correct me, folks) the idea of bubbling your DT is like turning your whole tank into a skimmer- like .. but there still need to be an export process, which if you don't have skimmer, the export process won't happen.

I don't know the detailed and science to it, but logically, these nano bubbles would bring those gunk and waste material up, via overflow box, back to sump then into the skimmer to be skimmed.

I think it will still increase pH, as long as the air pump collects fresh air ....

My 2 cents.

[ReefInterest]

Injection sounds great. However, subsequent salt creep sounds awful. :/

[potatocouch]

so I see people saying that this is working for them. Can anyone explain the reason why it works?

it aerates the tank and floats detritus to the over flow, but the benefits are enormous. Dissolved o2 also takes up a % in the makeup of saltwater... the D.O. tends to balance out the solubilities of all the other elements dissolved in the water. As the o2 is higher, the other autotrphic bacteria can now metabolize and digest the detritus in the system. Microbubbles also induce corals to release metabolic waste by shedding it with the excess mucus... Skimmers by itself with no bubble agitation in the main DT creates constipated corals and a lower oxygen zone in which cyano and other pest bacteria thrive

So are we saying no ill-effects whatsoever to the corals and fish (gills) and no salt-creep issue ... so all positive results and feedbacks?

Just a limewood air stone will work. We use a Whisper 150 Deepwater in a fresh air location (typically outside and above the sump area). So far all the feedback we have received has been nothing shy of positive...

This is what they recommend adamantly

[potatocouch]

Originally Posted by ReefInterest

Injection sounds great. However, subsequent salt creep sounds awful. :/

[mr9iron]

Just tagging along out of interest. Maybe Randy or others will chime in on this.

[Darth Vedder]

Interested as well

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by potatocouch

It's reverse cycle as the lighting.

So lighting off, bubbles on for max 8 - 10 hours for the 1st 3 days then 3 hours daily.

When lighting on, bubbles off or have already been off for some time.

So, I don't see any reason to not be able to enjoy corals and see nothing.

Your evap will be significant, along with the salt creep. Since most Reef tanks I see that most others try and mimic in the home aquaria don't do this via your suggestion (they use ozone,UVs) let us know how it works

[KafudaFish]

Just curious but,

1. Why would the smaller bubbles shrink in the water column? Bubbles pop when their surface tension is broken. Shrinking should be related to pressure and the pressure should be 1 atmosphere. I'm sure there is more to it though.

2. It has been a long time since I read about skimming but if #1 is occurring in the water column isn't skimming stopped until another bubble comes in contact with the doc and is able to transport that out of the tank?

[Reeferside]

I read ELOS incorporated this concept into their new tanks... just makes me want one more