Inovative Marine Nuvo 38 Microbubbles

Paulb18c5 · 03/20/2017, 02:54 PM

Hey,

Tank is doing well and so are the two corals i have in there. Still waiting 3 more weeks because I got brook with the first two fish I put in. Anyways I am having issues with Micro bubbles. I have tried everything I can think of. I have raised the water level, added foam to slow the water going into the sump, I have redone all the lines, each connection has a zap strap tightened with pliers, I have put foam in front of the pump intake and I have slowed and sped up the pump... I am still getting micro bubbles

Could the pump I'm using just be new (Its been going since January)? Could the IM spin streams be causing the bubbles? I can see them shoot out from the return nozzles.
Any ideas?

Agostinone · 03/20/2017, 08:00 PM

How far below the surface are the spinners on your return? There is a combination or water velocity and distance to the surface that will induce bubbles.

Maybe a tops down photo of the rear chamber could help us understand the flow path and location of the skimmer relative to the foam pads and inlet.

Paulb18c5 · 03/20/2017, 08:38 PM

I attached a pic of my rear sump... Water is currently a little low as I'm doing a waterchange

. The tops of the spin streams are just fully submerged but the tube that goes in the wall is about 1/2-1 inch submerged.

Forgot to mention I also tried the original IM return pump and it was even worse

It is quite loud that why I got a new pump and just use it for water changes and making salt water. The pump I'm currently using is an esky 550 gph pump off amazon.

Thanks Guys! Really appreciate all your help in advance

CleanReef · 03/21/2017, 03:41 PM

I have a nuvo 16. To eliminate microbubbles, I put filter floss after the SECOND chamber close to the pump itself. The tank has been running nicely for about 2 years.

CleanReef · 03/21/2017, 03:42 PM

Also, if that doesn't work, consider the possibility of a small hole in one of the return lines close to where the spin streams come out.

Paulb18c5 · 03/21/2017, 08:30 PM

I replaced the lines and y fitting already... where exactly did you place the filterfloss cleanreef? Where it falls into the sump like I did or somewhere else?

Agostinone · 03/22/2017, 01:01 PM

I don't have any experience with the spinners--are they easy to remove? I'm thinking of an experiment where you remove the spinners or point them downward. The goal is to see if the spinners are inducing the bubbles or if they are coming from the rear compartment. That way you'd know where to focus your efforts.

CleanReef · 03/23/2017, 05:41 PM

So in the nuvo 16, there are the far left and right chambers where water is first filtered at the top, then it falls DOWN those first chambers and comes UP through the second chambers, Once it falls DOWN into the largest middle chamber, I place the filter floss as low as I can in here to prevent microbubbles.

As for the spinstreams, I found them to come off more often than not. Just firmly pull them off towards you as you stand in the front of the tank and see if the microbubbles still exist. They might even be the cause of the issue...

Paulb18c5 · 03/24/2017, 09:59 AM

Thanks guys, I'll try removing the spin streams and moving the foam I have into the bottom of the sump like you recommended. I'll try that on Monday and let you know how it goes. Also have a jbj ato to set up ��.
Appreciate all the ideas!

03/20/2017, 08:00 PM	#2
Agostinone Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 70	How far below the surface are the spinners on your return? There is a combination or water velocity and distance to the surface that will induce bubbles. Maybe a tops down photo of the rear chamber could help us understand the flow path and location of the skimmer relative to the foam pads and inlet.

03/21/2017, 03:41 PM	#4
CleanReef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 67	I have a nuvo 16. To eliminate microbubbles, I put filter floss after the SECOND chamber close to the pump itself. The tank has been running nicely for about 2 years.

03/21/2017, 03:42 PM	#5
CleanReef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 67	Also, if that doesn't work, consider the possibility of a small hole in one of the return lines close to where the spin streams come out.

03/21/2017, 08:30 PM	#6
Paulb18c5 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 19	I replaced the lines and y fitting already... where exactly did you place the filterfloss cleanreef? Where it falls into the sump like I did or somewhere else?

03/22/2017, 01:01 PM	#7
Agostinone Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2016 Posts: 70	I don't have any experience with the spinners--are they easy to remove? I'm thinking of an experiment where you remove the spinners or point them downward. The goal is to see if the spinners are inducing the bubbles or if they are coming from the rear compartment. That way you'd know where to focus your efforts.

03/23/2017, 05:41 PM	#8
CleanReef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2016 Posts: 67	So in the nuvo 16, there are the far left and right chambers where water is first filtered at the top, then it falls DOWN those first chambers and comes UP through the second chambers, Once it falls DOWN into the largest middle chamber, I place the filter floss as low as I can in here to prevent microbubbles. As for the spinstreams, I found them to come off more often than not. Just firmly pull them off towards you as you stand in the front of the tank and see if the microbubbles still exist. They might even be the cause of the issue...

03/24/2017, 09:59 AM	#9
Paulb18c5 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 19	Thanks guys, I'll try removing the spin streams and moving the foam I have into the bottom of the sump like you recommended. I'll try that on Monday and let you know how it goes. Also have a jbj ato to set up ��. Appreciate all the ideas!