powerhead-bubbles

onecrzyboi4u · 05/04/2006, 10:36 AM

ok.. i have powerheads that ive had for a while.. for some reason now there both producin bubbles.. so i went bought new ones there also producin bubbles.. so i went back to the old.. and clean them out and let them sit for 30 mins before cuttin them on.. thinkin maybe they need to get adjusted to the water. still nothing.. does anyone know what could cause this.. 1 is a maxi and the other is a 301 .

CMDRAPER · 05/04/2006, 10:54 AM

maybe to close to water surface. set them deeper in the tank and see what happens. and if you have they airline connected to it...take that off.

onecrzyboi4u · 05/04/2006, 11:04 AM

no airline hooked .. i'll try them both deeper.. thanks

crumbletop · 05/04/2006, 12:00 PM

Is this a tank with a sump? Is there a primary source of bubbles such as a skimmer, or bubbles from a sump? If so, the powerheads could just be passing those along...

Jack

onecrzyboi4u · 05/04/2006, 08:50 PM

no sump or skimmer..

DannyUFKC · 05/04/2006, 09:10 PM

I have the same problem but I can see where the bubbles are coming from. Bubbles are being formed when the water from the overflow pipe hits the water in the sump area where my protein skimmer is at. It's causing massive bubbles and then the return pump is pumping these bubbles out to the main tank.

My sump/refugium is new though so I don't have anything down there yet. I bought miracle mud, some chaeto macro algae, and rubble rock that I plan to put down there that will hopefully filter some of those bubbles out. I've never had these bubbles out of the powerhead though.

onecrzyboi4u · 05/04/2006, 10:09 PM

same here.. everything was fine for a year.. then this..

mikenpam · 05/04/2006, 10:34 PM

Did you change salts or add any additives to your tank recently? The only way I can think that bubbles would be form other than by splashing would be some form of cavitation. If it did occur with new motors then it seems to point at water conditions. Just a thought. I have never had this problem except when I let my sump water level get too low and my return pump pulls in air.

crumbletop · 05/05/2006, 08:07 AM

Well the only thing I can think of is that the pumps are pulling gas out of the water by the lower pressure that happens on the input side. The only way I think this could have started all of a sudden is that something happened to the tank to change the ammount of disolved gasses -- have you changed your lighting, added or changed stuff in a refugium?

Jack

onecrzyboi4u · 05/05/2006, 11:00 PM

i did changing my lighting

Ken-21 · 05/05/2006, 11:09 PM

I agree with crumbletop. Your water has air in it for the fish to breath and the power heads collect the air, in time they release it. It's healthy for your fish.

crumbletop · 05/06/2006, 06:44 AM

Anytime you change something like the lighting, the tank will have to go through some readjusting to reach a new equilibrium. I'd give it several weeks to get to a new steady state. You may also get an algae bloom.

Jack

05/04/2006, 10:36 AM	#1
onecrzyboi4u Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lexington VA Posts: 1,893	powerhead-bubbles ok.. i have powerheads that ive had for a while.. for some reason now there both producin bubbles.. so i went bought new ones there also producin bubbles.. so i went back to the old.. and clean them out and let them sit for 30 mins before cuttin them on.. thinkin maybe they need to get adjusted to the water. still nothing.. does anyone know what could cause this.. 1 is a maxi and the other is a 301 .

05/04/2006, 12:00 PM	#4
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	Is this a tank with a sump? Is there a primary source of bubbles such as a skimmer, or bubbles from a sump? If so, the powerheads could just be passing those along... Jack __________________ "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.

05/05/2006, 08:07 AM	#9
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	Well the only thing I can think of is that the pumps are pulling gas out of the water by the lower pressure that happens on the input side. The only way I think this could have started all of a sudden is that something happened to the tank to change the ammount of disolved gasses -- have you changed your lighting, added or changed stuff in a refugium? Jack __________________ "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.

05/06/2006, 06:44 AM	#12
crumbletop Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 4,718	Anytime you change something like the lighting, the tank will have to go through some readjusting to reach a new equilibrium. I'd give it several weeks to get to a new steady state. You may also get an algae bloom. Jack __________________ "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.

05/04/2006, 10:54 AM	#2
CMDRAPER Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: SACHSE TX Posts: 33	maybe to close to water surface. set them deeper in the tank and see what happens. and if you have they airline connected to it...take that off.

05/04/2006, 11:04 AM	#3
onecrzyboi4u Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lexington VA Posts: 1,893	no airline hooked .. i'll try them both deeper.. thanks

05/04/2006, 08:50 PM	#5
onecrzyboi4u Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lexington VA Posts: 1,893	no sump or skimmer..

05/04/2006, 09:10 PM	#6
DannyUFKC Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 96	I have the same problem but I can see where the bubbles are coming from. Bubbles are being formed when the water from the overflow pipe hits the water in the sump area where my protein skimmer is at. It's causing massive bubbles and then the return pump is pumping these bubbles out to the main tank. My sump/refugium is new though so I don't have anything down there yet. I bought miracle mud, some chaeto macro algae, and rubble rock that I plan to put down there that will hopefully filter some of those bubbles out. I've never had these bubbles out of the powerhead though.

05/04/2006, 10:09 PM	#7
onecrzyboi4u Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lexington VA Posts: 1,893	same here.. everything was fine for a year.. then this..

05/04/2006, 10:34 PM	#8
mikenpam Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Fairbanks, AK Posts: 326	Did you change salts or add any additives to your tank recently? The only way I can think that bubbles would be form other than by splashing would be some form of cavitation. If it did occur with new motors then it seems to point at water conditions. Just a thought. I have never had this problem except when I let my sump water level get too low and my return pump pulls in air.

05/05/2006, 11:00 PM	#10
onecrzyboi4u Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lexington VA Posts: 1,893	i did changing my lighting

05/05/2006, 11:09 PM	#11
Ken-21 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: On the edge of sanity Posts: 140	I agree with crumbletop. Your water has air in it for the fish to breath and the power heads collect the air, in time they release it. It's healthy for your fish.