problems w/ the Oceanic 29 gallon Bio Cube

Wuhssie · 10/15/2006, 05:23 PM

Hello All,

I've had the Oceanic Biocube for about 1.5 months now. Recently I've had problems with the return shooting out bubbles. The water level is more than enough but it's still doing it.. Any ideas or suggestions on how to battle this?

Jamie

GobyJohnKenobi · 10/18/2006, 07:38 PM

My 8 gallon was doing the same thing.

It started after I upgraded to a taller pump. The hose from the pump to the elbow fitting was too long and was pushing the elbow up and allowing a very small water leak back into the third compartment. I had to watch the back for a little while before I heard the drip and saw the ripple on the water back there.
Water out means air in, so that's where my microbubbles were coming from.

You might try taking out the pump, and as long as it's out give it a good cleaning. Then replace it and make sure that the elbow fitting is seated evenly on the bulkhead. This should take care of the problem, especially if you did see any drips back there. Also, place the pump so its side intake is facing away from the flow. That way the bubbles have to travel around the pump body before they make it to the intake. This might catch some of them.

Are you using the stock sponge that was initially placed in the third compartment to act as a bubble trap from the trickle filter in the second compartment?

How do you have your second compartment set up?
In mine I removed the bioballs and the bubble trap sponge. I kept the top drip tray after enlarging the holes with a drill to increase flow and eliminate trapped air. I kept the bottom tray. On top of it is a bag of Purigen. On top of that is a bag of Matrix carbon. On top of that is a bag of ceramic cylinders like the ones that come with the AquaClear filters. It keeps everything weighted down and acts as a bubble trap. Actually, all three media bags act as bubble traps.

I run my water level at the top of the clear side window so I can watch evaporation. I get some noise from the dripping, but no bubbles since I corrected the poorly seated fitting of the elbow to the bulkhead.

One last thing- I took a pointed knife and scraped the excess plastic that must have leaked from the mold when it was cast inside of the elbow at the turn. Stick your pinky finger in it and turn it around. If you feel a sharp edge, then scrape it smooth.

I'm not sure if that contributed to the poor seal, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

I hope this helps, Jamie. I HATE micro bubbles, too.

tmfreak · 10/18/2006, 07:40 PM

If there are any connection between hoses or anyhting like that, You might want to try teflon taping some of the connections. its an easy 99 cent fix.. I had leaks all over the place and didnt feel like spending 4$ on pvc cement so I went out and bought some teflon tape and problem solved!

10/15/2006, 05:23 PM	#1
Wuhssie Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: in my biocube29 :) Posts: 62	problems w/ the Oceanic 29 gallon Bio Cube Hello All, I've had the Oceanic Biocube for about 1.5 months now. Recently I've had problems with the return shooting out bubbles. The water level is more than enough but it's still doing it.. Any ideas or suggestions on how to battle this? Jamie

10/18/2006, 07:38 PM	#2
GobyJohnKenobi Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Atlanta Posts: 413	My 8 gallon was doing the same thing. It started after I upgraded to a taller pump. The hose from the pump to the elbow fitting was too long and was pushing the elbow up and allowing a very small water leak back into the third compartment. I had to watch the back for a little while before I heard the drip and saw the ripple on the water back there. Water out means air in, so that's where my microbubbles were coming from. You might try taking out the pump, and as long as it's out give it a good cleaning. Then replace it and make sure that the elbow fitting is seated evenly on the bulkhead. This should take care of the problem, especially if you did see any drips back there. Also, place the pump so its side intake is facing away from the flow. That way the bubbles have to travel around the pump body before they make it to the intake. This might catch some of them. Are you using the stock sponge that was initially placed in the third compartment to act as a bubble trap from the trickle filter in the second compartment? How do you have your second compartment set up? In mine I removed the bioballs and the bubble trap sponge. I kept the top drip tray after enlarging the holes with a drill to increase flow and eliminate trapped air. I kept the bottom tray. On top of it is a bag of Purigen. On top of that is a bag of Matrix carbon. On top of that is a bag of ceramic cylinders like the ones that come with the AquaClear filters. It keeps everything weighted down and acts as a bubble trap. Actually, all three media bags act as bubble traps. I run my water level at the top of the clear side window so I can watch evaporation. I get some noise from the dripping, but no bubbles since I corrected the poorly seated fitting of the elbow to the bulkhead. One last thing- I took a pointed knife and scraped the excess plastic that must have leaked from the mold when it was cast inside of the elbow at the turn. Stick your pinky finger in it and turn it around. If you feel a sharp edge, then scrape it smooth. I'm not sure if that contributed to the poor seal, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I hope this helps, Jamie. I HATE micro bubbles, too.

10/18/2006, 07:40 PM	#3
tmfreak Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 107	If there are any connection between hoses or anyhting like that, You might want to try teflon taping some of the connections. its an easy 99 cent fix.. I had leaks all over the place and didnt feel like spending 4$ on pvc cement so I went out and bought some teflon tape and problem solved!