I recently had my skimmer off for 48 hours while I did a chemi clean for cyano. When I did the 20% water change and turned on the skimmer my tank has been flooded with micro bubbles from the skimmer. What can I do to reduce the bubbles, I've always had this problem from the Vertex 100 skimmer, but never this bad. The tank has looked like this for the last 3 1/2 hours.
Bubbles in the tank from the skimmer
- Thread starter capdippe
- Start date
Help Support Reef Aquarium & Tank Building Forum:
kenargo
Well-known member
The pictures look like the retrun pump is sucking in air but hard to tell without some sump pictures.
Your sump; do you have a baffle between the section containing the skimmer and the section with the return pump or are they in the same section?
If you turn off the skimmer; does the problem clear? A trick that might help (if you have room) is place the skimmer output hose into a container with some weight (preferably tank rocks); this will act as a bubble baffle.
Your sump; do you have a baffle between the section containing the skimmer and the section with the return pump or are they in the same section?
If you turn off the skimmer; does the problem clear? A trick that might help (if you have room) is place the skimmer output hose into a container with some weight (preferably tank rocks); this will act as a bubble baffle.
NWDiver
Swimming with the fishes
If the bubbles are coming from your skimmer output, you can use a filter sock to kill the bubbles. remember to clean or change it every few days.
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
Both replies are variations on a theme and either one will probably help but I'd lean towards the container with rubble rock in it. No maintenance with that method. I'd also second kenagro's suggestion to turn off the skimmer and see if the bubbles clear. They're almost certainly coming from the skimmer but do it just to make sure you don't have another problem.
Can you get a pic from the front of your sump so we can see what you're working with?
Thanks,
Mike
Can you get a pic from the front of your sump so we can see what you're working with?
Thanks,
Mike
burning2nd
Well-known member
bubbles dont hurt anything as it is... no worry..
new equipment and or cleaning, changing flow...
bubbles dont hurt at all... they just make for extra salt creep
new equipment and or cleaning, changing flow...
bubbles dont hurt at all... they just make for extra salt creep
kenargo
Well-known member
Not neccisarily true; there are many things in a tanks that don't take kindly to being covered with tiny air bubbled. Sponge can die and some corals can have their ability to consume food disrupted by air bubbles. Yes, true, there are many things not affected but it isn't 100%,
Krish
RF STAFF
I see there is nothing on your input on the pump in the sump. The pre-filter sponge that comes on most pumps will help with catching bubbles. I however, use to thread a 90 elbow into my return pump and have it suck like a few cm off of the bottom of the sump. Bubbles rise, so it cuts down on your chances of picking up bubbles. Also, another advantage of using the elbow is it gives you more headroom by allowing your sump to run a bit lower than normal before needing to be topped off. Not sure why your skimmer is spitting out so much bubbles. In addition, why your bubble trap is not taking care of it, but if you could, post a picture of your sump layout where we can see the skimmer and return chamber all in one shot is possible...
Thanks for the help, I did take a pic after turning the skimmer off, here they are. IThe sump is a problem. it's a wet dry I believe. The water enters a tray with filter floss, then down a ramp and through a baffle where I have carbon. The next chamber is where I have the skimmer. The skimmed water then flows to another box by a 2" pipe, this box is where the pumps for the tank, chiller, and bio pellets are located. I've played around with placing a opend up filter sock over the 2" hole where the skimmer is to reduce the bubbles, but the result didn't out weigh the additonal work requierd to keep the sock clean. Do most skimmers operate like this? or are some bubble free? I've also played around with using a filter sock over the skimmer outlet like NWDiver said, but the outlet is 100% under water. I think i'm stuck on this one. New sump?
On the Mag18 pump there is that black sponge filter thing over the inlet, i'll take some better pics of the sump later tonight when I'm off work at midnight. I don't have a baffle between the skimmer and the pumps as the two sump boxes are conected by a 2" pipe.
Krish
RF STAFF
Well for starters, wet dry's are nitrate factories as their end product is nothing but nitrates so a new sump minus the bio-balls etc would be a good way to go. It will save you some headache down the road as nitrates continue to rise or algae starts to grow and take over (but that's another subject). With a different sump, you can have your skimmer in the first chamber and then have all of your baffles in place which will include your bubble trap at the end which should leave your return chamber bubble free. Here are 2 pictures of old sumps of mine. You can see in the first picture all the bubbles in the first chamber and by the time the water passes through the bubble trap to the return pump all the bubbles are gone. Same thing with second sump. Might not be able to that one well, but was the same way. chamber full of bubbles from skimmer and gone by the time water got to the return pump. None of my sumps used any sponges, filter socks or anything (not e even any of my pumps). I just relied on the bubble trap to do what it was designed to do. If you can though, get us a full shot of your sump/ wet/dry
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
kenargo
Well-known member
Raise the water level in the sump; looking at the images I think the problem is the overflow between the sections. I take it (from the last image) that the return pump is the lar right chamber and the skimmer is the far left? Also, if you can have the skimmer output be under water (or just at water surface); again to lessen the bubbles created by splash.
Ok so here are some pics of the sump. I did put a 4" filter sock on the outlet of the skimmer, and it worked. It seemes like a short cut of a fix, but it'll have to do. Thanks "NWDiver". Any ideas on how to improve the sump would be great, thanks for all of your help.
kenargo
Well-known member
If you are getting bubbles out of a skimmer is usually is an indication one of 3 things; 1) the skimmer has not broken in or 2) that the input pump is pushing more water into the skimmer that it can process (e.g., the water is moving through the skimmer before the bubble column can rise so the bubbles get flushed out 3) the skimmer isn't adjusted correct (a twist on #2 but in this case the exist level if too low, allowing bubbles to flow out of the skimmer rather than up the neck).
I (personal preference) don't like socks as it is too easy to forget to change/clean them and they quickly can raise nitrates as they collect junk (that is why I like the rock filled bucket).
I (personal preference) don't like socks as it is too easy to forget to change/clean them and they quickly can raise nitrates as they collect junk (that is why I like the rock filled bucket).
I agree, I didn't want to put another filter in there. I've been placing filter floss on top of an open sock in the tray in pic 1. I have to relpace it after a day and a half or else the water level gets to high in the tray ond overflows. It's a pain in the butt, I'll be getting a new tank within the next few months so I hope to get a new sump as well. How would you rig up the bucket idea in pic two? I'm a little tight on space there. Another option would be to remove the top box in pic 1 and place rock in there. I would then have to work something out with the pipe that screws into the box.
kenargo
Well-known member
Can you get a better picture of the skimmer section; focusing on the location that the water exists the skimmer?
It might be as easy as connecting a 45 pipe on the skimmer output but from the images it is difficult to tell. Basically, the rock bucket is a tower of water, allowing the bubble to rise to the water surface so they don't get sucked into the return.
In the earler images it looked like the sump water level was low, allowing for water fall between sections and this will add to the problem.
It might be as easy as connecting a 45 pipe on the skimmer output but from the images it is difficult to tell. Basically, the rock bucket is a tower of water, allowing the bubble to rise to the water surface so they don't get sucked into the return.
In the earler images it looked like the sump water level was low, allowing for water fall between sections and this will add to the problem.
vinny2261
Well-known member
I was curious if you had any plants in your sump? It seems on occasion my skimmer will spit micro bubbles and fill the tank with micro bubbles. I thought possibly that the plants or something in the tank could be blooming or spawning cause the excess to the skimmer. I have also looked into the possibility that the venturi to the skimmer becomes restricted and I have squirted water through the air input to the venturi which seemed to help.
vinny2261
Well-known member
I do not see the bubbles in the sump like it is coming out of the returns in the first pics you posted. I would definitly look at the plumbing connections leading up to the returns and make sure they are secure and not sucking air. This can happen with out leaking water out the pipes connections.
good idea, but no i have no plants. I did just finish a cycle of "Chemi Clean" and API's "algae fix". I'm guessing there is a lot of material to skim out. I think a new sump is in order, but would have to do some major pluming to make it work with the one 1 1/2" drain.
mcoomer
Who's your daddy?!?
Not sure if it's possible but looking at the pics I'd try sticking a PVC elbow on the skimmer side of your connecting pipe. Find an elbow with a slip fit that will fit inside your bulkhead and turn it so that the inlet is pointed to the bottom of your sump. If you don't have enough clearance you can angle it or cut it to fit. Since the bubbles will tend to rise, pulling water from the bottom will minimize what you're pulling into the next chamber. It doesn't have to be watertight so don't worry about gluing or taping it, just slip it in place.
Mike
Mike
