Microbubbles?

[Jme]

I went into the LFS and had a conversation with one of the staff members there about sumps, He mentioned the baffles in a sump are there to dissipatate "microbubbles" as they are harmful to the tank inhabitants.

Now i have a Rena Filstar running on my tank as a refugium, running with live rock rubble only. I have a surface skimmer set up with this to remove the film from the top layer of the water. Occassionally the pump cavitates and will send a fine mist of bubbles out the outtake. Is this dangerous to the fish/invertabrates/corals??

 

[Hara]

I dont see how it would be.

 

[roka64]

I agree, my filter will do this when I clean it, but operates normally within 5-10 minutes. I believe the problem comes in if it is causing bubble all the time.

 

[Hara]

I am wondering "WHY?" the bubbles are considered a danger. An eyesore, yes, but what harm do they do? (excepting seahorses)

 

[roka64]

I've actually read they can cause problems in SW fish, if they get into their gills. If they get into the gills, this could obstruct respiratory gas exchange, dry out or burn them. I'll have to see if I can find that article, also, I read something about it possibly getting into their eyes and causing problems as well. Of course this is if you have a constant flow of micro bubbles...like an air stone, not the occasional bubbles from my above statement.

 

[Hara]

Thanks Scott, dont kill yourself finding it, but if you run across the article, I would be interested in reading it.

 

[melosu58]

I have little micro bubbles in my tank and I haven`t noticed any problems. Fish and corals seem OK. IME

 

[roka64]

Yeah, I have been looking and looking but the couple of sites I found are selling a product, so I am not too sure on the credentials. Here is an example:
http://www.oxyedge-chum.com/diffuser,_oxygen_bubbles.htm
It's about 1/3 of the way down. Pretty interesting stuff, but this is not the place I originally read about it, this was just the first page that google came up with. Likw I said, they are selling a product, so who really knows....? LOL!

 

[tecwzrd]

I found this article that says it's a myth and harmless either way. (seahorses excluded due EGBD)

I've heard stories from other fish keepers that swear that micro bubbles did their fish in but it is naturally occurring in the ocean all the time so who knows for sure.

I know sponges and other deep water coral can be affected by being exposed to air but don't know if micro bubbles would be enough to affect them.

 

[roka64]

LOL! So do I take the bristleworms out of the tank? I guess both will still be a point of debate....

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

I just read in Borneman's coral book last night something to the effect that microbubbles can possibly be harmful to corals if the air bubbles attach themselves to the underside of certain corals. I don't have the book in front of me, or I'd quote you what he said.