Bubbles

[luntiz]

My tank seems to have a lot of bubbles forming, not microbubbles but just bubbles coming from the filter. I also think the power head contributes to this problem. Will these bubbles be a problem for my livestock? The bubbles splash from the power filter into the water and the bubbles quickly move to the surface and my powerhead pushes the bubbles to one side of the tank.

 

[Anemoneman]

They will cause problems. Excessive salt creep is one. Bubbles collecting on coral is another.
Is the return from the power filter under water?
Is there a slime on the surface of the water that is keeping the bubbles intact?

 

[luntiz]

The power filter is currently above water, hot hot weather = evaporation, plus the other day i was rearranging my rocks and a lot of water was lost due to putting my arm in and out all the time. I am going to do a water change today, 4 gallon. I think there is some type of slime on the surface because when I changed the filter media, the carbon was not completely clean (i rinsed over and over and over), so it started to release some of the carbon + this oily residue. I tried my best to net out the oil and carbon particles. That is another reason why I am doing a water change today. I also added some slimecoat for my Maroon, which is being attacked by my Lemonpeel.

 

[Anemoneman]

a lot of water was lost due to putting my arm in and out all the time.

Keep an eye on specific gravity. Don't know how big your tank is but evaporation will raise SG, replacing lost or splashed out water with fresh will lower SG.

I think there is some type of slime on the surface

Are you using a protein skimmer? HIGHLY recommended.

 

[flamron]

I do not want to try to stir anything, but anemoneman is incorrect about the bubble situation you are having. I, too, have bubbles, not large ones, but microbubbles and I was concerned about it as well. So, I did some research and found that, although the bubbles may be ugly, they do not harm corals or fish. He is correct about the salt creep though.

Bubbles are bad in SW is merely a myth that many people still believe.

 

[luntiz]

I would believe that these bubbles would aerate the water better, I could be wrong.

 

[Anemoneman]

I do not want to try to stir anything, but anemoneman is incorrect about the bubble situation you are having. I, too, have bubbles, not large ones, but microbubbles and I was concerned about it as well. So, I did some research

If you're gonna go against the flow you need to post some data.
Seriously, I'm all for new information. Who or what is giving the green flag for bubbles on corals?

 

[brndfrb]

I agree with anenomeman. Everything that i have read says ,icrobubbles are bad and can harm corals if they get trapped under a coral.

 

[flamron]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=364601&highlight=bubbles

Thought you guys might disagree, so, here you go. You should think about one thing. Corals live in the ocean. Oceans can have a lot of bubbles in it. Now, if corals were hurt from these bubbles, don't you think that there would be a lot less in nature, especially in shallow reefs.

brndfrb, I would like for you to post some info stating that bubbles are harmful.

Thanks.

 

[Anemoneman]

Corals live in the ocean. Oceans can have a lot of bubbles in it. Now, if corals were hurt from these bubbles, don't you think that there would be a lot less in nature, especially in shallow reefs.

I have done a fair amount of snorkling in shallow reefs of the Caribbean and have yet to see corals covered in microbubbles, even after a storm, which tends to kick up the sandy bottom making things pretty murky for a few days. In an aquarium the dynamics are quite different than the ocean. An abundance of microbubbles can collect on the surface of corals keeping them from opening. I can't post a link since it is mostly from personal experience.
On the other hand, lots of folks fret about the sandstorm they get from adding new sand to their tank. I know now that this is completely harmless having seen a pristine reef after a storm. It was murkier than any aquarium's sandstorm and lasts longer.
So while I agree that bubbles occurring naturally from wave action and storms are harmless to corals, the steady introduction of small bubbles in our captive reefs does not do our corals any good and quite possibly harms them by keeping them from opening.

 

[brndfrb]

I had a long tenticle plate coral once that would not open for about 2 months b/c my skimmer was putting micro bubbles into the tank. Once i got the bubble problem fixed he opend the next day.

 

[flamron]

I am still not convinced. I think any reef tank properly set up should see no downside to bubbles. I do agree that bubbles can hurt things if there isn't enough flow in the tank, like the ocean. But you would have an entirely bigger problem than a few bubbles, so the bubbles become arbitrary. I am still convinced that bubbles are not a bad thing and will continue to believe so until you show me some concrete evidence. I do think bubbles are ugly though.