bubbles

[DeNero1331]

Does anyone else get bubbles from their powerheads? I have three completely submerged powerheads that periodically shoot out a burst of little air bubbles. I figured that some sort of buildup of air gets stuck there from the tank and then it just blows it off once too much accumulates but I still think it's kind of odd that it happens as often as it does.

Anyone else know why this happens?

Thanks.

[midiman]

I get it, too. RIght now there is a small bubble on the foam wrap around the intake. I assume this bubble will eventually find its way through and get blasted out the exhaust.

[something_fishy]

Bubbles are normal. There is oxygen under water, usually you just don't see it. The powerheads create a vaccuum under water and sucks up the invisible oxygen and combines it and every now and then the combines oxygen bunches up to create a bubble, which then gets sucked throught the impellor and out the spout. I keep the venturi tube raised on mine to suck in more air from the surface to aid in oxygenating my tank, so I always have a stream of bubbles coming out of one powerhead at all times.

[makana]

bubbles are good for FO but when you get to keeping coral and sponges bubbles are very bad. well-oxygenated is good but air bubbles are harmful. i try to minimize the bubbles in the water (not using any venturi except in skimmer) but keep the water well oxygenated by creating a bunch of flow in the display tank. the flow itself will move the water across the surface where it can react with fresh air and exchange gases. therefore, more flow in the tank means more gas exchange, not to mention better food delivery to coral and with a combined slow-flow refugium it can filter the water column nicely.

[DeNero1331]

thanks for the input...but now I'm worried. I am trying to start adding corals so if the bubbles are going to hurt them I think I should re-adjust everything. I currently have 3 smaller ph's but suppose I could swap them out for one big one...that could potentially reduce the bubbles..right?

Anyone else have any input as to how I can keep my flow rate and oust my ph's (or at least the bubbles that they expell)? They are not pulling air from the surface and are actually fairly low in the tank. The skimmer makes some bubbles but they go directly to the fuge and I'm not very concerned with that area.

[makana]

no a few bubble wont hurt them but if you are puting a venturi pump in with inverts i dont think its a good idea. a venturi pump draws air in to the pump aloing with water and pushes out a mix of the two. this will harm sponges and some corals IMO.
if you really want your PH's out, make a sump and put a very strong flow through it (oversized return pump and overflow box), but i dont think it is necessary to remove you powerheads unless you have an anemone or other specimen that is endangered by its presence in the display tank.
i think your tank will be fine but try to minimize bubbles, not add them.

HTH

[DeNero1331]

I'm defintely not doing a venturi pump. But you made me think of another question. Why do the powerheads create bubbles while the pump from the sump doesn't?

Maybe it's the way the powerhead is made?

[something_fishy]

Like I said before, thats what I do, I've never had any problem with my corals, I don't keep hard corals, just soft. They seem to do quite well, actually I have this huge mushroom colony directly in the bubble flow, it has doubled in size in the pase few months, very healthy looking. So, I don't know how much of this bubble hurting corals is really factual, maybe on hard corals, but definitely not on soft ones.
On my 36gal reef I have 4 jets, 1 overhead and a combined water movement of 170gal/per hour, lots of bubbles and everything is exploding, I mean, I have to give away stuff because it is just multiplying like mad!!!

[makana]

id imagine SPS are more used to bubbly water because they are found in extremely shallow water. i know for a fact bubble are not good for sponges and i therefore assume they are not good for any invert. i assume if your softies are doing great wiht the venturi going that it is okay for them but if you have any sponges be careful the bubbles can kill them.