Little Bubbles

[pipermurphy]

On my tank my pump is submerged in my sump. It goes through 3/4 tubing up through my overflow to loc-tight head. After installing a skimmer now I have these micro-bubbles in the return line. My pump is a good 6-8" below the water line in the sump. Besides looking bad is this oxygen bad and how can I remove these bubbles?

 

[reefrunner69]

After installing a skimmer now I have these micro-bubbles in the return line.

You can install baffles in your sump that will help the bubbles to surface before they reach the pump....or you can have the skimmer return onto a sponge, which should help to remove the bubbles.

Besides looking bad is this oxygen bad and how can I remove these bubbles?

The ogen is not a problem, course the oxygen is in the bubble, not the water, very little gas exchange takes place in the microbubbles in the tank. The bubbles can and will irritate you corals and inverts. The will also pool in the curves of you rock and effectively kill those parts of the rocK, it is best if you can keep them out of the tank, IMO.

 

[loganj]

How long have you had the skimmer running? Some skimmers will produce bubbles for a little while during the "break in" period. Then they settle down and quit.
Logan J

 

[PrettyFishies]

I use a sponge. Works just fine...you do have to rinse it out every so often, but it solves the problem.

 

[pipermurphy]

You can install baffles

My sump is an ex-wet/dry, how do I go about designing a baffle? I had quite the time getting my pump, skimmer and 2 heaters to fit in there. Should the baffle be solid or have little holes? How high to waterline? The pump is in a corner, so I can have a buddy who does acrylic work make one for me. Also, would an external pump make any difference?

The skimmer has been up for a week and a half, still playing around with the outflow valve to get it just right, man just the smallest adjustment makes such a difference [/b]

 

[reefrunner69]

My sump is an ex-wet/dry, how do I go about designing a baffle?

I would use a couple of thin sheets of acrylic, cut to fit, and glue them with one of the weld-on products. You would want (optimally) the baffles to begin at about the halfway point in the sump, in a damn and weir fashion. I would probably use three, the first would start from above the waterline in the sump and go down to about 2" from the bottom of the sump. A couple of inches towards the pump, I would have a second baffle that is glued to the bottom and comes to a couple of inches below the water line, then after another couple of inches I would put the third baffle in the same fashion as the first.

Since you noted you do not have much space in the sump, you might try the sponge first. If it solves the problem, it would be a cheaper and simpler fix anyway

 

[Guest]

what is a *beep* and weir fashion?