micro bubbles

[jc]

Are all microbubbles bad for coral? My durso overflow is making some microbubbles that are getting into my tank. I have tried several things and they seem to help but I still have a few bubbles in the tank. On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being none and 10 being niagra falls. I would say its a 3. I keep softies, lps and clams. Is this o.k. and how do bubbles bother coral anyway?
Also, I still need to try a filter sock on the output pipe.

[satx-94integraLS]

micro bubbles are bad period. you get enough of them in one place... then they burst... ew ammonia spike!

[Ram_Puppy]

ou get enough of them in one place... then they burst... ew ammonia spike!

did I miss something?

how do microbubbles which is just air trapped in water, cause an amonia spike by bursting? the only way I can see this happening is if the bubbles were driven into liverock and ended up killing anerobic bacteria, even then, it wouldn't be amonia that spiked...

microbubbles are definately something to be avoided, but exist in almost every new system. if they persist they are indicative of a pin hole leak in the plumbing or perhaps an issue w/ the skimmer releasing bubbles into the sump.

[satx-94integraLS]

erm, i really cant say where i got that piece of information for fear of being banned. upon further research, i retract that comment.

/the same LFS that told me this also recommended 'starter corals' for a tank that had been running not 3 days...
//no i wont tell you who, not even in PM

[Ram_Puppy]

well I don't wanna know. so no big deal. I like my CB Pets and I know it sure as heck wasn't them. :) so no biggie!

[jc]

The micro bubbles are definitely coming from the overflow pipe. I'm also trying to work out the flushing noise.

[Ram_Puppy]

so they are genereated in the overflow pipe, get into your sump, where they are chopped up and spit back into the main tank by the return pump?

your solution is simple... baffles.

wetwebmedia has an article about making pressurelock baffles that would probably help you out.

[jc]

I use the over-under-over type baffles already. They come out of the overflow pipe small. I may just another baffle.

[Ram_Puppy]

are your baffles permenant? if water goes through the baffles to fast it will carry the bubbles, moving them further aprt might help.

[jc]

yeah they are permanent. They are 1" apart. I might try to slide one in and maybe I should put it further apart then the others. Should I add a prefilter to my mag pump?

[GaryP]

I have no baffles in my sump. Its just an open 30 gal. long. I have added a sock filter to my sump. The hoses from the overflow go through it and it keeps the sump pretty much bubble free. In addition, I added a piece of Tygon tubing to the outfall of the skimmer so that it goes under the water line. That has reduced the bubbles quite a bit as well. If you have a pretty powerful pump, it can sometimes create a suction that results in a little whirlpool that sucks air into the pump. Lowering the suction to the pump, or raising the water level can help prevent that.