YHSublime November 12, 2013 November 12, 2013 My return is spitting microbubbles. Steady and constant. What's the fix? Need more info?
TheyCallMeMr.703 November 12, 2013 November 12, 2013 (edited) Is their Air, getting in anywhere in the Return Line??? are you 100% sure, it is all airtight/watertight??? Have you taken' apart and cleaned it all up, and then Rebuilt it??? Edited November 12, 2013 by TheyCallMeMr.703
Piper November 12, 2013 November 12, 2013 My return is spitting microbubbles. Steady and constant. What's the fix? Need more info? I had that problem once. My fix was raising the water level in my sump and better isolating my feed pump from everything else.
YHSublime November 12, 2013 Author November 12, 2013 Is their Air, getting in anywhere in the Return Line??? are you 100% sure, it is all airtight/watertight??? Have you taken' apart and cleaned it all up, and then Rebuilt it??? Nope. And I have a check valve about 5" off from the pump. But no leaks, fwiw
TheyCallMeMr.703 November 12, 2013 November 12, 2013 I had that problem once. My fix was raising the water level in my sump and better isolating my feed pump from everything else. +1, was hoping this was already done. lol
epleeds November 12, 2013 November 12, 2013 i have it due to my return pump being to close to the baffle. try moving it away from that...
YHSublime November 12, 2013 Author November 12, 2013 I had that problem once. My fix was raising the water level in my sump and better isolating my feed pump from everything else. I could probably isolate it a bit better, but it's hard, the return section is small in my sump, I could try turning it around, wouldn't be so close to my baffle, and the back wall. i have it due to my return pump being to close to the baffle. try moving it away from that... Yeah, this is also a problem I believe. I tightened up the unions, and I swung the pump diagonally. It helped, but there are still some microbubbles. I bet you if I swung the pump around and gave it a bit more space instead of sucking up off the back wall it might do the trick.
kjamaya November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 I have this same issue! I've managed the situation by adding live rocks up the wall of the last baffle to break up the bubbles. I've also added a 90° elbow to my return intake and that has also helped, but the rocks take up water volume and the 90° elbow can easliy be clogged by a lose piece of rubble or a fish. It may be a temporary fix but I'm also looking for a permanent fix. I have a 150g "tall"
Shoelace November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 I put foam blocks around my return pump as a temporary fix once. Once things got a slime coat, the microbubbles subsided.
lutz123 November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 How powerful is the return pump? Can you dial it down a bit to slow the flow through the sump?
wangspeed November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 Nothing will ever beat a siphon overflow setup when it comes to reducing bubbles. Post pics of the sump, and of the skimmer output pipe. Did you put any epoxy in the tank lately?
Shoelace November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 Nothing will ever beat a siphon overflow setup when it comes to reducing bubbles. +1. That's why I've been working so hard to turn my overflows into BA's.
kjamaya November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 +1. That's why I've been working so hard to turn my overflows into BA's. What do you mean BA?
DaveS November 13, 2013 November 13, 2013 Another suggestion not already made, could it be cavitation? Is the input flow being restricted by too many elbows or too narrow a pipe? Depending on the pump, you could test by restricting the output a little to see if the bubles go away. If so, that may mean its cavitation.
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