micro bubbles and a possible solution

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by loneracer05, Jul 30, 2011.

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  1. loneracer05

    loneracer05 Clown Trigger

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2009
    Messages:
    2,019
    Location:
    long island ny
    well im fed up with my micro bubble situation in my 210 im pretty sure its stressing my tangs out.im going to try putting duct tape on all the pre return pump connections(vinyl tubing). my return is a mag 24 for the time being till i get some cash for a reeflo.the pump also drives the skimmer and 3 reactors aswell as circulate some added flow into my 90g fuge. i have all the joint double clamped and in still getting micro bubbles so i think duct tape may help.
     
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  3. elweshomayor

    elweshomayor Giant Squid

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2009
    Messages:
    3,964
    Location:
    Norcross, Atlanta Ga.
    im not sure how this works since i dont have a skimmer, but Ive heard that people place a filter sock on the pump to reduce the bubbles. Maybe someone will chime in and explain.
     
  4. Pickupman66

    Pickupman66 Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2010
    Messages:
    1,991
    Location:
    Winchester, TN
    are you sure it is leaks getting into the plumbing. any joints on the output side of the pump will not cause any air getting into the pipes as this is a pressureized system. only air getting into the intake side of the pump will cause the microbubbles (air getting chopped by the pump. another possible scenario is your pump cavitating due to the back pressure or even intake restrictions. (lots of elbows or too small of pipe or other restrictions between it and the tank outlets). are you using flexible tubing or is it plumbed with PVC? I have always been a fan of oversized plumbing. if a pump calls for a 1" intake, I use 1 1/4". I strongly dislike the flex tubing as the nipples used to make the connections are considerably smaller than the ID of the tubing and cause alot of restriction.

    lastly is the fact that some skimmers are not as good as others as making sure no microbubbles escape them.

    What kind of sump do you have? is the mag run inside or outside the sump?

    My setup consists of a 150 gal rubbermaid connected to a reeflo Barracuda. this massive pump (4600gph) feeds my tank 1000gph, Mrc-2 skimmer (1000gph), Chiller, UV, Pellets and CaRx with pressure to spare. the rim of my tank is close to 10' from the pad my pump sits on. I run 2" pipe to and from my tank and pump. it has 1 1/2" threads on both sides.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2011