Finally I get to start my own build thread! 120 gallon cube!

NG, you are really limited with your choices and how you did your drain. Bottom line is that too much air is mixing in from the drain, and the only real option is to deal with the bubbles in the sump. Most all overflows try to deal with air either by going solid... Herbie/Bean, or some sort of purging setup.. durso/stand pipe.

You definitely DO NOT want to throttle your drain. That is not how you fix that. That is how you overflow your tank.

In the sump you can do a sock like you have. If that is not good enough, you can use a sort of exit device. If that is not good enough, you can make some sort of chamber, baffle set up. Micro bubbles suck,and I can't stand them in the display. You can get it worked out.

Next easy thing to try is this.... DO not glue anything, just fit it together. You put a 90 on your drain in the sump, then send that to a "T" fitting. One end of the tee is above the water. The other end is below. It helps to have the one below extended with some more pipe. the deeper, the better the bubbles stay on top, and not swept out the bottom. That's easy, because you can undo it all if it does not work. No need to glue, it will all stay together. Even bigger is better. Use larger pipe to slow flow.

Flow velocity is what sweeps micro bubbles along. Any way you can reduce velocity, it helps. Also, only send as much to the sump as needed. what ever the skimmer needs, and the fuge if you have one. Anything over that is a waste.

 

I realize you do not have a ton of room to work with... but I assume the left is drain/fuge?, then skimmer, then return right?

There is possible improvement and it's easier to change the sump than it is the change the tank. What I was talking about flow... you want your baffles to be wide, to slow flow. The opening at the bottom should be wide too. The skinnier it is, the fast the flow, and the less effective the bubble trap is. Regardless of what bubble you get in your sump from your drain, and skimmer, an effective bubble trap will not allow them to get to the return pump.

You will have to let me know how your sump is configured. It's possible to do without the first bubble trap. And use a 3 panel trap at the end to eliminate every thing. And that is also where less flow through the sump helps. Just use what you need, not more. And ALWAYS throttle the PUMP... NOT the drain.... to control flow through the sump.

 

I do have a standpipe built into my drain, would drilling a hole in the top help?

 

Sump has bubble walls, first section is drain and heaters at the moment, I also put my reactors here... Carbon/GFO and bio pellets. Pellets due to no room for fuge. I put a sock on drain pipe.

Second is skimmer and that's all that can fit.

Last section is return, also where my kalk ATO is located. I did place a large piece of filter pad in between second and last section between bubble traps. This helped the micro bubbles a bit. May even clear up once my skimmer calms down from that addition.

 

The hole and tube help it from getting solid from water and turning into a siphon. It prevents surging. But yes, it would provide a break, and allow air to escape. Very easy to do and undo. Put a little tube and run it to the tank just to make sure it does not spit. (But leave it open to air. (sorry if that is too obvious))

 

OK... so that is actually easy. There is really no need for the first set of baffles. My return was in the middle, and I did not have bubble traps from the fuge. You do not need a bubble trap to your skimmer.

All that means is that you can take those out, and add a third panel to the bubble trap before the return. The panels are configured correct... you have under-over, and you need over-under-over.

Ideally, you want 1.5"... so 3" total. It looks like yours are about an inch. I actually think that works, but I always said 1.5 to be sure. And your sump is very narrow which also effects it. I get that is what you have to work with. But the narrower the sump, the faster the water will go through the trap given the same flow and trap. Make sense?

Soooo.... just add a plate to the front of the last trap. Make it 1.5" just to be sure. And you would have more effective bubble trap from drain and skimmer.

Also, make sure no bubbles are formed in the return chamber by ATO of kalk ... because those get in the return pump and get shredded easy.

 

great, will do....

 

Well, this sump sections are silicone in... so, I will have to get those out and re-silicone a section... I am giving this filter pad some time.... my micro bubbles are already down at least 75%

 

Thank you very much for your responses....

 

Do what easiest first that's for sure. I personally hate sponges and took all of them out of my system. But I get it. I hate filter socks too... the less maintenance the better. But do what works, and maybe later plan on something more. Look at flow too... if you can turn it down, that will help too and it's free.