CPR Overflow Bubbles

Hey Guys and Gals- I hope you all are well. Now I know I should have got a tank with an overflow and beleive me I am kicking myself.. With that said.. I keep getting air bubbles in my CPR overflow. I do have an aqua lifter hooked up to it but on a few occations I have had it stop working and needed to restart the pump by sucking on the output side! :-X YUCK!! Anyway the combination of the Aqua lifter stopping and the bubbles is a bad combination. I plan to replace the aqua lifter and have also heard that if I bought a bigger return pump that it would prevent the bubbles. My question for all of you is, Is this true? If I get larger return pump will it prevent bubbles from collecting in the top of the U in the overflow. Any help you can provide would be great. With my tank on a hardwood floor the last thing I need is a flood! Thanks!!

 

More flow does help, but it will not eliminate it.

 

Thanks Any suggestions on the Aqua lifter and keep those things working.. I always keep two on hand so I have a back up but have had a few of them just stop working.

 

No idea on that one. I bought one. It ran constantly for over a year with no issues ever. From what I understand, they are hit or miss.

 

for those,make sure you clean out the little fitting that attaches to the overflow regularly as it will clog with algae. i always used black tubing between teh pump and the overflow so it does not grow algae either.

I had mine on a 75 with a mag 9.5 as my return. yes, the faster flow will help, but keeping that pump clean and the lines clean was the key.

if the pump is a year or two old, replace it. those seals can wear out fast.

 

There's a reason CPR overflows are considered unreliable, and this is it.

A larger pump won't eliminate the problem. The weir has too much surface area to allow any reasonable amount of flow to pull through bubbles effectively, unlike a U Tube.

 

I've used a CPR on tanks before they of course need to be coupled with a toms aqua lifter. Otherwise they loose suction. Also they have a pre filter for the aqua lifter that helps out. I never had any bubbles with my CPR maybe you should make sure it is level. Sounds weird but if it is not it will collect air and bubbles. Best way to check is to use a leveler.

Not that they(CPR) are horrible devices but next time opt for a built in overflow it is sure to give you headaches down the line which is why I no longer use it.

 

Unreliable is not teh best term for them. yes, if you dont maintain them and their eqpt, they will fail. I had much better success from my cpr than a standard utube.