Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here!

[nanoreefing4fun]

Levito - almost all the above was written with the RSM 130D in mind... though some cross-over & apply to a RSM250 - many don't

I have never had any micro-bubbles in my RSM 250 - on my 130D I had them, solved the problem & could create them on demand & solve them...

on a RSM 250 with micro-bubbles... I don't feel near as confident that I can help... but here would be my best thoughts... 1st what pumps do you have? They are labeled on the pumps (hydor or sicce) ? The hydor... were very problematic - Red Sea will replace with the much superior sicce pumps.

2nd... seems you have read this thread & tried a lot of these tips... in your RSM 250 ... the setup as related to the water level... is completely different... I have found... in my rsm 250 I run much lower water levels... read this thread & give this setup a go & see if it helps... http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/66778-rsm-250-stock-skimmer-tips.html

if you have hydor pumps... this would be a huge key to fixing... all rsm tanks shipped with the hydor pumps... until sometime last year late

 

[Levito]

Levito - almost all the above was written with the RSM 130D in mind... though some cross-over & apply to a RSM250 - many don't

I have never had any micro-bubbles in my RSM 250 - on my 130D I had them, solved the problem & could create them on demand & solve them...

on a RSM 250 with micro-bubbles... I don't feel near as confident that I can help... but here would be my best thoughts... 1st what pumps do you have? They are labeled on the pumps (hydor or sicce) ? The hydor... were very problematic - Red Sea will replace with the much superior sicce pumps.

2nd... seems you have read this thread & tried a lot of these tips... in your RSM 250 ... the setup as related to the water level... is completely different... I have found... in my rsm 250 I run much lower water levels... read this thread & give this setup a go & see if it helps... http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/red-sea-max-owners-club/66778-rsm-250-stock-skimmer-tips.html

if you have hydor pumps... this would be a huge key to fixing... all rsm tanks shipped with the hydor pumps... until sometime last year late

nanoreefing4fun, thanks for the response. I've read the thread you posted and it hasn't resolved the issue. I'm not positive about which skimmer pump I have, but it was replaced around July last year because the original would randomly stop every few days and took a lot of fiddling to get it to start up again. I'll check which one it is when I do my water change this weekend. I'm praying it's the hydor now so I can request they send me a sicce. I'm pretty sure the one they gave me looked exactly like the one that was broken, so I have hope I can get a better pump. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for your help.

 

[Levito]

well I did my water change, and the bad news is that I have the sicce pump already. I did a major cleaning of all 3 pumps, and that has helped a bit, but still a bit of microbubbles. Unfortunately I'm at a point where I'll just have to live with it for now.

 

[Ashr]

So last night my skimmer started making a ton of MB.. I have taken it out and cleaned it.. also put it in a bucket of water to see where its coming from and it looks like it is coming from the pump itself... really not sure why at this point

 

[Ashr]

So this is what it looks like in the chamber on the right... a ton of MB... I've taken the pump off and cleaned 1 times, made sure everything is nice and tight... I have no idea..

any help?

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

might try this...

this has happen once or twice with my RSM 250 pump, after I had taken it apart for cleaning, I had to re-clean it - try using a Q-tip - cleaning the inside housing really well... where the impeller goes - worked for me

 

[Ashr]

Hey Glenn..
Thats what I had to do two.. Took me 3 times to clean it to start it working again. It was a pain in the ass but all seems well now

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Cheers - I thought that would be the case glad to hear it's fixed !

 

[Ashr]

haha me too!

 

[BigAl07]

I've been dealing with a Cubic TON of Mini-bubbles! All coming directly from the skimmer. If I leave it off the tank is clear as a bell. The moment I turn ON the skimmer it's like someone installed a "Fog Machine" in my tank. I've taken the skimmer apart and cleaned/reassembled it twice. No change. This all started after I took it apart to clean after I moved the tank a couple of weeks ago. I'll take it apart again tonight (maybe) and do as the last few posts suggest and give it another try. We'll see

 

[BigAl07]

might try this...

this has happen once or twice with my RSM 250 pump, after I had taken it apart for cleaning, I had to re-clean it - try using a Q-tip - cleaning the inside housing really well... where the impeller goes - worked for me

Well I don't have a clue exactly what worked but it worked. I removed the skimmer (Again) and took the pump apart (it looked really REALLY clean LOL). I took a couple of Q-tips and cleaned everything that it would slide into. Put it all back together and NO bubbles!

Awesome!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

congrats Allen !

 

[Ashr]

RSM is gonna send me a new skimmer pump.. I think this one is really broken.. Every time i start/stop it it makes MB, everytime I feed it makes MB... so I hope the new one will be better

 

[scottb721]

i seem to get them when adding new water. I added a chiller yesterday , topped up and got MB. Will turn skimmer back on this arvo and see what happens. They seem to stop if skimmer is left off for a bit.

 

[scottb721]

yep, sure enough, turned on skimmer today and no bubbles in the tank

 

[ksicard]

Okay so after having my RSM130d for over 7 months now I have finally been able to correct my micro bubbles issue for good =) After purchasing my new system I was very happy and the only thing that was wrong was that the micro bubbles bugged the hell out of my ADHD mind! I went crazy trying to correct them! Here's the optimal way to rid your tank of those micro bubbles. 1.) remove bio ceramic media from COD, 2.) remove carbon from COD, 3.) use a tunze 9002 skimmer w/ media rack, 4.) cut a portion of the black coarse sponge to fit into your heater chamber, it should sit 1/4 in down in the chamber leaving the majority of the sponge to extend over the top of the heater chamber(you want a snug fit, but to tight that it restricts flow), 5.) cut a square portion of the blue/thinner sponge material to cover the top of the media rack for the steve's T media rack, 6.) make surer your tank is filled to the brim, meaning that your water level is at the top of the chamber through the back left side (water level above or at the top of the reading hole), as well as the main tank display filled up so water is just starting to come through the holes in the arm rest for the hood, 7.) the most important part IMO, ruberband the pumps and their nozzle together! I wrapped the rubber band around the nozzle and the pump itself three times for a very tight fit, it may sound like a cheap fix but it makes all the difference in the world when trying to wipe out microbubbles caused from the pumps. I tried zip ties for a better looking fix but due to the pump shape I couldn't get nearly a tight enough fit like the rubber bands provide.

If your sponge is to tight of a fit or wedged to far down the heater chamber you will have to much restriction so be sure to cut it to the right size. The water level also is a huge factor when it comes to this. Using the sponges in the designated spots will effictevely remove the micro bubbles whether they come from the skimmer or the main tank display. And rubber banding the pumps will make sure to have a tight fit on the pumps so there not loose and sucking up air, this combined with a high water level will elimate micro bubbles from the pumps. You could more or less make the same mods with the stock skimmer ,but what i've listed above is a sure fire way to remove those pesky micro bubbles. Hope this helps! Also you might need to replace the rubber bands every couple of months, because they will stretch out over time giving you a less tight fit on the nozzle and power head. These are all easy and cheap fixes that anyone can do, the only one that requires some money is purchasing the tunze 9002. I assure you the tunze 9002 is worth it due to noise reduction and the media rack is a god send! Make sure to keep an eye on the water level!

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

Thanks for sharing the great tips !

 

[Johnno555]

Are micro bubbles harmful to your fish? I haven't got any stock at present but do have a small amount of micro bubbles. When I come down in the morning the tank is fairly clear but do anything to it and they mahically appear (not driving me crazy yet).. Does water temprature and oxygen saturation have any bearing on this issue?

 

[slfcaptain]

Microbubbles are not harmful to the fish just asthetically distracting. I dont know why they appear but you can follow the tips in this thread to reduce the number. It also seems that newer setups have more of them then more mature systems.

steve

 

[Johnno555]

Ahh thanks Steve, I haven't got many of them but yes they are a bit of a distraction. Still cycling the tank at present so hope that when things mature a bit they will disappear.