Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! - Page 6

MatthewJ · 02-18-2009, 11:28 PM

@mzreenie - if you clean it with just RO water (this is what I would suggest) there should be virtually no break in. bubbles are a different story.

@turbiville - I have the same problem. crap floating all the time...mostly snail and crab turds.

turbiville · 02-19-2009, 02:40 AM

I think you are right. It's turds floating around up there. I had 3 huge Mexican turbos, man those things could drop bombs. I only have one now, but it's still pretty filthy up top. The filter just won't catch it.

paulwilko · 02-23-2009, 01:18 PM

I have been running my RSM for 1 year now and i still have as many bubbles now as i did from day one !!

What I have done

Black Sponge Has Gone
Tiny Bit Of Rock Under Pumps
Tried extra tubing on pumps
2 New pumps
Taken everything out except for pumps (New pumps as well), so had no skimmer, no media, nothing

Steve from Red Sea came round to my house to check my set up and said Mecahnically my tank is spot on.
He was lost and could not figure out what is happening.
He went away to ask advice and came back with, "In Israel, they are running tanks to see how to get Coraline Algae to grow, one of the tanks has a lot of Coralline and that too has bubbles but the ones with out coraline does not."

My tank does have coraline but not excessive, i also bought a Tuxedo Urchin to munch through the ALgae which it does but there is no difference.

When ever i goto my LFS, i look at there Max and there amount of bubbles is a lot less than mine, so i know i am not imagining it.

Any thoughts please

Paul

Reefmack · 02-23-2009, 02:15 PM

Hi Paul and welcome to the RSM gang!

It sounds like you're tried everything to get rid of the bubbles.

Are they excessive or just a minimal amount? Where does your water level come up to on the two pumps - close to the top of the pumps or lower?

Have you got a lot of coralline buildup on the gate? That can drop flow into the back too.

Terry

paulwilko · 02-23-2009, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefmack

Hi Paul and welcome to the RSM gang!

It sounds like you're tried everything to get rid of the bubbles.

Are they excessive or just a minimal amount? Where does your water level come up to on the two pumps - close to the top of the pumps or lower?

Have you got a lot of coralline buildup on the gate? That can drop flow into the back too.

Terry

Hi Terry

I would not call them excessive, just always there and makes the water look like it has dirt floating around all the time
It is not bursts from pumps or such so i am sure it is not a flow issue

The water is right at the top of the pumps.

As I say, Steve from Red Sea was at a loss aswell and he has done his best but at this mo, it is not resolved

Paul

Reefmack · 02-23-2009, 02:25 PM

I don't think I ever got rid of 100% of the bubbles in the stock setup. Maybe it's too much to hope for? I got used to them after a while and even a reef has bubbles so I gave up worrying about them.

paulwilko · 02-23-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefmack

I don't think I ever got rid of 100% of the bubbles in the stock setup. Maybe it's too much to hope for? I got used to them after a while and even a reef has bubbles so I gave worrying about them.

I think you are right. As i say they are not excessive just more than i would hope for and more than other RSM's i have seen.

I have almost given up worrying about them until i came across this site

Thx anyway

Gerry · 03-26-2009, 12:12 AM

I too have the same microbubble problem. I have tried every remedy suggested by RS but nothing has worked. Nothing will bring the water level in the powerhead chamber up. Unfortunately my tank looks real bad. Any suggestions?

Reefmack · 03-26-2009, 08:18 AM

Hi Gerry and Welcome! Maybe someone with the 130D can offer additional advice. Have you tried getting the water level up by adjusting the surface skimmer? Keeping the sponge clean? What media do you have in the back compartment? Can you tell if the bubbles are skimmer related?

Gerry · 03-26-2009, 11:10 PM

Thanks for trying to help me with this problem. I have the same amount of bubbles with the skimmer off. I am using the media bag that came with the 130D. I have cleaned the sponge and actually cut it in half to allow better flow through the back chambers. I have also filled the water level in the tank as high as possible.
These steps have brought little relief to my microbubble problem.

Thanks again for your help.

TonyV · 03-27-2009, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerry

Thanks for trying to help me with this problem. I have the same amount of bubbles with the skimmer off. I am using the media bag that came with the 130D. I have cleaned the sponge and actually cut it in half to allow better flow through the back chambers. I have also filled the water level in the tank as high as possible.
These steps have brought little relief to my microbubble problem.

Thanks again for your help.

Gerry - I am a new 130D owner as well and I am fighting the same problems as you along with a few other quirks with the tank. I am suspecting that my problem is coming from one of the pumps which may be faulty. Only one of my circ pumps is spitting bubbles every few seconds. People will say that the bubbles don't hurt the system, but it sure doesn't look appealing. I will try to pull the pump from the system over the weekend and submerged it in a bucket of water to see if I can locate the leak. I am suspecting that the black lid on the pump may be loose which could be a source of the air.

My steps to remedy the bubbles so far...

Replaced stock skimmer with Tunze 9002 (install in process but I can tell you that it is much quieter and the space I gain will allow for more chemical or biological filtration)

Cut the black foam in half. (This helped the most)

No bio-balls in chamber below pumps.

No carbon in chamber below pumps.

Gerry · 03-27-2009, 09:28 PM

TonyV

I didn't think to replace my skimmer because I am getting the same amount of bubbles with the skimmer on or off.
I think you are correct in thinking the source could be the pumps and more specifically air being pulled in through the pump's casing. Designing the system with the pumps so close to the water level is proving to be the downfall of this tank. Even if the water level in the pump chamber could be brought to equal the level of the other chambers, these pumps would still be slightly above the water level. The hydraulics of the back chamber are just inherently flawed. I have removed everything-media, charcoal and sponge only to have the pump chamber water level too low.

Has anyone modified there 130D and actually had the pump chamber water level equal the other chamber's water level?

Reefmack · 03-27-2009, 09:41 PM

Ever wonder why they didn't just lower those holes for the 2 pumps by an inch? That's all it would have taken to keep the pumps submerged.

Whipitup · 03-27-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerry

TonyV

Has anyone modified there 130D and actually had the pump chamber water level equal the other chamber's water level?

Nope, I've tried everything............still cannot get the water level in the pump chamber higher than 10mm below the top of the pumps.

TonyV · 03-28-2009, 01:32 AM

Ideally we would find a small enough bulkhead to run our own loc-line in the tank with 1/2" tubing on the inside chamber and then run an aftermarket pump.

02-18-2009, 11:28 PM	#76 (permalink)
MatthewJ Cabbage Leather Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Iowa Posts: 372 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! @mzreenie - if you clean it with just RO water (this is what I would suggest) there should be virtually no break in. bubbles are a different story. @turbiville - I have the same problem. crap floating all the time...mostly snail and crab turds.

02-19-2009, 02:40 AM	#77 (permalink)
turbiville Fire Coral Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 84 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! I think you are right. It's turds floating around up there. I had 3 huge Mexican turbos, man those things could drop bombs. I only have one now, but it's still pretty filthy up top. The filter just won't catch it.

02-23-2009, 01:18 PM	#78 (permalink)
paulwilko Tubeworm Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 35 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! I have been running my RSM for 1 year now and i still have as many bubbles now as i did from day one !! What I have done Black Sponge Has Gone Tiny Bit Of Rock Under Pumps Tried extra tubing on pumps 2 New pumps Taken everything out except for pumps (New pumps as well), so had no skimmer, no media, nothing Steve from Red Sea came round to my house to check my set up and said Mecahnically my tank is spot on. He was lost and could not figure out what is happening. He went away to ask advice and came back with, "In Israel, they are running tanks to see how to get Coraline Algae to grow, one of the tanks has a lot of Coralline and that too has bubbles but the ones with out coraline does not." My tank does have coraline but not excessive, i also bought a Tuxedo Urchin to munch through the ALgae which it does but there is no difference. When ever i goto my LFS, i look at there Max and there amount of bubbles is a lot less than mine, so i know i am not imagining it. Any thoughts please Paul

02-23-2009, 02:15 PM	#79 (permalink)
Reefmack NaClH2O Addicted Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC, USA Posts: 6,162 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! Hi Paul and welcome to the RSM gang! It sounds like you're tried everything to get rid of the bubbles. Are they excessive or just a minimal amount? Where does your water level come up to on the two pumps - close to the top of the pumps or lower? Have you got a lot of coralline buildup on the gate? That can drop flow into the back too. Terry __________________ aka Terry Excellence in reefkeeping is achieved by mastering the fundamentals, and learning from mistakes. No such thing as an evil crab. Only humans have the ability to be evil. "If you don't like what your fellow forum neighbors are doing, then don't pay so much attention to them" 34g Red Sea Max 130 (April 07), ~50-60 lbs. live rock, Aragonite substrate. Lighting: Current USA Outer Orbit Pro - 150W HQI, 2 x 24W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent by ATI, 2 x 24W Super Actinic T5 HO Fluorescent by UVL, Vortech MP20, LifeReef RSM Siphon, EShopps RS-75 Sump, Euro-Reef custom sump skimmer, Simplicity media reactor, Tunze Osmolator ATO, ReefKeeper Lite L3 controller Reefmack's RSM 130 and...Red Sea Max Owners Club and My JBJ 6G in this thread[/color][/i]

02-23-2009, 02:25 PM	#81 (permalink)
Reefmack NaClH2O Addicted Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC, USA Posts: 6,162 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! I don't think I ever got rid of 100% of the bubbles in the stock setup. Maybe it's too much to hope for? I got used to them after a while and even a reef has bubbles so I gave up worrying about them. __________________ aka Terry Excellence in reefkeeping is achieved by mastering the fundamentals, and learning from mistakes. No such thing as an evil crab. Only humans have the ability to be evil. "If you don't like what your fellow forum neighbors are doing, then don't pay so much attention to them" 34g Red Sea Max 130 (April 07), ~50-60 lbs. live rock, Aragonite substrate. Lighting: Current USA Outer Orbit Pro - 150W HQI, 2 x 24W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent by ATI, 2 x 24W Super Actinic T5 HO Fluorescent by UVL, Vortech MP20, LifeReef RSM Siphon, EShopps RS-75 Sump, Euro-Reef custom sump skimmer, Simplicity media reactor, Tunze Osmolator ATO, ReefKeeper Lite L3 controller Reefmack's RSM 130 and...Red Sea Max Owners Club and My JBJ 6G in this thread[/color][/i] Last edited by Reefmack : 02-23-2009 at 03:30 PM.

03-26-2009, 12:12 AM	#83 (permalink)
Gerry Tunicate Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! I too have the same microbubble problem. I have tried every remedy suggested by RS but nothing has worked. Nothing will bring the water level in the powerhead chamber up. Unfortunately my tank looks real bad. Any suggestions?

03-26-2009, 08:18 AM	#84 (permalink)
Reefmack NaClH2O Addicted Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC, USA Posts: 6,162 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! Hi Gerry and Welcome! Maybe someone with the 130D can offer additional advice. Have you tried getting the water level up by adjusting the surface skimmer? Keeping the sponge clean? What media do you have in the back compartment? Can you tell if the bubbles are skimmer related? __________________ aka Terry Excellence in reefkeeping is achieved by mastering the fundamentals, and learning from mistakes. No such thing as an evil crab. Only humans have the ability to be evil. "If you don't like what your fellow forum neighbors are doing, then don't pay so much attention to them" 34g Red Sea Max 130 (April 07), ~50-60 lbs. live rock, Aragonite substrate. Lighting: Current USA Outer Orbit Pro - 150W HQI, 2 x 24W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent by ATI, 2 x 24W Super Actinic T5 HO Fluorescent by UVL, Vortech MP20, LifeReef RSM Siphon, EShopps RS-75 Sump, Euro-Reef custom sump skimmer, Simplicity media reactor, Tunze Osmolator ATO, ReefKeeper Lite L3 controller Reefmack's RSM 130 and...Red Sea Max Owners Club and My JBJ 6G in this thread[/color][/i]

03-26-2009, 11:10 PM	#85 (permalink)
Gerry Tunicate Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! Thanks for trying to help me with this problem. I have the same amount of bubbles with the skimmer off. I am using the media bag that came with the 130D. I have cleaned the sponge and actually cut it in half to allow better flow through the back chambers. I have also filled the water level in the tank as high as possible. These steps have brought little relief to my microbubble problem. Thanks again for your help.

03-27-2009, 09:28 PM	#87 (permalink)
Gerry Tunicate Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 8 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! TonyV I didn't think to replace my skimmer because I am getting the same amount of bubbles with the skimmer on or off. I think you are correct in thinking the source could be the pumps and more specifically air being pulled in through the pump's casing. Designing the system with the pumps so close to the water level is proving to be the downfall of this tank. Even if the water level in the pump chamber could be brought to equal the level of the other chambers, these pumps would still be slightly above the water level. The hydraulics of the back chamber are just inherently flawed. I have removed everything-media, charcoal and sponge only to have the pump chamber water level too low. Has anyone modified there 130D and actually had the pump chamber water level equal the other chamber's water level?

03-27-2009, 09:41 PM	#88 (permalink)
Reefmack NaClH2O Addicted Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Charlotte, NC, USA Posts: 6,162 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! Ever wonder why they didn't just lower those holes for the 2 pumps by an inch? That's all it would have taken to keep the pumps submerged. __________________ aka Terry Excellence in reefkeeping is achieved by mastering the fundamentals, and learning from mistakes. No such thing as an evil crab. Only humans have the ability to be evil. "If you don't like what your fellow forum neighbors are doing, then don't pay so much attention to them" 34g Red Sea Max 130 (April 07), ~50-60 lbs. live rock, Aragonite substrate. Lighting: Current USA Outer Orbit Pro - 150W HQI, 2 x 24W Blue Plus T5 HO Fluorescent by ATI, 2 x 24W Super Actinic T5 HO Fluorescent by UVL, Vortech MP20, LifeReef RSM Siphon, EShopps RS-75 Sump, Euro-Reef custom sump skimmer, Simplicity media reactor, Tunze Osmolator ATO, ReefKeeper Lite L3 controller Reefmack's RSM 130 and...Red Sea Max Owners Club and My JBJ 6G in this thread[/color][/i]

03-28-2009, 01:32 AM	#90 (permalink)
TonyV Tuxedo Urchin Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: San Jose, CA. Posts: 275 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here! Ideally we would find a small enough bulkhead to run our own loc-line in the tank with 1/2" tubing on the inside chamber and then run an aftermarket pump.

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