Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here!

[steveh]

You will also find a very good troubleshooting guide through our website. This link should take you directly there.
http://www.redseamax.com/redseamax/downloads/MAX_microbubble_diagnostic.pdf

 

[LimoMan]

Hey guys! I am new to the club, and from trial & error my RSM has been flawless. I do get microbubbles when I feed them either "Selcon" or a garlic concentrate. The bubbles dissappear after about 20 minutes. No stock media used in the tank except for the black mechanical filter (uncut) on top of skimmer pump. Just clean the filter twice a week. One all-gone pad and chemi-pure in chamber just to the left of the skimmer. 35 lbs of live rock and 20 lbs of live sand. Every water test I have done has been perfect except for one, where the PH level was a bit low. Hope this helps!

 

[Reefmack]

Hey LimoMan!

:welcomera to Reef Sanctuary and the RSM Club! Thanks for sharing your
bubble-free" setup with the rest of us. The key to the bubbles seems to be keeping the water level & flow at maximum in that back section.

 

[LimoMan]

Thanks for the welcome Reefmack, I see you are quite the poster on these RSM threads! I have been reading the last few hours and thought I knew a lot, not so! I have what looks like a glass anemone coming out of one of my live rocks. I don't have my camera with me but I will take pics tomorrow and post if I get time. But from what I gather, the "peppermint shrimp" see to do the trick. I can't wait for the RSM 250, my 130 is in my office and I already have a nice open area in the family room for the 250:yehoo:

 

[Reefmack]

LimoMan - the peppermint may help, but never any guarantees. Red sea makes a product called Aiptasia-X that has gotten great reviews. I've used in on majanos with success also. I think it's better than Joe's Juice, and it stays where you put it much better than the JJ. If you can post a pic in the Full Tank Shots RSM thread. Getting off topic now in this thread LOL!

 

[LimoMan]

Definitely off topic! I will take pics tomorrow and post in proper thread.
thanks again for all of your help and ideas :smack:

 

[Tregor]

Hi!

One of my pumps have started to send out microbubbles, have checked and done all i can find about microbubbles in this forum. Checked my pumps and on the microbubble pump, the black top are loose, could it be why it sending out bubbles? On the other pump the black top sits solid.

Robert
Sweden

 

[Reefmack]

Tregor - Welcome to Reef Sanctuary and the RSM Owners Club!

If that top section on the pump is loose I think that is most likely the cause for the microbubbles. I would try putting a rubber band around the pump to pull the top tight, or even using some super glue gel to glue it down securely. I think that loose top is letting air get sucked into the pump.

 

[Whipitup]

OK, 3 days after transferring the contents of my Orca to the RSM I decided to switch the skimmer on........guess what?

Micro bubbles...........

To be expected I would imagine as the skimmer was giver a bloody good clean before I set the tank up.

There are large bubbles forming in the tube in the skimmer cup, and I have adjusted the air valve so the bubbles are not just pouring into the skimmer cup.

I will continue to run the skimmer over night and see what it is like in the morning. If is still causing micro bubbles I'll turn it off during the lighting period and switch it back on again over night.

An interesting point: If you shine a torch onto the back wall (in the dark with the lights off) you can see the micro bubbles in the skimmer (bloody millions of them) so it shows how few are actually escaping.

Will the micro bubbles cause my fish/inverts/corals are problems?


Roger

 

[Reefmack]

Hi Whipitup. Give the skimmer a few days. As you're already aware, the microbubbles are common in new or thoroughly cleaned skimmers, till they break in again. I had several whiteouts in my tank, due to a Linkis star crawling over and blocking the gate. The water looked like white paint several times, but none of my livestock was ever affected. IMO a few microbubbles causes no harm, and I had them for a long time. The only negative effect of microbubbles that I'm aware of is on the owners - they don't like them.

 

[Whipitup]

Well, just checked the tank this morning.

There are still some micro bubbles, but only about 10% of what there was when I first turned the skimmer on.....

There are bubbles with a Brown "tinge" in the skimmer neck, but nothing in the collection cup.......TBH I'm not to surprised as my stocking levels are very low (Bi-colour Blenny and a Mandarin).

I'll turn it off during the lighting period (cos It's noisy!!!) and switch it on again tonight.

PS.........The Mandarin take frozen food, so don't give me a hard time about it.

Roger

 

[Reefmack]

You'll never get a hard time from me on the fish you keep!

 

[Whipitup]

Skimmer on again as of now.

There are about the same amount as when I turned it off this morning (ie, loads less than last night) The skimmer seems to be producing dry skim-mate, leaving a light coloured liquid in the collection cup.

I'll let you know if there are less micro bubbles in the morning.

 

[Whipitup]

Still micro bubbles (probably less than yesterday, but difficult to tell).

I emptied the skimmer cup this afternoon, the was about 3 - 5 mm of foul smelling light grown liquid in the cup.

Does all this sound normal?

 

[Reefmack]

Sounds about normal to me. I never did get rid of 100% of the microbubbles when running the RSM skimmer. But the number wasn't that objectionable to me after a while. Even reefs have bubbles!

 

[Whipitup]

So can I expect that the tank will never be free of micro bubbles when the simmer is running?

It's not really the end of the world if that's the case as I intend to run it only at night as SWMBO has sensitive ears!!!!!

God help her in the Summer (if we have one) when the cooling fan is on too..............

 

[mzreenie]

I've having so many microbubbles that I had to turn off one of the powerheads. The bubbles are not related to the skimmer because when the skimmer is turned off the powerhead still shoots out bubbles. I had so many bubbles today my water looked like seltzer water. I called Pinky and I think she is going to send me a replacement. I hope my tank does OK with that powerhead turned off!!!

 

[dmyers557]

I had some microbubble problems. I finally got so fed up I took the skimmer out and cleaned it inside and out including the pump and impeller. What do you know, very minimal microbubbles. Hope that helps some of you

 

[nornicle]

I just started an RSM's skimmer and it had massive microbubbles for 2 days, on the 3rd day they dissapeared and im now getting good dry skimmate

I had to tweak the amount of air entering at first and increase it everyday.

So don't freak out too much if you initially get lots of microbubble in your tank.

 

[Whipitup]

Bloody hell!!!!

Micro bubble hell tonight......:cursin:

I have only been using the skimmer over night due too the noise it makes, no real problem with that as my tank is very lightly stocked ATM.

I've just switched the skimmer on an all hell has broken loose............sh1t loads of foam, and micro bubbles in the main display.....I've had to back the air supply of to almost nothing (still MB's though).

The only thing I have done is a 10% water change and that was using Red Sea salt.

No real problems until now.............

Any ideas?