Microbubbles in your RSM? Check here!
- Thread starter Reefmack
- Start date
Whipitup
Member
I'm not blaming anything..................I was just wondering what had happened.
As of now, the skimmer isn't doing anything at all.............it's almost if it's "skimmed" everything out of the water it can.
Anyway, time for bed, I'll check in the morning.....[Yawn]
LittleJester
Member
Turned on my new skimmer in a new system and low and behold microbubbles. I plan on following the trouble shooting guides, but I have another question that might be related. I am only running the black sponge in my system. What height are people putting the sponge at? and does this affect the microbubbles. I placed mine about half way down at first. It was a PIA to get it out to clean. I'm afraid if I put it all the way down on top of the Skimmer pump then I will really have a problem getting it out for cleaning.
LittleJester - give the skimmer a few days, or a week or more, to break in, and the microbubbles should decrease. A new skimmer in a new system typically generates bubbles until the manufacturing oils & residues are removed after a period of time. This happens with probably all skimmers, not just the RSM skimmer. I had it happen with both my Remora and the Tunze skimmers till they ran for a while. As your bio-load increases that will also help. With little bio-load there's not much to make firm bubbles and the bubbles exit the skimmer.
LittleJester
Member
I understand all you mentioned. Thanks, What's your thoughts on the sponge? I have also heard that one should cut it and only use half of it.
Whipitup
Member
Course foam an inch think on top of fine filter foam (or the fine stuff gets blocked to quickly) held together with a long ty-wrap. You can then use the ty-wrap to pull the pads out...........easy-peesy!!!
PS.....the ty-wrap goes through 2 small holes I made near the centre of the pads.
PS.....the ty-wrap goes through 2 small holes I made near the centre of the pads.
LittleJester
Member
The ty-wrap idea sounds great. I was thinking of heavy thread but I like your idea better. How far down do you put it.
Whipitup
Member
At my wits end!!!!
With micro bubbles, not many and not from the skimmer (it's turned off during the day).
They are coming from both pumps. One of the pumps is new, they other to be replaced when a replacement impeller arrives.
Every now and again (could be two minutes, it could be ten seconds) both pumps squirt out micro bubbles and it makes the tank look dirty (as if there are particles flying around), and it's driving me bloody daft.
The skimmer is off, I have an inch or so deep coarse foam and fine filter pad over the skimmer pump, I also have some LR rubble under the pumps.
There is no Carbon, Bio Balls or any other media in rear chambers.
The pumps have had the extension pipe mod done, and early this morning I removed one of the pumps and sealed the underside with Aquarium Sealant.......guess what, it still blows out bubbles. I can see into the rear chambers and nothing is restricting the flow, and you can see the water level up to the top of the pumps.
So this afternoon I knocked this up:
If I cant get this bubble problem sorted I'm gonna stick a MJ1200 on the single end, and the 2 outlets are a tight push fit onto the standard RSM directional outlets.
Anyone any idea whats causing the bloody bubbles from hell???
With micro bubbles, not many and not from the skimmer (it's turned off during the day).
They are coming from both pumps. One of the pumps is new, they other to be replaced when a replacement impeller arrives.
Every now and again (could be two minutes, it could be ten seconds) both pumps squirt out micro bubbles and it makes the tank look dirty (as if there are particles flying around), and it's driving me bloody daft.
The skimmer is off, I have an inch or so deep coarse foam and fine filter pad over the skimmer pump, I also have some LR rubble under the pumps.
There is no Carbon, Bio Balls or any other media in rear chambers.
The pumps have had the extension pipe mod done, and early this morning I removed one of the pumps and sealed the underside with Aquarium Sealant.......guess what, it still blows out bubbles. I can see into the rear chambers and nothing is restricting the flow, and you can see the water level up to the top of the pumps.
So this afternoon I knocked this up:
If I cant get this bubble problem sorted I'm gonna stick a MJ1200 on the single end, and the 2 outlets are a tight push fit onto the standard RSM directional outlets.
Anyone any idea whats causing the bloody bubbles from hell???
Whipitup
Member
I had a good luck at the pump I took out this morning. The Black top just clips off, and inside it's completely sealed with resin, so no way is air getting in that way.
With regard fitting it the "chamber of death" (and why is it called that?) it's very flexible, so it shouldn't be a problem.
TBH, I'd rather sort out whats causing the problem, but I've run out of ideas.
And..........the ideas not all mine, I had read of mbdave's idea, just not seen it.
Chamber of death - just an affectionate term that was coined a long time ago by one us who has big hands that barely get down that chamber.
Could be cavitation, but how would that be fixed? Do what I did for ages - get used to seeing spurts of bubbles once in a while. Learn to sing 'Tiny Bubbles" too.
Could be cavitation, but how would that be fixed? Do what I did for ages - get used to seeing spurts of bubbles once in a while. Learn to sing 'Tiny Bubbles" too.
Whipitup
Member
I guess it cant, I really don't want to spend money modding the tank if it's fixable, I also really, really don't like the micro bubbles.
Whipitup
Member
You too??
Yep, I even had (less and also less frequent) spurts with the Remora skimmer - probably due to the bubbles caused by the water splashing into the back from the skimmer lip. Now with the overflow and sump/fuge I'm bubble free. It only took 20 months, but they really didn't bother me when I had them - I guess I just got used to seeing a few.
I am going bonkers with bubbles!!! As you know, one of my pumps went berserk and was producing constant bubbles, not just a periodic burst. It stresses the fish so I turned off that pump and Pinky sent me a new one. This whole time that the one pump was turned off, I had NO bubbles from the remaining pump. As soon as I hooked up the new pump, I have periodic large bursts of bubbles from BOTH pumps. Why did I not have any bubbles from the single pump the entire time that one was turned off? It seems that you can run one pump with no bubbles, but as soon as you try to run two of them, they BOTH send out bubbles. My husband had the idea that we extend the intake tube on one of the pumps so that they are not competing against each other at the same water level. We have a busy weekend coming up, but as soon as we have time we are going to add some tubing to the intake of one of the pumps and see if it makes any difference. I'll let you know, in the meantime my corals are not that happy with the lower flow in the tank.