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briight

Tiny bubbles...

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briight
, 02-02-2011 at 07:19 PM (12903 Views)
We have had cloudy water in the display tank, and thought we were dealing with fines in the water. We added an extension to route the water flow from the return over the long axis of the tank, and noted there were micro bubbles coming out of the return. We checked the skimmer, and the water coming from it had no noticeable bubbles. We did have lots of bubbles coming from the drain pipes into the sump.
Since our sump is a 100 gallon tub, we had to fabricate some sort of bubble trap from what we had available. We have several 5 gallon buckets, all of which have metal handles which are molded into the bucket. We also had some kitty litter buckets (cleaned out of course) which have a plastic handle, not metal. Brian used a 1/2" drill to ventilate the bottom inch of the bucket, and then we added some dry rocks. It isn't an elegant solutions or very pretty, but it's functional for now. The bubbles from the drain are no longer getting sucked into the return pump to end up in the tank, and the tank is clearing nicely. There are still some fines, but we're working on that. A filter sock is next.

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‎ DIY projects

Comments

  1. melev's Avatar
    It takes time, up to 14 days for plumbing to slime over. It will get more quiet and bubble free over time. A bubble tower is always best, and a lot less work than cleaning filter socks.
  2. DJ in WV's Avatar
    all that talk of bubbles remind of the scene form willy wonky. Bubbles Bubbles but not a drop to drink
  3. briight's Avatar
    A photo of the field expedient Tidy Cat bubble trap.
  4. briight's Avatar
    If you go to my profile and look at albums, I have written complete descriptions about each photo.
  5. briight's Avatar
    For the moment, the small whisper filter that was keeping water moving before plumbing was completed now has a chunk of sponge filter in it, and it collects lots of fines. Once the tank is clear and the rocks set up the way I want them, the small filter will go away, having served it's purpose. I can see the occasional use of a filter sock to clear water after disturbing rocks in the display. We don't have sponge filters or socks in the small tank anymore at all, and the water stays pretty clear most of the time, with very little sediment ever on the rocks.
  6. melev's Avatar
    You can have your skimmer's output pour into the Tidy Cat Bubble Tower as well.