Microbubble mystery...

If you used vinyl tubing from the pump back to the tank you may have a slight leak and the air is being pulled in like a venturi or it could be a bad glue joint if you hard piped it .. The 90 was just the first and easiest place to look .. Next seal and check all joints and clamps . If you used one of those Carallife over the rim return things I have had them to be slightly cracked and sunk in air in the seam, Also if the return is not deep enough that could be pulling in a little air in a vortex

 

its a 90 gallon aga tank. I used the flexible braided hose...i checked for leaks and reclamped everything last nite....still same problem this morning. The hold thats drilled into the 90 degree elbow for anti syphon is above water level in overflow box....could that suck air? I dont think i can get it below the water level tho. Could the micro bubbles be building up in a part of the housing in the pump til the air pocket grows large enuf for the pump to blow em in the tank?

 

Is your skimmer's outlet pouring on top off your return pump? If no, then theres something feeding those micro-bubbles and its your return pump thats pumping it up to your DT. Or its the locline that is too close to the surface as mentioned below. That was happening to me too, I just lowered the loc-line. Look carefully. Luna

 

theres an over under over baffle sytem b4 the return pump. its a good 15-16 inches away from skimmer outlet. could loc line really suck air in? I would think it would leak water before it sucked in seeing how the water is pushing thru it.

 

I think ive figured out my problem. There is an air pocket in the 90 degree elbow where the locline is attached. I believe my mag 7 after becoming acclimated to tank and building up grime is now undersized and isnt filling the pipe completely. I may up grade to a mag 9.5 for more pressure...tonite i am going to briefly plug the to locline outlets up to try and force the air pocket out either thru the pump or anti syphon hole.

 

Keep us posted if you have indeed fixed the problem. Makes sense. I never had that problem b/c I have a Magdrive 18 on my system. Luna

 

No DSB here, was set up years ago with CC and its still in there. Infact I barely have a substrate now, maybe 1/4 deep in my 90. Just lots of rubble rock, there are many bare spots on the bottom. I thought about adding a bit of sand but why hurt a good thing. Plus i can take my PH or the glass magnet when I clean it and stir up a bunch of snow.

 

Didnt work luna, made things slightly better but no cigar. Im gonna have to deep my sump a poor design or im crazy cause im analyzing the hell out of the tank.

 

What size pvc pipe are you using? Luna