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mid - day microbubbles

post #1 of 23
1/24/12 at 3:29pm
Thread Starter 
i have been noticing that about mid day my canister filter starts exploding with microbubbles then it settles down over night and in the morning there is barely any bubbles. also about mid day a little bit of brown alge will grow on the sand but will disappear by morning. i have recently upgraded my lights and upped the size of my filter, i thought it was the filter leaking but checked it in another tank and no bubbles also it is only happening when the lights have been on for a while. any ideas??

nitrates 0
nitrites 0
amonia 0
phosphates 0
carbonate harness 8
calcium 400
ph 8.0

i noticed my carbonate harness and cal where low about a week ago so ive been adding a calcium alk buffer ever night to bring it up but problem with microbubbles have been going on since the end of december my old filter was starting to do this so i replaced it with a bigger one now its doing it to but more bubbles (more filter flow)
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post #2 of 23
1/24/12 at 4:30pm

My initial thought is cavitation.  What is the temperature difference in the water between when the bubbles are happening and when they are not?

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post #3 of 23
1/24/12 at 4:49pm
Thread Starter 
1-2 degree max its 80 during the day and about 79.0-78.0 at night,i notice a diffence 1h after lights go out and temp is still 80 tho... during the day it will spit bursts out about every 5min
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post #4 of 23
1/24/12 at 6:47pm

Doesn't sound like it could be a sufficient change in viscosity to make a difference.

 

To test for cavitation, restrict the output of the filter slightly when it's making bubbles and see if they stop.

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post #5 of 23
1/24/12 at 6:52pm
Thread Starter 
what is cavitation? and how do i restrict flow, clog the output?
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post #6 of 23
1/24/12 at 6:57pm

Cavitation is when the  impeller creates a vacuum bubble on the trailing edge of the blade.  This vacuum can actually pull dissolved gasses out of solution and that what you see as microbubbles. 

 

Just holding a finger over the output for a little while can restrict the output enough to test.  Most people have a ball valve they can close slightly.

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post #7 of 23
1/25/12 at 5:22am
Thread Starter 
ok ill try it ... right now (actinics just turned on) there is alittle bit of bubbles but i can live with this small amount but once the 10000k have been on for about 3hours plus it starts to go crazy, so is that the time i test or can i test now, and what will i notice if that is the problem? how do you fix it?
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post #8 of 23
1/25/12 at 5:27am

A larger intake or find a way to permanently restrict the output. 

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post #9 of 23
1/25/12 at 6:04am
Thread Starter 
ok so say if i add like a shut off on the output then keep it closed alittle?( if thats the problem)

also if thats the problem why would it happen more when the lights have been on for a while ? ?
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post #10 of 23
1/25/12 at 6:09am

Normally this can happen when there's a larger change in viscosity due to the water warming up.  I don't know in your case.  Is it possible that the bubbles are always there but more noticeable when the lights are on?  (just asking laughing.gif )

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post #11 of 23
1/25/12 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
the bubbles are always there (not as bad tho) but after a few hours of the 10kks the filter really starts up and is spitting out bursts. ive beenwatching it all morning and i havent seen one burst and i just shook the canister a little and hardly and bubbles came out if i shake the canister during daylights (prob. in about 3h) it will go nuts with bubbles
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post #12 of 23
1/25/12 at 6:35am

I wonder if your canister is capturing the oxygen bubbles created by algae in the light and accumulating it in the filter.

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post #13 of 23
1/25/12 at 6:41am
Thread Starter 
if i leave lthe lights off for the day i dont have that bubble problem and i noticed that the day of a waterchang i dosnt do it as much either
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post #14 of 23
1/25/12 at 11:02am
Thread Starter 
i can hear air building up in the canister but it dosnt do it at night or in the morning the filter sounds alot more quiet so i dont think its a leak. its gotta be something to do with my light cycle but i dont no
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post #15 of 23
1/26/12 at 4:40am
Thread Starter 
no mabe not i did a water change its still doing it and last night i saw it bubbleing to... i dont no i guess mabe its the filter?
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post #16 of 23
1/27/12 at 8:07am
Thread Starter 
i think it was my skimmer producing abit of bubbles then the filter just building them up. skimmers been off for over a day and its not doing it. mabe time for a new skimmer but i have to go hang on and may have that problem again. also my skimmer is a red sea prizim and is clear, with the more lighting i think its growing alge in it and not functioning right (im constantly having to adjust it).
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post #17 of 23
1/27/12 at 9:45am
Thread Starter 
doin it again ( not as bad but still alot of bubbles) skimmer still off i guess thats not the problem, ive tried restricting the flow but the filter gets loud and dosnt seem to stop the bubbles
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post #18 of 23
1/27/12 at 3:20pm

How old is the filter? When was the last time maintenance was performed? What type of filter? How far down from the water line is the outtake? 

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post #19 of 23
1/27/12 at 3:20pm

BTW, I am having the same issues. 

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post #20 of 23
1/27/12 at 3:32pm
Thread Starter 
original filter is over month old but i returned it 3weeks ago because it wouldnt stop bubbling lol. the new one does the samething so either its not the filter or i have horrible luck, its a marineland c360 and the intake is 12" below water line the output is about 2" +below
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