Are Bubbles A Bad Thing????

[manycolors]

coralife ss 65 55gal HOB 3 months old

 

[tarball]

Originally Posted by ManyColors
coralife ss 65 55gal HOB 3 months old
I don't know much about the coralife skimmer, but I understand they make a bubble trap for them. Maybe you should check into it for the skimmer.
Maybe someone with some experience with them can help better
then I.

 

[swalchemist]

TGPW- You simply got lucky for a while as your tank came into and maintained a balance for as long as it could without crashing.
As for the CL 65 skimmer, use the bubble trap it comes with and increase the amount of padding till the bubbles are no longer a problem. They work much better in a sump but you can run them on a tank with no micro bubbles once they are tuned in. To tune in make sure the skimmer has a constant water level and the outflow return tube is not blocked by the foam pad in the bubble trap. Experiment with height of tube, foam etc till you find the magic spot then do not touch it except to clean the cup out.

 

[florida joe]

Originally Posted by zsqure
So if the bubbles are due to low oxygen, how do you put oxygen into your water? Doesn't your skimmer put the air in?
If your question was directed to me my answer is the bubbles are formed by the production of hydrogen sulfide this situation is called anerobiosis but if you have a protein skimmer and an open sump and with out the smell of rotten eggs I do not think that’s your problem

 

[new-guy]

i dont understand why the lfs's skimmer wold not have this problem but mine does? mine is the coralife 125 skimmer and theres is the 65 but there not using the basket either....

 

[thegpw]

Chemist, Please understand I believe you But, (and I'm serious not being a smart @#$) is 10 -15 years "really getting lucky" I had this tank running like this for 6-7 years We moved. Broke it down, cleaned it throughly, put the same fish back in and started over I didn't change a thing and had it running 8 more years. Then like I said I got lazy Algea got out of hand and the water and salt levels were not maintianed properly. I never had more than a single fish die at once, and when they did they were "new" fish. But I'd like to not lose any fish. So this air thing, Bubbles from airstones are bad and not nessisary? My airstones 5 of them, cause different size bubbles to rise from the bottom of the tank up the back wall where a lot stick to the rather large lava rocks that cover the entire back (30" X 72") My tank had the air tubing built in I just used it. I have an exit pipe 6" up from the bottom of the tank, the tank is about 30" deep it causes a lump of water at the surface thats about 1- 1 1/2 " high. This disturbs the entire surface of tank. Is this enough motion to airrate the tank? Even with my unconventional care I never let the airpump stop. Do you think it would be better not to use them at all? I don't have a skimmer, sump, etc. Its a through the gravel filter system. With a single lifegard chem filter. I always assumed all the "life" that keeps a tank in balance lives in there correct?

 

[swalchemist]

Sort of right and yes no disrespect intended at all, you did get lucky IMO. We have a reef keeper in our club who follows the same sort of "Zen" reef mentality and always told us we were crazy to do this or that etc etc. Then one day (about 10 years later) it happened like we all knew it would, he lost everything. Under gravel filters were a huge hit when they first started using them in SW. They tend to give a false since of security though and this is mostly why they are shunned now for the most part. Yes beneficial bacteria, worms etc live under the sand and in the dark areas underneath until the gas under the UG filter begin to build up. This can and does also happen to deep sand beds. That is why it's recommended to "recharge" your DSB after several years. If the gasses continue to build up over years they will and can release causing chaos and death to a closed. In the case of a DSB an inadvertent puncture into the DSB by an animal or falling rock can have equal results. In short anything that traps sulphuric gasses under the sand for a long period of time is a time bomb waiting to blow. IMO this time around ditch the bubbles my concern with bubbles is unless the pump is controlled via an O2 controller it's just risky chemically. Throw a few power heads in, a good filter and let it go. The idea is to head off any potential problems that can develop over time rather than after it's to late. Remember there are exceptions to every rule, and no 2 tanks will ever be the same.

 

[thegpw]

I guess call me lucky, maybe I should change my handle. So is it just my selection of fish and size of tank that allows this to work at all. How often do you (IE: salt tank owners) lose fish. Thanks for the info, I'm really curious now why it worked at all and if it will again. I guess we'll see. I'll keep in touch.

 

[swalchemist]

It worked because the system found a balance. You said when you added fish they would sometimes die. Thats because your fish were raised in those particular conditions and were used to it any new fish would not be used to the water chemistry and would likely not make it long.

 

[thegpw]

So do I fill the tank now after a month and let everybody adjust to the Zen? My wife said you were being kind earlier by the way she like the Zen comment. I know your answer and expect I'll see the list of things to check and levels that should be here or there,,,,,, Like thats going to happen