simple bubble trap idea...will it help?

[sylvius]

So a few months back I got a new tank and the sump doesn't have any baffles/skimmer chamber. I have added a separate fuge, but the skimmer is still sitting in the sump and I have occasional problems with microbubbles getting into the DT. In thinking about a simple solution, I was wondering if taking a piece of 4" pvc, cutting a 1" diameter hole near the bottom and just standing it up in the sump so that the skimmer output poured into it would work. In theory, the bubbles would stay near the top and bubble free water would come out the hole near the bottom. Anyone think this would work as a cheap and easy solution?

 

[sylvius]

So does the lack of response mean this won't work?

 

[reefforbrains]

i think its ingenious, but Im the crazy one remember. I say try it first with a 1.00 fix before going elaborate with some re-invention of the wheel that most would cook up.

 

[earlybird]

Doesn't hurt to try. How difficult would it be to move the skimmer away from your return pump?

 

[acrylic51]

Could possibly work depending how severe the micro bubble problem is.....Your concept has been done before it's a bubble tower......Over on the other site there's a thread with different designs and problems encountered with them as well.

 

[sylvius]

Kewl, thanks for the responses. I'll check out the other threads now that I know the term to search for. As for the skimmer, it's as far from the return as possible and I have the intake for the return less than an inch from the bottom of the sump. The bubble problem's not horrible, but the skimmer isn't set to max flow. When I try to turn it up it skims better but the bubbles get worse. I'd love to be able to at least help the problem a bit without a major redesign.