Bubbles in tank?

[phastroh]

I have my tank filled with tap water only. The tank is completely empty.

All that is on is this.

80 Gallon Tank with Proflex Sump with a Mag 9.5 water pump.

There are 2 Aqueon Water Circulators to stir up loose particle from all the cleaning but as of now the tank looks spotless.

The tank has tons of tiny tiny bubbles in it though. It looks cool because you can watch the pattern of the water. The way I have it set up they start at the return and head down and across the bottom and then they get near the top and are pushed back toward the return. Like a big loop.

Anyway I thought I should not really be seeing so many bubbles in the tank.

There are larger bubbles right at the return but they seem to stick right there and at the surface.

I have seen many aquariums where there are similar bubbles all over. Maybe it seems like a ton because the tank is empty?

Anyone have anything to ad?

The skimmer and UV Sanitizer are not even in the tank as it is just going to run for a few weeks with tap water before I get salt, sand and rocks.

I still have to get straight on test kit stuff and proper care as I see there are a billion different kinds of additives. it is insane.

 

[the reef kid]

Do you have a powerhead pointed at the surface? if so, sometimes if it is blowing too hard it will make little bubbles. Also, if water pouring over the baffles into the return pump from the sump has little bubbles, they may get sucked up by the return pump.

As for the additives, chances are you won't have to add anything but salt.

 

[phastroh]

Well I notice that there are bubbles that are large right at the return spouts that are coming from the anti syphon hole and then they are ripped into tiny bubbles from the water coming out of the return and pushed around the tank by the powerheads.

I should have drilled the anti syphon hole facing away from the back of the overflo because that seems to be the.bubble producer

 

[phastroh]

Ok so here is the deal now.

I can see bubbles that seems to be coming from the back of the overflow where the plastic part is cut out for the return pipe to stick into the tank.

When I look from behind the overflo I can even see where anything is going into the tank, it just looks like the water spraying out of the anti siphon hole is a calm squirt and it runs into the tank.

Now the black return thing on the end of the PVC has plumber tape on it. I took the black adjustable thing and lifted it upward and it seemed to eliminate a lot of the bubble. Now the 2 arms that come off of that have also been lifted upward to maybe close of any air that may be getting in it from the topside that sticks out of the water.

Just a note - There are NO noticeable bubbles coming out of either of the two outlets on the return that sit under the water.

They seems to be appearing out of nowhere.

All I can think of is that somehow the anti syphon spray is stirring the water and that little bit of disturbance is causing the bubbles to creep into the tank.

Note - There are a ton of micro bubbles on the bottom of the black adjustable piece and on the bottom of the powerheads just clingy to them but not moving.

 

[Bifferwine]

Is the water you are keeping your return pump in deep enough?

Is the return pump close to where the overflow pipe enters the sump (is it catching water coming from the tank right away)?

Do you have bubble traps in your sump?

 

[phastroh]

The sump is a Aqueon Proflex Model 2 and if you look it up you will see it is a well designed sump and the pump sits in a chamber that has zero bubbles and I left the huge pad that comes with the Mag Drives on it for now until I need room for the skimmer. Oh yes there is the blue baffle sponge but the last chamber has ZERO bubble in it. Even the middle one has but a few.

The water is calm in there.

Just by adjusting the 2 nozzles in the tank the bubbles have been cut in half. They only show up coming from behind the overflo and every 2 or 5 seconds one is spit out in the space between the pipe and the overflo where the return pokes out.

I was looking close and thinking how can air just form where the threads are where the spray nozzle screws in because the bubble would seem to form on the threads but then I realized it is coming from the backside of the overflo.

Only thing near where they enter is the anti syphon hole but that shoots straight into the plastic of the overflo and dribbles into the tank.

Would drilling the syphon hole right below the water line of the overflo tank be better this way it is spraying underwater and I would only syphon and additional 2 inches of water back into the sump if the power goes out and eliminate the spray.

 

[phastroh]

Better yet why can't I drill the anti syphon hole pointing away from the back of the overflo and also lower it as well.

 

[phastroh]

Ok bubble problem is solved. I will have to change the setup prior to adding the sand, salt and rock because I really don't want to leave it but now I know where there came from.

I was saying the anti syphon spray was doing it and I was right.

I slapped a sponge piece under the return pipe between the pipe and the cut out on the overflo. you know the piece you have to snap out when it is new.

After 10-15 minutes all the micro bubbles are gone.

YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! WOOTWOOT!!!!

So anyone who gets them in this area you can stop them the same way easily. Just zip tie a sponge over the anti syphon hole.

 

[Bifferwine]

Glad you found the source. Keep that zip tie there, and drill a new anti siphon hole in the return at the water level instead.

 

[phastroh]

Does it really matter if I drill it there and just leave the sponge?

I mean it still doesn't flood with the pump off.

Also I just rebuilt my return from new pipe and now that I think about it the old returns hole was exactly the same way.

I measured it side by side with the new bulkheads as I built both intake and the return pipes.

I was just thinking that it shouldn't matter except maybe it would be a little quieter at the water line.

Also the hole is at the tanks waterline. The overflo water height is like 2 inches lower than the tank.

I am going to try to get those pix up ASAP.

I have also been looking around for rock. Every local stores live rocks look like poo and it is like $8 a pound. They have base rock and it usually looks worse.

 

[ErinCahir]

Where do you live? There are probably people on here who can help you out with stores...
I found a few "new" to me that way.