Dust particles???

[2008pollyanna]

Are microbubbles visible to the eye as lil bubbles or do they appear as sediment or dust floating all about. Can they attach to the fins and scales of fish? Not sure if I have micro bubbles or what??? Still messing with this issue. Have found the protien skimmer in the sump is where I am getting leakage of micro bubbles. And was given advice to rig up a foam thingy and let the water fall into that till most of the bubbles are gone. Which has proven to eliminate 99% but gosh, its like sediment or dust coming from my tube that returns water from sump into my tank. And its more visible in the evening when the lights are lower. Visible particles. But, not bubbles. I am vexed....

 

[2008pollyanna]

Any ideas?

 

[yote]

Tiny bubbles can look like dust.Its really hard to say without seeing it.
But even though a sponge will help,they hardly ever catch all the micro-bubbles.

 

[Piggy]

Are you sure they're coming from the overflow? Are they still there when you shut down the tank with just the powerheads running? Could be them blowing up sand particles.

 

[messiah023]

You may just have particulate floating as well. You would definitely know microbubbles when you see them, they do come from your skimmer.

Do you have any media running in your tank? Phosphate, nitrate or activated carbon? Maybe you have some particles from that if the media wasn't washed good.

Good luck.

 

[fatman]

There is also the possibility if your pump is external that you have a leak in your plumbing inlet to your pump as that will cause micro bubbles but it not leak water while the pump is running. A look at a megaflow sump (wet/dry) filter will show you what the manafacturers typically do with foam filters to stop micrbubbles. They force all thewater to go through a sponge at the bottom of a baffle and then rise and go over another baffle before getting to the pump return chamber. Typically just using bubble baffles will stop the problem. That is just three baffles fairly close together, where the water goes over the first, under the second, and over the third baffle. Some people, like those using several skimmers in a single sump (me), put in 5 baffles for bubble baffles (only takes up 4 inches of tank length). Mine are just 3/4" apart and only sealed with silicone on the edges and one side of each piece of glass, just as with an aquariums construction.