Need Help with water clarity

[Spdjnky]

I have posted before on the same problem. But I was not sure if I was getting micro bubbles from my Protein Skimmer. I have addressed that with running my output from the skimmer thru a 100 micron sock and I thought that would take care of the problem but it has not. I also thought that somehow I was getting it from my plumbing of my media reactors but I have taking them out along with the skimmer. I shut everything down and just ran my Gyre in the main display and I still have the problem. So I am back to square one and asking for help on what to do next? I don't see anything in my water tests that is out of wack and could be causing what ever it is.
Phil

 

[Retro Reefer]

How far below the water level is your Gyre? It may be sucking in air if to close to surface..

 

[Spdjnky]

How far below the water level is your Gyre? It may be sucking in air if to close to surface..

2 1/2" and it's not or if it is I can't see it

 

[MnFish1]

If you turn your skimmer off does it go away? If you turn off your return pump does it go away? If you turn off the gyre does it go away? If it goes away when you turn your return pump off - it could be sucking air from the surface in your sump - depending on how deep it is. In any case - turning one off at a time will give you the answer

 

[Spdjnky]

If you turn your skimmer off does it go away? If you turn off your return pump does it go away? If you turn off the gyre does it go away? If it goes away when you turn your return pump off - it could be sucking air from the surface in your sump - depending on how deep it is. In any case - turning one off at a time will give you the answer

When the return pump is off and just the Gyre running it's there when I shut the Gyre off it takes awhile but the water clears but you can still see the small particles in the water although not like when the Gyre is on. I have had the return pump wrapped in 100 micron felt and it did not change anything. I can see where having my skimmer outlet covered in 100 micron felt has cut the bubbles right out.
Half of me says I must be missing something and it is micro bubbles coming from somewhere but then I see the particles in my display with nothing running.

 

[Retro Reefer]

2 1/2" and it's not or if it is I can't see it

Try moving it down a little, sometimes you can’t really see the air being drawn in.. if you see small swirling vortex’s on the water surface right over the Gyre that could be an indication that its drawning in air

 

[Dennis McGrath]

With everything turned off, are there still bubbles rising from that rock?

 

[Spdjnky]

Small particles I still think but could be micro bubbles?

 

[MnFish1]

When the return pump is off and just the Gyre running it's there when I shut the Gyre off it takes awhile but the water clears but you can still see the small particles in the water although not like when the Gyre is on. I have had the return pump wrapped in 100 micron felt and it did not change anything. I can see where having my skimmer outlet covered in 100 micron felt has cut the bubbles right out.
Half of me says I must be missing something and it is micro bubbles coming from somewhere but then I see the particles in my display with nothing running.

Or sure that felt will prevent micro bubbles Excwpt maybe at first. air will get through felt. When I say turn each one off. I mean like for an hour each and watch what happens. Or turn all of them off and wait an hour the. Turn them on one by one. My guess is a few bubbles are getting through the felt

 

[Spdjnky]

Here's where I am at and thx for staying with me on this. What I just did is have the Skimmer turned off and I raised my return lines above the water level and there is bubbles coming out. They don't seem to get much worse when I turn the skimmer on but they are coming out for sure. I have a manifold coming off of my return pump with 2 gate valves that control the flow to my media reactors and a set one for my UV and a shut off for that. I shut that loop down. So now I just have the returns and the bleed off line that I have going to the refugium part of my sump so I can control the overall flow of the system.
Air is getting in the plumbing somehow but how?

 

[MnFish1]

Well if it’s after the pump it seems that that would be forcing water out as compared to creating a vacuum that would be needed to suck air in. Ie the air has to be in the water before your return pump. But I don’t know plumbing

 

[Spdjnky]

I just have to find a way to trouble shoot my plumbing

 

[Spdjnky]

Here's where I am at still have them. I have just the return pump feeding my display the manifold is shut off as you can see. I tried to show in pics of what is left. And the video is this an indicator that my leak is here? I don't know the only thing I have not done yet is see if it's the lock line need a pic but at the top it's a Y fitting and 2 locklines.

 

[MnFish1]

To me it looks like the water in the compartment with your return pump is too shallow. (if I'm interpreting it correctly). Your return pump water intake is sitting in water correct - its not directly plumbed (the intake is not plumbed)

 

[Spdjnky]

Yea bad pics pump is 3" below

 

[MnFish1]

Yea bad pics pump is 3" below

OK - well the only way air can be coming from your return pump is air that is in that chamber that is getting sucked into the pump i.e. sucked from the air above the pump occasionally - or bubbles that are in your sump that are getting into the chamber that the return pump is in. Because any of the plumbing AFTER the pump would have a high pressure and it seems to me that would cause a leak rather than air being sucked in.

Could your pump be cavitating (do the bubbles disappear rapidly after being discharged). Could you have an air pocket somewhere in your return line that's slowly being 'purged'? After your return pump do you have any other lines going into your return line (from another pump, etc)

 

[Spdjnky]

No you should see I have the manifold that was there closed off so other than where it's tee'ed off for a bleed off in the Fuge it goes right up too the aquarium. If I lift the return lines above the water line of the aquarium you can see some larger bubbles coming out and I think micro bubbles.I don't know but my Grye picks up the micro bubbles and I can't stop it. And by the way the Skimmer is off and I still have them

 

[MnFish1]

No you should see I have the manifold that was there closed off so other than where it's tee'ed off for a bleed off in the Fuge it goes right up too the aquarium. If I lift the return lines above the water line of the aquarium you can see some larger bubbles coming out and I think micro bubbles.I don't know but my Grye picks up the micro bubbles and I can't stop it. And by the way the Skimmer is off and I still have them

The pictures are a little unclear what is going where actually since I don't know your sump. Is the return pump the 4th picture in your post? If so - it doesn't seem like there is 3 inches of water above the top of the pump. It takes only a small amount of air to make micro bubbles. If there are large bubbles - air has to be being sucked into your pump. It would be helpful if you could take a picture of your pump and then one after the other go up the line to show your connections. up to the tank.

 

[MnFish1]

By the way - if you open up your valves does the problem get better? If you keep the skimmer off? Sometimes there can be a Venturi effect where air is pulled in - though supposedly its 'rare'. (i.e,. water should leak out - rather than be sucked in after the pump.

 

[Spdjnky]

I have the skimmer outlet in a 100 micron filter sock.I think I have a few more pics . Thanks for staying with me here and it's to hot outside here in NY 97
Just found my Durso way to LOW (like 1 1/2") in my overflow ( The pic is now the way it should be) Its most likely been that way for awhile because I was looking at everything else. Just raised it up (pic).......could this have been a reason For my sump to be saturated with micro bubbles?
How long should I wait for things to stabilize? This throughs everything off and to be honest I have not been keeping the levels in my sump the same all the time I have been screwing with plumbing and when I had some problems and did a water change I made sure I kept the Alk and SG and Temp the same but sometimes I would have to adjust my ATO switch if you know what I mean.
Here is a link to an album that I think you should be able to open and look at the pics and expand them to see better I put them showing the sump and the way Everything is.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/6Hi76ap6x9RAkLBt9