RedSea nano - stock skimmer - micro bubbles

[cdstanley0123]

Hey everyone,

I’ve had my tank running for a few weeks now and decided it was time to turn the skimmer on.

I did buy the setup second hand (not sure if that would make a difference) but the skimmer is filling the display with micro bubbles.

My question is.. is this normal? I have two clowns in there and I’ve read that micro bubbles can be detrimental to their health. I’ve also read that skimmers can take a while to bed in.

If anyone has any views, I’d be really appreciative! :)

Chris

 

[Lasse]

Hey everyone,

I’ve had my tank running for a few weeks now and decided it was time to turn the skimmer on.

I did buy the setup second hand (not sure if that would make a difference) but the skimmer is filling the display with micro bubbles.

My question is.. is this normal? I have two clowns in there and I’ve read that micro bubbles can be detrimental to their health. I’ve also read that skimmers can take a while to bed in.

If anyone has any views, I’d be really appreciative! :)

Chris

Its true that it sometimes can take time before a skimmer works as it should. I´ll think its a matter of time and it will works better.

That microbubbles is detrimental to fish health is partly a myth - IMO.

It is not the microbubbles themselves that cause problems, but microbubbles in the water can indicate an oversaturation of nitrogen gas (N2) in the water and this is harmful at quite low supersaturation levels. It causes a condition that can be compared to people suffering from diving sickness. Small nitrogen gas bubbles form in the blood and can often be seen as small, thin bubbles just inside the epidermis. The disease is called bubble disease. It can mainly be seen in the head region (including the eyes) and at the base of the dorsal fin.

To get an oversaturation of nitrogen gas in the water, a higher pressure is often required on the pressure side than what our normal submersible aquarium pumps provide. In my experience, the microbubbles from most hobby skimmers do not cause an oversaturation of nitrogen gas and thus these microbubbles do not lead to health problems. But sometimes these small bubbles stick to the fish's body and since it is often quite difficult to distinguish microbubbles outside the outer skin from the bubbles that bubble disease shows, an incorrect diagnosis sometimes occurs.

But - in order to be safe - just lower the air input to the skimmer until you are free from microbubbles - then slowly rise the air input in a week or two

Sincerely Lasse

 

[NanoSteam]

I have the same skimmer in my Max Nano from Red Sea and yes it produced micro bubbles in the tank for a couple days but it settles down quickly.