Tunze 9001 micro bubbles

[jesspal]

Can anyone lmk how I can get rid of micro bubbles in my tank using the 9001 comline skimmer? Is there a proper way to adjust the height or air intake appropriately to remove the bubbles? I hate to just toss it in the closet never to be used again.

Thanks in advance.

 

[rvitko]

Bubble issues typically stem from closing the air too much. Think of the pump as doing 180 gph, you set how much is air and how much is water, as you choke down the air, water flow increases, the bubbles move further and faster and more exit.

Assuming you are using it in the stock position, pump intake facing the deflector, and you have the blue sponge bubble trap installed. If you set the skimmer with the air all the way open, work with depth first (marked water line is the maximum, it can be set so this line is up to 1" above the actual water line) then close the air as little as needed. Always keep in mind that a small skimmer will never realistically skim dry, dry skimming requires height to dry the foam, so set it so you get something about like light iced tea.

Also, keep in mind water chemistry will play a big role, substances known as surfactants, generally organic additives, stress coat, dechlorinator, etc, and likewise non phenol free floss/pads (if you use anything not specifically made for aquariums, this is probable) and organic scavenger resins, will all have this surfactant effect, they make the water more "slippery" and bubbles travel much further. A very high DO or CO2 level can also cause bubbles due to degassing in the skimmer. A KH over 14 or rapid growth of algae/soft corals, can cause bubbles for this reason.

 

[firmefatboy799]

how new is it? my coralife took a couple days to break in and stop throwing the massive waves of micro bubbles

 

[jesspal]

Bubble issues typically stem from closing the air too much. Think of the pump as doing 180 gph, you set how much is air and how much is water, as you choke down the air, water flow increases, the bubbles move further and faster and more exit.

Assuming you are using it in the stock position, pump intake facing the deflector, and you have the blue sponge bubble trap installed. If you set the skimmer with the air all the way open, work with depth first (marked water line is the maximum, it can be set so this line is up to 1" above the actual water line) then close the air as little as needed. Always keep in mind that a small skimmer will never realistically skim dry, dry skimming requires height to dry the foam, so set it so you get something about like light iced tea.

Also, keep in mind water chemistry will play a big role, substances known as surfactants, generally organic additives, stress coat, dechlorinator, etc, and likewise non phenol free floss/pads (if you use anything not specifically made for aquariums, this is probable) and organic scavenger resins, will all have this surfactant effect, they make the water more "slippery" and bubbles travel much further. A very high DO or CO2 level can also cause bubbles due to degassing in the skimmer. A KH over 14 or rapid growth of algae/soft corals, can cause bubbles for this reason.

I had it set up as it came from the factory, with the pump inlet facing the deflector and just the blue sponge with a circle in it attached to that. I swapped the position of the pump to face the opposite way and added the solid sponge to the deflector area. Perhaps I made things worse by trying to fix them.

 

[rvitko]

You generally will have the least bubbles in the factory position, this position recirculates most of the bubbles that come through.

 

[jesspal]

Thanks for the info, I'll swap it back when I get home later. I'm sure it will work eventually, it produces a great number of bubbles.

 

[BarSnackz]

I had this issue when I first got mine. Took some testing and a bit of time to get it work but to fix it I raised the skimmer in the tank so that the water level was just above the bottom of the overflow teeth, so the water essentially "waterfalled" in. I also had some issues with microbubbles coming from the seams of the skimmer - this went away after about a month as the skimmer was able to build up a slime coat.