Tunze 9004 Skimmer Generating Tons of Microbubbles in Display

[cortr]

Hey all.

I have a 50g rimless tank with no sump - instead I use an in-tank Tunze protein skimmer and filter. They seem to do the trick, but I do get a ton of microbubbles being kicked out from the skimmer back into the tank - and not just when the water level gets a bit low.

I'm not sure this really has any adverse effects on corals, inverts (that I have at least), or fish - but I don't love the look of it and I tend to get little pockets of air in rockwork and under the filter/skimmer themselves.

There's a little plastic tubing from the back of the skimmer with a valve on it that you can loosen/tighten to adjust it (to produce the right amount of skimmate, as I understand it) and I have fiddled with it quite a bit, but haven't been able to get away from the microbubbles.

Is this even possible or am I wasting my time?

Thanks!

 

[T_BONE]

I would imagine that with an in the tank skimmer it will be kinda tricky. One thing you could try would be to put some kind of fitting on the output of the skimmer that will allow the bubbles to be directed to the surface of the water instead of discharging into the water column. Not being completely familiar with that particular skimmer, I may be just blowing smoke!! Lol. Can you post up a pic of your current setup? That may help.

 

[DDW]

Is it new? It dies down once broken in, with a biofilm coating built up inside.

Also if you have reassembled it for cleaning recently make sure the two halves are clicked together with the plastic tabs locked in, or else bubbles will escape from the gaps.

 

[tuesdayd]

We've got an in tank for our 26 as well. Fully broken in, but it will spew micro bubbles periodically. Sometimes it's perfectly clear, sometimes bubbles are everywhere. A sump with a bubble trap sure would be nice!

 

[cortr]

It's not new, I definitely have a biofilm, and haven't taken it apart (though it may be due to take apart and clean thoroughly).

I'll try to get a picture. @tuesdayd it sounds like we're in the same boat.

 

[tuesdayd]

It's not new, I definitely have a biofilm, and haven't taken it apart (though it may be due to take apart and clean thoroughly).

I'll try to get a picture. @tuesdayd it sounds like we're in the same boat.

Yeah, sometimes the water is ridiculously clear, and 15 min later it's full of skimmer bubbles. It doesn't seem to affect anything though- fish don't behave differently, corals still extend. It's just the aesthetics.

 

[Bvanb]

I know this post is a bit old, but wanted to chime in in case anyone else is having this same issue. I bought this skimmer about 3 months ago and placed in a Cobalt C-vue 40 gallon AIO. Since day this thing has been producing an insane amount of micro bubbles. I placed this skimmer in every chamber only to get the same results. Iv'e searched the forums over and over again and trying every solution out there without success. Finally, after a google images search, I found this image. It shows that there's supposed to be a filter at the bottom of the pump. I opened my skimmer only to find mine did not come with one. Luckily I have filter floss on hand and just cut a piece to size. Voila! No more micro bubbles. I hope this helps anyone going crazy over this!

 

[Karlos Joya]

I know this post is a bit old, but wanted to chime in in case anyone else is having this same issue. I bought this skimmer about 3 months ago and placed in a Cobalt C-vue 40 gallon AIO. Since day this thing has been producing an insane amount of micro bubbles. I placed this skimmer in every chamber only to get the same results. Iv'e searched the forums over and over again and trying every solution out there without success. Finally, after a google images search, I found this image. It shows that there's supposed to be a filter at the bottom of the pump. I opened my skimmer only to find mine did not come with one. Luckily I have filter floss on hand and just cut a piece to size. Voila! No more micro bubbles. I hope this helps anyone going crazy over this!

Having the same issue, mine is brand new just installed it today, did your worked fine after a while of using it with the filter floss? Whi type of floss did you used? Hope you can point me to the right direction. Thanks bud