I just got my 220 set up and I'm having a problem that I'm not sure how to handle. I'm running two little giant pumps for my return. The problem is that water is flowing through my sump faster than the bubble trap chamber can catch all of the bubbles. It's causing my return pumps to suck in bubbles and spray them into my tank. I don't want to restrict the flow of my pumps. (It still does it with one pump shut down anyway.) Any ideas or tricks I can try to remedy this issue? And as a side note, are the bubbles going to harm anything in my tank between now and when I fix it?
Bubble problems
- Thread starter chrishaire22
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Bubbles should not harm anything. It just looks bad. Now is the bubbles coming from the return splash or are the pumps caveating? Drawing in air and water causing the issue.
chrishaire22
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Looks like the bubbles are coming from the drains and being pulled all the way through the sump. I've got 5 chambers from where the drains come in to the return chamber. And the second chamber is filled with rock rubble.
chrishaire22
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I'll try to fit a vigor filter socks in there. I looked at it me last night and I think the bubbles could also be coming from where the water is falling over the baffle going into the bubble trap before the return.
Tank.Bro!
Active Member
I don't know a whole lot about sumps so if you could take a pic of that?
But if it falls over the baffle and under the bubble trap I'm guessing it isn't build properly but then again If the pull is so strong then they can't get caught by the bubble trap...
But if it falls over the baffle and under the bubble trap I'm guessing it isn't build properly but then again If the pull is so strong then they can't get caught by the bubble trap...
Tank.Bro!
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Well that thing is built right so I would question the intake and the return. If the bubbles start up in you overflow put floss there and a sock from your intake pump. Then put floss right before bubble trap. This should catch:/ hold the bubbles.
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My Tank Thread
I'm pretty confused here on the sump arrangement; can you get a picture of the whole sump setup?
You state 5 chambers, but it looks like there's a return pump in the 3rd chamber there?
You state 5 chambers, but it looks like there's a return pump in the 3rd chamber there?
Tank.Bro!
Active Member
Don't put a pad into the bubble trap out it under where the water enters sump don't submerge but keep it about an inch above water. I your water is under the waters surface you'll have to clip it straight to the thing that's letting water in.
Trex
Valuable Member
The skimmer section is right before the return section? Would think that is where most of your issues are coming from, IMO.
Can you list the sections, from Left to Right, to make things a bit clearer. Thanks.
Can you list the sections, from Left to Right, to make things a bit clearer. Thanks.
chrishaire22
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From left to right in the photo is the return, then bubble trap, then what I originally had as a refrugium, then the part full of rock, then intake with my hang on skimmer. The big skimmer in the fuge section I bought used and just stuck it in there to make sure it worked and just never removed it. It's not putting out many bubbles but I did unplug it and there was no change in the amount of bubbles going into my tank. And there aren't many bubbles in the fuge section. Seems like they are being created as the water is going over the baffle for the bubble trap and being sucked all the way down into the return.
