Help! Microbubbles! But from where?

[N4sty T4te]

Check your heater. I've had this happen before and that was the cause.

 

[justingraham]

Check your heater. I've had this happen before and that was the cause.

????

 

[N4sty T4te]

????

Your heater has air in it to begin with. If one goes bad, breaks a seal or what not. Then the air inside the heater escapes in the form of microbubbles when the unit is heated.

This happened to me with a finnex titanium heater.

It would explain why the problem is intermittent. And could be easily overlooked.

Anyways I'm just saying check it if you haven't. I only skimmed the responses to see if anyone mentioned heaters being the culprit. So figured I'd throw it in there. Becsause it can definitely cause what your describing.

 

[justingraham]

Your heater has air in it to begin with. If one goes bad, breaks a seal or what not. Then the air inside the heater escapes in the form of microbubbles when the unit is heated.

This happened to me with a finnex titanium heater.

It would explain why the problem is intermittent. And could be easily overlooked.

Anyways I'm just saying check it if you haven't. I only skimmed the responses to see if anyone mentioned heaters being the culprit. So figured I'd throw it in there. Becsause it can definitely cause what your describing.

Thanks never knew that

 

[Fishfinder]

From the look of the water level above the return pump I would suspect a vortex and its sucking in an occasional gulp of air.

 

[esloan88]

Thought I would update you guys. I found the cause and it was incredibly simple. One of the Cermedia spheres had somehow gotten into my return pump chamber and would occasionally block the return pump. Created an air pocket when that happened and caused the bubbles. I removed it and put it back in my refugium and no bubbles since!

Thanks to everyone for their advice!