Sicce 3.0 making micro bubbles!!!

[SashimiTurtle]

I just set up my 35g cube, and I cannot get these micro bubbles to go away. I know it's the pump, because I can see the bubbles in the clear hose connecting the pump to the PVC.

At first I thought it was the skimmer over flowing, so I turned it off. Bubbles still there. Then I thought it could be the water splashing into the return chamber, so I put a piece of mesh filter in there. Still making bubbles. Then i thought it was the return plumbing, add its old and used, so i replaced all of the PVC on the return under the tank. Still making bubbles. Swapped out the lok-line thinking maybe it was sucking in air. Still making bubbles. Then I thought, maybe this pump can't get enough water, so I took off the regulator on the inlet, still making bubbles. That's when I saw that the pump was still putting out micro bubbles even auth a wide open inlet.

I'm at a loss, and I'm about to chalk it up to Sicce pumps just suck. Anyone know how to fix this?

 

[kashman100]

The flow isnt keeping up so your water isnt deep enough. Mine does the same thing when it gets that low. Have you tried adding more water?

 

[kashman100]

You need or 4 inches above it while running

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Water level is 9" in the return section and 4" over the top of the pump. There are no bubbles in the return section. Video is before I added the mesh filter pad. Pump is still doing the same thing.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Water in the very thin middle section is the return height. It's got the black sharpie line on it. The water is 1/2" over that line.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Also when first turned on, you can hear the pump cavitate really bad and it spits out more micro bubbles than normal. This is with the sump completly full of water.

 

[kashman100]

In the video you posted it’s sucking air from the surface. I could be wrong but looks like more water is needed in the return area while the pump is on. If you can’t add more water then maybe the pump is too strong for the return area

 

[Water Dog]

Do you have a gate valve in your return plumbing to throttle back the flow?

 

[SashimiTurtle]

In the video you posted it’s sucking air from the surface. I could be wrong but looks like more water is needed in the return area while the pump is on. If you can’t add more water then maybe the pump is too strong for the return area

Sigh... I guess I need to make a new video and upload that to YouTube. There's 4" of water over the pump now. The pump is not pulling air in. It is cavitating and making thousands of micro bubbles all on is own.

Do you have a gate valve in your return plumbing to throttle back the flow?

Umm, look at the pictures? It is throttled to match the return flow in full siphon so it doesn't draw air.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Figured it out, I have to run my sump at max water level just to keep the pump from cavitating. 7" of water over the pump. Never had this problem before...