Air Bubbles

[The River Reef]

56 gallon - 3 fish (Clown, damsel, firefish), CUC, Xenia - Green Paly - Montipora Digita - Star Polyps... I am in the process of setting my sump up to replace my cannister. New DIY LED light has been running 10 hrs with moonlights about 14hrs. Before I had the sump running, yesterday it started, I have been noticing bubbles all over my LR. What is the cause and should I do anything? I am due for a water change, held off due to adding the new sump volume and been busy figuring the sump/ skimmer out.
Test results 4/11/12 = salt-1.025, pH-8.1 (added buffer), Ammonia/ Nitrite-0, Nitrate-5

 

[The River Reef]

PS - Will try and get pic tonight of what they look like. Thanks:.

 

[s_kelley]

Is there air bubbles coming out if your returns? Or is this just happening on your rock? How long has your tank been running? Almost sounds like a mini cycle

 

[jeremy052274]

I have noticed cyano growth gives off air bubbles - do you see any of that red cyano growth around the areas?

 

[Reeferer]

I have noticed cyano growth gives off air bubbles - do you see any of that red cyano growth around the areas?

1+ on dinos. Use a turkey baster and blow them off. These types of issues happen with newer tanks. No worries, just keep on top of your maintenance and you should be ok.

 

[The River Reef]

I have noticed a reddish/ pink tint to the LR lately... I have been using Purple-UP and thought it was coraline algae... I forgot to take the pic, will get one up, and will try the turkey baster thanks!

 

[beckbrass]

No need to use purple up. If your levals are good, using a good salt helps, it only takes time and you will have a good amount. Coraline grows with proper Calcium, Alk, and Mag levals. Good luck.

 

[JohnK]

Little bubbles are usually from; cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, or the pump blowing microbubbles (either an intake side air leak, or low water level in the sump causing the intake to suck up bubbles from turbulance or a vortex at the surface)

Pics will help to point you in the right direction.

 

[jeremy052274]

I have noticed a reddish/ pink tint to the LR lately... I have been using Purple-UP and thought it was coraline algae... I forgot to take the pic, will get one up, and will try the turkey baster thanks!

Lightly brush it and see if it comes off...sure sounds like cyano to me. I have the same thing.

 

[WarSea378]

Bubbles stick to rough or coated surfaces. In the process of your change over, you may just have had some agitated or turbulent flow, once you clear off the bubbles as suggested above, and your flow becomes more laminar, you may be fine. The change up suggests some agitation, if you have cyano you'd likely have noticed, but it isn't my intent to doubt others who have their experience. Once your system is settled and you've "brushed" off the bubbles, if they persist then it's likely you have photosynthetic oxygen releasing organism(s).

Hope it settles out easily, if not, there's some good advice above and a great resource here to help out.

 

[The River Reef]

I noticed occasional surges of micro-bubbles coming from my sump last night... I found and fixed the problem in the sump and when I woke up this morning they were almost completely gone. Thank you for the help! It was def an issue that started from adding my sump and not properly installing baffles.

 

[jeremy052274]

I noticed occasional surges of micro-bubbles coming from my sump last night... I found and fixed the problem in the sump and when I woke up this morning they were almost completely gone. Thank you for the help! It was def an issue that started from adding my sump and not properly installing baffles.

Awesome! Much better than the cyano I'm dealing with at the moment!

 

[The River Reef]

Bubbles - still a problem, help please!

I would like to revisit my issue please... The bubbles are still forming! I have been watching carefully and this is what is going on: The bubbles are only forming after my light has been on for 4-6 hours and beyond. There is a recent algae population forming on my "new sand bed". I recently changed the crushed coral mistake and replaced with aragonite fine sand.

The next day...


I have noticed, from using a baster to blow off the rocks, that there is a fair accumulation of "stuff" (waste, debris, etc.) on them. My recent test seemed to be almost perfect water conditions for me anyway: salt=1.025, amm=0, nitrite=0, nitrate=0-5ish, alk=11.2, cal=420, pH=8.3, temp=79 - please note my alk is using stick test and hard to be sure it is accurate. I have to say that most of my tests are subject to slight opinion, I always ask my girlfriend to give her opinion to make sure my eyes are working still So the bubbles seem to be linked to the lighting schedule which would mean this has something to do with algae??? Maybe?lol And why is there an algae issue with these water conditions and always using RO/DI water from my LFS? Please give some advice... the bubbles make the tank hard to look at and I would like to work on this issue. I am also ordering a new HOB skimmer, I failed at a sump attempt because of noise/ smell and being so close to our living quarters while trying to watch TV. So I went back to my cannister fluval 405 until I can get a good HOB skimmer going.

Here is the best view of the bubbles I could get:

 

[stingythingy45]

Those are diatoms starting to grow from silicates.
It can happen just from changing the sand bed.Keep using ro/di water and it will disapate after a few weeks once the silicates are used up.