Nuvo 16 Won't Stop Spitting Bubbles

[keithfullermusic]

so, my mind is totally boggled. i have a nuvo 16 (no skimmer), and no matter what i do, the return pumps spits out tiny bubbles. i've even filled the water in the rear chamber to the top (like, seriously the top), just to see if the overflow was causing bubbles to get trapped, but it kept spitting bubbles. i see absolutely zero bubbles floating in the rear chamber, but they persist in the return pump.

 

how is this possible, because there are no air bubbles getting down there? i've had the tank for a couple of months, and it's really starting to drive me crazy. does anyone else have this problem or have any ideas?

 

thanks.

[Wmich2008]

I do not have this tank, although I just ordered one today. But, could there be some sort of hole in the return tube that may be sucking air into it? Or maybe in the elbow connected to the return.

[Javious]

There has to be air somewhere, a bubble or pocket trapped, being formed as water falls, etc. Try turning the pump over in different directions to dislodge it. You can screen the pump intake with floss/pad/sponge to try and break up any bubbles that are being taken in by the pump. If none of that helps, you can remove the pump and return plumbing. Run it in a vinegar and water solution in a bucket to see if it produces bubbles there. The vinegar will help clean things out too.

[keithfullermusic]

thanks for the suggestions. i'll post a video later today - i just have to get out my camera. you will see what i'm talking about.

[keithfullermusic]

Here's the video. Can anyone figure out where the air is coming from in order to create these bubbles?

 

 

 

[gsgentry]

My Nuvo 24 is doing the same thing. I took my pump out when I did my tank leak test and today when I looked, the pump was closer to one of the chambers instead of being more in the middle. So I guess I may have placed it back in the tank backwards.I feel mine is coming from the waterfall into the main sump area. If that doesn't solve it, I plan on getting some plastic clamps to make sure the fittings are tight (where the pump line meets the returns, as that's the only place exposed to air).

[Cool Beans]

Mine does the same thing, though my tank is a JBJ Nano 12g. You can hear the pump blades hitting the bubbles. . .it almost like cavitation is causing a build up and when it gets big enough the bubble contacts the pump blade and is spit into the tank. . .not sure the cause or fix?

[keithfullermusic]

yeah, this is insane. i have just sat there looking at it thinking about how the eff air is getting in that pump, but i can't for the life of me figure it out.

 

last night, i took out all the tubing and used teflon tape on the inside and outside of all the connections, but i'm still getting bubbles.

 

i feel like there is a black hole inside my pump that is attached to a universe of endless air.

 

 

Mine does the same thing, though my tank is a JBJ Nano 12g. You can hear the pump blades hitting the bubbles. . .it almost like cavitation is causing a build up and when it gets big enough the bubble contacts the pump blade and is spit into the tank. . .not sure the cause or fix?

 

this is obviously what's happening, but i don't know how the air is getting in there in the first place. it must me true micro bubbles in the water. even so, i wouldn't think that they would be able to get all the way to the bottom on the tank without a waterfall pushing them there (doesn't air want to go to the top in water!!!).

[keithfullermusic]

anyone got any ideas on how to fix this? it's getting to the point where i want to just get rid of the tank.

[Micro-Reefs Aquariums]

Remove your slipstream.

[KStev]

Try a different pump?

[gsgentry]

I came home the other night and removed my pump and reconfigured the orientation. I also made sure the return lines were fully on and "relaxed" so there was no stress on them. That appeared to fix my problem. Might want to take a look and see.

 

I also turned my pump every direction I could underwater in hopes of removing any air that may be in it.

[HammerheadV13]

I have been dealing with this issue as well, and my tank looks the same as the video you posted. I use a skimmer and turned it off for 6 hours and the problem persisted. I spoke to my LFS owner and he said it is normal, but it sure is annoying. When I first purchased my tank I noticed larger bubbles being pushed into the display, my guess was that water going over the waterfall in the back was causing some sort of bubble that the pump would suck up. So I placed rubble at the bottom of my waterfalls and this helped with the larger bubbles. But recently the smaller bubbles are all I see. I at first attributed it to the skimmer, but I've had it now for 3 months, more than enough time for it to break in. I cleaned my spinstreams the other day while they were running with a toothbrush, and I noticed a bunch of tiny white particles. So I started wondering if these bubbles were instead particles. I took the nozzles out and gave them a thorough clean. Particles still existed... So I looked at my pump, there was some buildup on it so I ran it in vinegar and water for a day... particles still existed. I noticed tons of what looked like sand in my sump area. I figured it was from erosion on the rubble I put at the bottom of my waterfalls, so I removed the rubble and cleaned the sand... particles still exist. My next option is to order two smaller pumps and plumb them directly to the returns.

[gsgentry]

My next option is to order two smaller pumps and plumb them directly to the returns.

 

I know some consider this a "mod" too. I would be interested to see how this turns out if you go that route. Please let us know.

[keithfullermusic]

so, i have an update:

 

nothing seems to fix the problem.

 

i took apart the eheim compact 1000 pump to make sure it was clean, and it was. i also assembled it in the return area (not easy to do in that small space), which allowed all the air trapped inside it to leave before i turned it on. then, i tried assembling it horizontally (the suction cups are vertical with the intake faced towards the bottom) as the instructions show. none of this helps at all.

 

what i have noticed is that if i slightly press the rear white bushing in (when positioned horizontally), it forces all the trapped air in the pump to come spewing out, but within 2 minutes it gets filled up again. where the eff is this air coming from? this makes absolutely no sense to me.

[dapozer]

I am using 2 ehiem 600's and I have the same issue. I am watching this thread to see if anyone has a better idea. I also am using the spin streams and think these might be some of the issue. Also thinking the connection between the spin streams and the return pipes might have something to do with it. might loo at the 90's to see if there is a crack in them.

[Cool Beans]

This weekend I'm going to take my pump apart and clean it to see if it makes a difference. . .though it doesn't sound like it will. . .my water looks dirty, but it is just saturated with micro bubbles. . .I wonder if could be a pump defect?

[gsgentry]

I was just looking at mine and there are only 2 places that I can see where "constant" air could be coming from. 1) Where the Y-Line connects to the 90 degree fittings 2) Where the fitting go through the black acrylic into the main display.

 

 

Keep in mind that those 90's do swivel so there must be some sort of gap for them to swivel on, no matter how small. If there are no bubbles from the waterfall effect to the pump, it has to be from one of these 2. Air in the pump would eventually disperse and wouldn't keep going all the time.

 

 

You could buy some black plastic clamps for the lines to make sure they are tight and no air is getting there. Secondly, you could get some aquarium silicon and spread it around the 90 where it passes through the acrylic. Not the wall itself, but the swivel part. If the wall itself was causing the air, you'd be getting water through there from the display side. Silicon isn't permanent either but could help.

 

 

Hopefully this helps. It's the only things I can think of. Once my skimmer breaks in and the micro-bubbles go away, I'll try both options if it's an issue. But like I said before, changing my pump orientation and taking the tension off the hoses fixed my issue.

 

Keep us posted.

[HammerheadV13]

I just swapped out my main pump for 2 cobalt MJ900s. I used vinyl 1/2" line at fist and noticed tons of bubbles. My next move was to go to a local plumbing store and pick up 3/8" rubber hose. My guess was that the vinyl was allowing air into the connections and if I could get a tight fit with a smaller rubber hose then maybe the problem would be solved. Well let me tell you it is WAY worse than before. I'm at my wits end.

[Cool Beans]

My money is on cavitation (ie., bubbles being generated at the blades then expelled). I had noticably less bubbles AND the pump was quieter until I performed my big tank cleaning. I'm thinking the build up of slime on the blades helped negate the cavitation and after the cleaning it is right back to being noisy and sporatically spitting bubbles. This isn't a steady stream like I would expect with a hole in the hose

[keithfullermusic]

so - i have solved my issue.

 

it seems that the problem was somehow related to the pumps i was using. i was having the issue with both the stock pump and the eheim, so i figured that it was something else. i had a maxi-jet lying around, and i connected it just for kicks, and boom - no bubbles. i actually got another, and now i'm using a maxi-jet 600 on each spin-stream with no issues.

 

somehow, the stock pump and eheim trap air from the water. this must be from tiny bubbles of air that i can't see. after while (only about 15 minutes), the air builds up in them and then starts to constantly spit. my new mj 600's have been great, altough much louder than my eheim.

 

i will say that the stock pump that IM includes is a total joke. it is WAY underpowered for use with their spin streams (and not that great without them either). also, it builds up air and isn't very quiet. the idea of the Nuvo tank is great, but it leaves a ton to be desired with it's implementation.

[gsgentry]

Which model eheim pumps did you have? Are the mj's louder than the stock pump, or just louder than the eheim pumps?

 

Glad you figured it out!!

[keithfullermusic]

i had the eheim 1000. i think it is rated as 260 gph. i got it to power both spin streams, because the stock pump is pathetic. the eheim is a super quiet pump, but if you open it there are tons of little cavities to hold a build-up of air which caused the problem.

 

the mj's are each rated for 160 gph, and they put out great power (if you get one for each spin stream). however, they are not nearly as quiet as the eheim. i don't mind the noise, but i can see how some people wouldn't like it. the other thing to consider is that the spin streams are loud on their own, so it lessens the issue of the loud pumps.

[Cool Beans]

I think I solved my problem as well. I'm at the office now and just finished swapping out the stock pump for a new maxi-jet 600.

 

When I went to remove the stock pump, a large amount of air was released. There was a thick buildup of crud in the bottom of the pump chamber, and a hollow under the pump housing. Bacterial action could have been releasing bubbles that could have built up under the housing and periodically got sucked in? Also dissasembled the pump. Turns out the shaft was broken. That's why the damn thing was so noisy and the water flow seemed pathetic. Could also have caused some nasty cavitation in the housing. . .

 

So, I removed the rubble in my second chamber. I cleaned the floor of the pump chamber. I replaced the pump with the maxi-jet. Not only is the pump now quieter than the fans in the hood, I bet I have 50% more water flow and no bubbles At least not yet, lol. . .and my corals have to get used to being blown around now. . .

[gsgentry]

Great news!!