gsgentry Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Are the lines that go from the stock pump to the returns 1/2"? Quote Link to comment
Cool Beans Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 yes, they are 1/2" on the maxi-jet 600 and the JBJ nano pump. . . I think my celebration was in haste, still a ton of micro bubble in the tank, but no spitting like before. Hope this is just part of a break in period. . . Quote Link to comment
gsgentry Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Could be... Just like the skimmers have to break in and then stop bubbling. Keep us posted. Quote Link to comment
rdck99 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 yes, they are 1/2" on the maxi-jet 600 and the JBJ nano pump. . . I think my celebration was in haste, still a ton of micro bubble in the tank, but no spitting like before. Hope this is just part of a break in period. . . Are you still seeing bubbles? 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. 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. . . I too have the sporadic spitting of bubbles. I have the IM spin streams in my 16g and am using the MJ1200 (it's been installed for a few weeks). Any idea why the two MJ600's would fix the issue but not a single MJ1200 - are the interiors designed differently, causing the MJ1200 to have the same issue as the Eheim and stock pump? When they occur, they come out of both spin streams simultaneously, which tells me it's something with the pump (or maybe the "Y" fitting), because if it was the connection near the spin streams, I think I'd see bubbles on just one nozzle every once in awhile). Quote Link to comment
Maniu Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 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 I agree. Quote Link to comment
rdck99 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I agree. So, do you just need to wait until enough slime builds up? How long should that take...my pumps been wet for a few weeks. Quote Link to comment
Maniu Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 You can test it very easily. Romove the plug of your return pump, then plug it back in but not all the way in. Just enough to make connection. Turn the pump on and off this way several times. Cavitation should appear with every time you turn on your pump. My advice......... While turning your pump on and off, find the moment when pump produces no bubbles or very small amount and leave it plugged in. It might work but I do not give guaranties on my wicked ideas. 1 Quote Link to comment
Maniu Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 It should get better with time but honestly, if the problem continues then it is a design flaw. Other option would be getting a bit larger return pump with speed control and set it at %50. 1 Quote Link to comment
Brasil7 Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 This happens with my IM 16 too, but only after I clean the return pump and the pipes once a month or so. Micro bubbles every so often ( probably due to cavitation) Once enough dirt, slime and various algae build up again like they just naturally do, the bubbles go away. Side note - (I've had my tank for one year) 1 Quote Link to comment
keithfullermusic Posted February 5, 2014 Author Share Posted February 5, 2014 Are you still seeing bubbles? I too have the sporadic spitting of bubbles. I have the IM spin streams in my 16g and am using the MJ1200 (it's been installed for a few weeks). Any idea why the two MJ600's would fix the issue but not a single MJ1200 - are the interiors designed differently, causing the MJ1200 to have the same issue as the Eheim and stock pump? When they occur, they come out of both spin streams simultaneously, which tells me it's something with the pump (or maybe the "Y" fitting), because if it was the connection near the spin streams, I think I'd see bubbles on just one nozzle every once in awhile). I have no true idea why the 2 600's would work better than the 1 1200. but i have two guesses: 1) different designs, and the 1200 has more space for air to build up. 2) the 1200 is more powerful and is able to pull the bubbles down before they pop at the surface. 3) a combination of those 4) air bubble gremlins. my money is on #4. i still see the occasional bubble spit, but its infrequent. it also doesn't make that horrible gurgling noise like my other pumps. 1 Quote Link to comment
Cool Beans Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 Been away for awhile. The sporadic bubble spitting issue like it was before is pretty much gone. There is an occasional spurt, but it isn't every 10-15 minutes like before. . .I'd say I notice it once or twice a week. It's very infrequent, and not as bad as before. I think as time goes on it will decrease to nothing. There is a small spurt of bubbles on pump start up, but that goes away after a second. Most of the bubbles in my tank now are just from biological process in the rocks and sand. Once in awhile a small bubble will break off a rock and hit the pump stream and break up. I can live with that. Quote Link to comment
GoneJohnson Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I've got a Nuvo 16 and have the same issues. I bought it used in mid December 2013. I ran it a month and had a small leak in the tank - got it fixed for 25 bucks lfs friend. I put everything in a 5 gallon bucket with lights and let it continue to cycle. Then about mid February got it back up running. I had always intended to use two return pumps for the flow and better filtering. It's doing great and I just put a Cleaner Shrimp and a two spot Goby in my tank last week and they seem fine. So I'm running a MJ900 and the stock pump 211 GPH and using ½" inside diameter flexible tubing. I also use the spin-streams. My bubbles are really bad on the stock pump side. They are defiantly worse on the stock pump side. Actually the MJ900 side does not look that bad. I've got another pump new in the same GPH range and will try it. - I have wondered if 2 MJ600's would stop this? - the 600's might not make any vortex of any sort. I was thinking a vortex myself but you have all tested that issue. - I am wondering about the spin-streams. - I read on some thread a person threw in a few bio balls into the main chamber and that helped - stopped a vortex? - I was thinking about getting a valve between pump and tank and cutting my pumps back a little. My water is crystal clear but looks like crap with 1000's of micro bubbles. Looks like a lot of little debris. I'm ready to get some corals and/or mushrooms started but want this fixed first. Please keep posting ideas, thoughts or even a guess. I can live with bubbles but not like this... Quote Link to comment
GoneJohnson Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 I too have the sporadic spitting of bubbles. I have the IM spin streams in my 16g and am using the MJ1200 (it's been installed for a few weeks). Any idea why the two MJ600's would fix the issue but not a single MJ1200 - are the interiors designed differently, causing the MJ1200 to have the same issue as the Eheim and stock pump? When they occur, they come out of both spin streams simultaneously, which tells me it's something with the pump (or maybe the "Y" fitting), because if it was the connection near the spin streams, I think I'd see bubbles on just one nozzle every once in awhile). My thoughts are maybe the MJ1200 and 900 pulls to much water creating a mini vortex? The smaller 600's don't pull hard enough? You have some good observations here. Seems it might not be the spin-streams as your bubbles are from one pump and you get the same bubbles in each return nozzle. Quote Link to comment
CinnamonTorch Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 Anybody solve the microbubble issue? letme know. This is driving me insane Quote Link to comment
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