Lots of Bubbles

[PFB]

Lately, I have noticed a lot of very small air bubbles on the back wall of my tank and under basically anything that they can cling to. Very small, may a couple mm in diameter. Very few if any actually circulating in the tank.

All I have is a small Zoo Med power head placed just below the water surface – no air line tubing on this pump.

I have also recently add some Calulerpa, and began noticing this condition around the same time as adding this algae (can’t really say if it was occurring before or after).

The Power Head is completely submerged, so I don’t think the bubbles are coming from it.

Is my LS, LR or possibly a late cycle causing this condition?

Its been three weeks since establishing the tank, I have only been monitoring for PH and SG and temp., 82*, but LFS tested water and said all parameters are fine, they believe that my 3gal. experienced a very short cycle since I used very cured/established LR and have done several water changes with water from established reef and SW FO tanks. FYI, one Turbo and a very small frag of Zoos are doing great, many feather dusters, sponges and other small critters looking healthy on the LR.

Thx in advance.

I would think this is a good thing, unless the bubbles are CO2?

Quit worrying and drink a beer?

[tinyreef]

it's probably trapped air bubbles formed from the cytoplasm (or whatever the slime is called) of the caulerpa. the issue to worry about wouldn't be from what's in the bubbles but from what is forming the bubbles.

 

have you been pruning the caulerpa or has it experienced any die-back? was any part broken when it was introduced (i.e. pulled off from an original colony rather than a transplant of a complete plant)? those incidents may be the entry point for that plasmic slime that helps form those bubbles (think of soap). it shouldn't be a problem unless they really start coating things that need available surface area for photosynthesis, feeding, or respiration.

 

btw my hospital tank is always full of them (but i'm running a skilter POS : ).

[PFB]

You may have hit on it and sounds logical.

I beleive they got it from a customer's refugium and sold it to me in a "clump" about three days ago. Since then I have noticed no die off, as a matter of fact, it has grown some new blades abot .5 inch in length.

It may be my imagination, but the water looks clearer since I added it.

I will keep an eye on it and maybe prune some of the original blades/strands as new blades grow.

[PFB]

tinyreef,

It was the algae. Tank developed a slimy scum on top of water. I blotted that stuff with a paper-towel and did a small water change. Also, pruned out some strands. No more bubbles.

Strange thing is that it was a very small bunch of caulerpa, but it's in a very small tank.......