Higher flow but less microbubbles

clancaster23

Reefing newb
I just started my tank cycle and I'm playing around with the flow to try to get as much as I can without a ton of microbubbles filling the tank.

I have a closed loops system and a mag drive 2400 running it. I want to have the pump on full so I can have good flow but if I turn the pump on full, I get a tank full of microbubbles due to the pump taking in air from all the bubbles created by the fall/flow of what will be the skimmer section. I attached a diagram of what my sump looks like to understand it better. Basically if I turn the pump on max, I get a tank full of microbubbles. If I turn the pump back about 25% the bubbles go away because the skimmer section is flowing slower and not causing a mess in the pump section. If I leave it at that setting though, my low is not very good. I can't even feel the water coming out of the bulkheads.

Basically I need to know how I can reduce the impact of the flow of the skimmer section and still have the pump on max for better flow and no bubbles. The red line is the water line and flow if on high, the blue one is restricted flow.
 

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If that pic is how your tank is set up, then you're not running closed loop. As far as the micro bubbles the only way I can see stopping them is either slowing down the flow in the sump or raising the water level in the return section.
 
That's the sump...

Not sure how you can say it isn't a closed loop. I have four return lines going to four bulkheads that are in the back of the tank. Tank water flows into an internal overflow box and back down to the sump. No powerheads used. Not sure what I'm missing to make it a closed loop setup.

Anyways, I'm considering putting another acrylic wall on the pump side of the skimmer section and it'll be raised up a couple inches off the sump tank floor. This should make the water enter the pump section from underneath and on it's way there, settle most bubbles.
 
The sump is 'open' and gravity fed from your overflow ... In a closed loop your bulkhead would be plumbed directly to the inlet of your pump and the outlet from your pump would plumb back to the returns in your tank. The pump would physically pull the water out of your tank and then returning.

The added baffle should help with the micro bubbles and if not, you could add a sponge or screen covering to break them up. You'd just have to make sure it clean it out often.
 
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