Micro bubbles making it past sponge

[phastroh]

So after all the fixing and moving of things and I thought I solved the problem but I can see little bubbles so tiny passing out of the blue sponge and into the third chamber of the sump and then back into the tank.

I mean the water is so calm and clear yet it looks like heat on a hot day on the road but inside are the bubbles.

 

[sen5241b]

Is the sponge a tight seal? Are they going around the sponge? Are sure they are not particles? Small waterfalls cause the bubbles to begin with.

 

[phastroh]

Well here is the deal.

I have a Proflex Sump Model 2



In the beginning I had it set up with the retaining wall off and the water just came in and moved all the way to the 3rd chamber to the return pump. No bubbles.

I then hooked up my skimmer and that is when the bubbles started.

At first I was already blaming the skimmer and people agreed as it was its break in period. Ok fine it has been running for over a week now.

But

If I get down and look I could see tiny bubbles that almost move slowly coming from the sponge and at the same time the output of the skimmer has the diffuser sponge on the end and it has tons of the same coming out.

Now this skimmer sponge is sitting in the water of the third chamber just like the instruction show you to do and the skimmer is outside the sump like a HOB but on the sump.

Now last night I went and slapped the filter/black sponge that comes with the MAG Pump onto the returns pump intake and it has cut down on the amount of bubble in my display. If you are a foot or two away you can't see any bubbles so I am wondering if these are just left over and just haven't been washed out or what. I would think if I shut off my pumps and powerheads it will let all the bubbles float to the top and pop.

Then turn it back on and see if they return. Gotta do that later I guess.

I do have to add that I have putting a refugium in the center chamber so the retaining wall is in place so there is like a 5 to 6 inch waterfall landing on top of the sponge.

There aren't too many bubbles being made actually as it mostly flows down the plastic. There is a wall that you can raise and lower before the refugium that effects the turbulance on top of the rugium and can actually make the waterfall more violent or calm as it falls onto the sponge.

I thought I may just get another sponge and cut it in half to add more sponge depth.

Another issue is how can the inverts/anything good from the refugium pass through these sponges or the black sponge for the Mag Pump and get back to the tank?