Why a Fish Tank Filter Bubbles So Much

Micro bubbles, which are the tiny bubbles that can be emitted from a fish tank filter can be quite a nuisance. They can appear to come from out of nowhere, and correcting the issue should be done as soon as possible to reduce any problems that may rise from their occurrence.

  1. Effects of Micro Bubbles

    • Micro bubbles in an aquarium setting can bring rise to a veritable host of problems. The first being that the bubbles can reduce the viewing capacity within the aquarium itself, creating an almost cloudy look. The second and more serious problem that can arise from the presence of bubbles is that they can adhere to the flesh of fish and corals, creating dry spots that can cause lesions which may lead to illness.

    Hang On Filter Bubble Reduction

    • When dealing with a hang on the back type of filter, the presence of bubbles can be from any of a handful of reasons. The most common is that the water level in the aquarium is not high enough, therefor creating a top water disturbance that induces bubbles into the water. The second reason that this may occur is that the water intake tube is not completely sealed and is drawing in air as well as water during uptake and creating a venturi effect. The third could be that the filter actually has a venturi valve that is open and introducing air into the system.

    Sump Type Systems

    • If you happen to have an under the tank sump system, the reasons for air in the system are virtually the same. The first problem to check is water level in the sump itself. As sumps are set up to lose water volume to maintain the water level in a display, check the volume of the sump to make sure that the pump is not drawing in air from the top of the water. The second reason could be that the water flow tube coming into the sump is not far enough in the water and is creating bubbles as it drains, which transfer to the pump and inject bubbles into the display. Another reason behind the bubbles could be that the flow coming from the sump into the tank is too high in the water column and creating a top disturbance, causing the bubbles.

    Powerheads

    • The final culprit in a micro bubble problem could be in tank power heads. They could either be disturbing the surface, causing bubbles or they could have a venturi tube that is pushing air in the system.

    Solving

    • Going through every aspect of the aquarium filter and plumbing to find where air might be introduced to find the culprit of the problem is highly recommended. It is normally an easy fix once you have located the issue.