Materials That Take Air Bubbles Out of Tap Water

Small air bubbles in water (microbubbles) can pose problems in a home aquarium. Generally, they are not a concern for healthy adult fish, but they can be detrimental for larvae and may damage some corals. Microbubbles can come from a variety of sources, including mixing water in preparation to top-off the aquarium water is a source. Usually, letting the water sit for an hour will cause most of the microbubbles to rise to the surface, but there are other ways of removing them.

  1. Sponges

    • Pumping the water through a sponge is one way to remove many of the larger microbubbles. You can find large sponges at local aquarium hobby stores that you can cut and shape to fit a container. Make sure the bottom of the sponge is slightly below the surface of the water in the collection bucket. Slowly pump or siphon the water with the microbubbles through the sponge into the collection bucket.

    Fine Filter Media

    • To remove very small bubbles, you can use fine-filter media made from nylon or cotton. This material will restrict the water flow more than a sponge, which means it will take longer to filter the tap water. You can use pre-made filters for aquariums or coffee filters. The procedure is the same as when using a sponge, but the flow of water should be much slower. Make sure the water exiting the filter does not splash into the collection bucket.

    Granular Activated Carbon

    • Granular activated carbon (GAC) has microchambers inside the granules that trap and remove certain chemicals and microbubbles from the water. GAC can be used in conjunction with a sponge or fine filter medium. An additional advantage to using GAC is that it will remove many contaminants, such as chlorine, from tap water as well as the bubbles.

    Bubble Trap

    • You can use acrylic to build a bubble trap that will remove many microbubbles as well. A bubble trap sends the water through a U-shaped section so that the bubbles have time to rise from the water. To make a bubble trap, you need three sheets of acrylic. Adhere the first sheet so that it sits on the bottom of the containment vessel and the water flows over it. The top of the second sheet is above the level of the water and not attached to the bottom, forcing the water under it. Adhere the third sheet to the bottom, but make sure it's slightly shorter than the first sheet. You can also add sponges, filter media and/or GAC between the sheets.