Biocube 14 Air Vortex?
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Forum Name: Equipment
Forum Description: This is the place to ask question about reef equipment.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=39189
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Topic: Biocube 14 Air Vortex?
Posted By: Ahanix
Subject: Biocube 14 Air Vortex?
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 5:39pm
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Hey guys, I started looking at my tank, and noticed that I have a lot of air bubbles from my return pump, my levels are perfectly fine on my tank, but I think I have an air vortex from my MJ900, any suggestions on how I can stop this from happening?
Thanks.
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Replies:
Posted By: Ryan Thompson
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 9:00pm
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Make it so your return isn't pointing so high. I thought I had an issue with my pump as well until I realized my return was too high and causing the air bubbles. Just a thought.
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Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 9:08pm
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I had a Hydor Flo on there and was receiving the bubbles, but i'll throw on the stock head and see if that fixes the problem.
Thanks!
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Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 11:14pm
Maybe put something in there to disrupt the vortex, like mangroves! 
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 04 2010 at 11:27pm
| Haha, thats actually why I posted that earlier today, I think i'll try to pick up some on saturday to see if that fixes the problem. |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 05 2010 at 2:56pm
Maybe i'm just being dumb and didn't put it in right. Here's a shot that I just found of someone elses Maxijet 900 (I think) and I see that they had put the filter guard on the end and extended it above the plastic overflow, there mine is tucked inside the plastic overflow leaving only a little 1"x1" space for water intake. Which is right?
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Posted By: jonafriendj
Date Posted: March 05 2010 at 4:12pm
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The water should be up past both of those spots, so it shouldn't matter either way! Do you have stuff in the back compartments that would be slowing down the flow making it back to your pump? The 900 might be pumping the water out faster than it can drain back in?
------------- Pleasant Grove |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 05 2010 at 4:50pm
| currently the only thing I have in the chambers of the tank is some filter floss on top of second chamber draining tray, and in the middle chamber. Tonight I will be building a media basket, and will see how that works. if it doesn't fix my problem I will shorten the tubing and move the pump up to where the first picture is to see if that fixes the problem. I put the stock head on the return pump last night and it got rid of some of the bubbles, but I still think i'll probably go back to the hydor flo |
Posted By: Crazy Tarzan
Date Posted: March 05 2010 at 7:50pm
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I'm running a mj 1200 at about that height, but I took out the elbow and put in a piece of flexible pvc tubing from the mj to the outlet--much better flow. ------------- Was that in there yesterday? Casper--WY windier than ? Down to a 20, soon to double or nothing |
Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 05 2010 at 10:44pm
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jonafriendj makes a good point about flow. You may also try removing the extra piece of plastic between the first two compartments (the piece you noticed that I had not cut out).
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 10 2010 at 8:12pm
| Ok, so I pulled out the pump tonight to see what the problem was. I put the pump in the main section of my tank in the middle and it started spraying bubbles, so I'm kind of stumped. Is the pump faulty? |
Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 10 2010 at 9:43pm
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Weird. It's gotta be getting air from somewhere.
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Shane H
Date Posted: March 10 2010 at 9:46pm
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Could be cavitating? Or is it possible you trapped some air in the intake when you removed it from the water? |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 10 2010 at 11:30pm
| I guess I just need to fill up a bucket of water and shake the pump around to see if there is any trapped air. I've let this thing run since I purchased the tank, but it still spits out air |
Posted By: Aquaristnewbie
Date Posted: March 11 2010 at 12:23pm
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That is very odd. It has to be getting air from somewhere. Even if there was trapped air it would not constantly spit out bubbles. Just until it ran out of the trapped bubble. Good luck! I have no idea where it could be coming from. ------------- 150 gallon Reef Millcreek Utah |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 11 2010 at 10:47pm
| So the only thing it could be now is the tubing, I think i'm going to go to home depot and get some flex tubing and get rid of the plastic elbow, also going to get some of the white sealant tape so I make sure everything is tight. I put the pump in a bucket, shook all the bubbles out and it seemed to be working just fine, put it back in the tank and had problems again. Even had problems with the stock pump blowing bubbles |
Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 11 2010 at 10:49pm
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Are air bubbles possibly getting to the bottom of the center chamber and then getting sucked up by your pump? If that's the case, your media rack should solve that.
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 11 2010 at 10:58pm
Hahaha, thats very true... I need to get that whole thing fixed  I have a lot of cutting do to this weekend I guess. probably will need to go to home depot and buy more plexi
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Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 11 2010 at 11:36pm
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I've got some scraps. What size pieces do you need?
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 12:02am
| Not sure yet, basically I put the whole thing together, it looked pretty good. obviously not as good as yours, but I guess atleast it was functional, haha I tried to put it in, and it ended up being too big using the 3x6 crate pattern, so I think I need to go a little bit smaller. maybe cut half of a square off or something. I'll have to take it apart and measure it tomorrow to see exactly how much smaller it needs to be. |
Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 12:38am
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I wonder how you built yours. I still have a little wiggle room side-to-side with the 3x6 configuration. Or maybe my tank's built differently than yours.
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 12:41am
| Could be, I think we have different revisions of the biocube 14. When I received my replacement hood the ballast cables were a lot shorter than mine, and the feeding lid opened a lot easier. I think I might have to either do some cutting to the back rim, because I think the chambers are the same, but I might have a lip on the back of my tank that you dont. |
Posted By: Mad Dawg
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 12:45am
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Is it too big in the 3 direction or the 6 direction? I had to trim the lip along the back in order to get the rack to drop straight down.
------------- Todd 14g nano mixed reef project |
Posted By: Ahanix
Date Posted: March 12 2010 at 12:54am
| 3 direction. So I guess I will have to trim the back like you did. i'll see if my drip tray fits over the media basket before taking a box cutter to the back |