asm problem

[diGeE]

Hello everyone!! I need help big time. I have an asm G2 in my sump of my 120g. It was working fine until I was moving stuff around and knocked it a little bit. Now it has micro-bubbles coming from the spout that the spounge goes on. I tried to take it out and make sure everything is in the right spot, which it is. But still making the bubbles, and making my take look like crap. Please let me know what to do. Has any come across this? Thanks!!

[Fly Guy]

Im not sure what you could have knocked to create more bubbles...........youve checked that you didnt break anything i assume?? I always have some bubbles voming out of my skimmers......

If you have baffles set up properly in your sump, and arent moving too mcuh water through the sump, the bubbles shouldnt be an issue, and you shouldnt need the sponge.

You will find with that skimmer that to really have any control of how wet or dry it skims, you need to set up your baffles so that the water level NEVER changes in the skimmer section, and have the gate valve mod done to the skimmers outfeed.

You can actually make a little bubble trap on the outfeed after the gate valve that can hep on the bubbles as well.....but shouldnt have to with the right baffles and sump flow.....

If that didnt make sense let me know......i can take some pics and tell you how to do the gate valve mod. Its easy.

[diGeE]

Thanks for the response fly guy. Okay, this may be a stupid question but what is a baffle? I've been looking all over and can't find what it means.

I would love to know how to do a gate valve mod. I was also looking for that but I failed. Please explain.

Thank you sooo much for your help!!! =)

[Fly Guy]

Baffles are walls in your sump that route your water over under over.......or under over under.........different configs work for different situations. The purpose is that assuming you move the water slow enouogh through your sump, it forces the bubbles to rise as the water travels through the baffles and effectively kills the bubbles before they make it to your return pump.
I use in sump needlewheel skimmers on both of my tanks.....i like a over-under over baffle set up. I make the first baffle the highest and it is as high as the optimum operating level for my skimmers........this way the water level never changes in the skimmer section...making the skimmate much esier to control than if it fluctuated.

here is a sump i made......Unfortunately it is a pic of opnly half of it...but you will be able to see how i hve that first baffle high enough that it controls the water level for the skimmer. This tank had only been running a couple of days when i took this pic......i hadnt installed the gate valve mod yet.......but they are a must with these types of skimmers IMO if you really want any control

Here is some more info on the gate valve mod..http://www.asmskimmer.com/mod1.htm ....there are a few differnt ways to do it...but the concept is the same on all of them. you can buy all the parts for about $20, or order premade kits for $35-40 i think. Super simple to make and install..no glue even needed...just slip fit the parts together works fine

[diGeE]

Thanks alot Fly Guy for your time. Your information was very helpful but now my problem is I want a new sump I just read your other post in General Discussion and saw some more pics of sumps which are designed similar to yours. And now I'm on the hunt!

My sump is 2 18 gal tubs u can get at any hardware store. One tub serves as a Top Off and also holds LR. This setup is ok for having a pretty consistant water lever where the skimmer and return pump sit (which is the other tub) but I'm not sure I can make baffles to help with my micro-bubble problem.

What type of sump do u have? I'm almost sure u made it yourself which in that case can u direct me to some manufacturers or better yet, some web retailers which have baffles pre-made and are of good quality?

Thanks again for your time.

Katina

[Fly Guy]

I did make that sump........

There are some manufactures that make them...but its gonna cost you an arm and a leg.........like $200-300 to have someone make you a custom sump or even a premade one set up how you want.

I recommend looking around you locally for a used tank that you can convert into a sump. It isnt all that difficult.......if you dont have the tools you can get a local glass or plastic supply place to cut you the baffles fairly cheaply........and either glue or silicone them in where they need to be.........and end up having what you need for $50-75 instead........

Myself or others here would be more than happy to walk you through how to go about making one yourself out of a tank if you went that route

If you want to just get one made for you......hopefully someone else will chime in with some good places you could do so, as none are on the tip of my tongue............