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kona reefer

Best design for bubble trap: under-over-under?

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by
kona reefer
, 11-15-2011 at 08:13 AM (3513 Views)
I will be installing baffles in a sump soon to fit my new protein skimmer and I am wondering what is the best bubble trap design. I usually see the over-under-over style, but was wondering if under-over-under would be better?

My thinking is that since the air bubbles want to float, they would be less concentrated at the bottom of the water column, so it would be most efficient to grap water from the bottom of the sump. This is the 'under' part. The water rises up 'over' a second baffle to maintain steady water level in the sump, and then flows out 'under' the third baffle. Here, the water is flowing down, but the air bubbles will be floating up, thus helping to remove most of the air bubbles.

What do you guys think?

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‎ Plumbing

Comments

  1. DJ in WV's Avatar
    if your last baffle is under then the bubbles left will be pushed out low and all thur the rest of the sump for the pump to pick up. Last one high leaves the bubbles at the surface to disapate before getting to the pump intake. I another consideration is the distance to the return pump the further you can make to water travel thur the sump the less bubbles you will get
  2. melev's Avatar
    The other thing is that you have a slime that builds up on baffles in the first zone if you run under-over-under that you have to frequently wipe away. The over-under-over method works out very well and how I've built hundreds of sumps over the years.
  3. kona reefer's Avatar
    Oh yeah, that makes sense. I will do over-under-over then. What is this slime though you talk about that builds up, and how would it effect performance/flow?

    Thanks!
  4. melev's Avatar
    It is usually from fish food and waste, the oily stuff that accumulates around the sump's inner walls. I like stuff to stay clean, and creating an "under" situation in the first zone results in this stuff building up, where in an "over" baffle it does not.
  5. kona reefer's Avatar
    Ok, makes sense. Thanks!