# Air bubbles from water changes



## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Hey guys, 

So I have hooked up a new way to do water changes on my tanks, and have run into a potential problem. 

From the hot side of my new tap, I am getting some very fine bubbles. Should I be worried? They dissipate in about 5 minuets. The cold side has a carbon filter on it, And I am debating adding one to the hot side too. 

I remember something about over oxygenation like this can cause oxygen in the blood of fish to bubble. 

Any tips? Or am I just over worried?

Cheers,

Alex


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## blurry (May 10, 2010)

Might be related? http://www.bcaquaria.com/forum/cana.../gas-bubble-disease-discus-how-prevent-25972/


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I always get bubbles when I do a water change. Ive never seen it to be a problem. I either leave them or shake them off gently. They stick to the glass and plants.


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## MEDHBSI (Sep 4, 2011)

The bubbles are fine there called micro bubbles, its very common. From what I've read and been told you can't put a carbon filter on hot water.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Alex, i get the bubbles all the time especially refilling straight from the tap. Its from all the high pressure within the pipes. Just make sure you have good surface aggitation and water flow so the bubbles dissapates. I try to refill by letting the new water waterfall into the tank. Not the best for the fish, but water changes itself are stressful for fish. They'll be ok. Just keep an eye on how they react.


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## Canadian_Aqua_Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

The bubbles could create a problem in your discus grow out tank. Check out the article that blurry posted a link to for some ideas on how to get around this.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Don't think you can put hot water through carbon, but I could be wrong.


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Thanks for all the replies and solutions guys! 

So I did a water change with my tap as is on my 160 gallon with no problems, but quite a few bubbles. All the plumbing has been tightened, and I have noticed fewer bubbles now. I think the waterfall solution will probably work best here.

Interesting that you can't put a carbon filter on hot water, Does anyone know why?


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Proper information should be supplied instead of just making a off statement then trying to cover up ineptness with "but I really don't know what I'm talking about so I shouldn't have posted"

Carbon can be put on hot water BUT hot water reduces carbons ability to absorb what you're trying to absorb by using it. Yes it will still absorb to some point, just not as good as with "cold" water.

With that said, if you want to filter both "hot and cold" and you have access to the plumbing, you could always install something like a mixing valve, set the temperature to what you want and have the carbon filter on the output side and water coming out is exact or close to the exact temperature you want without fooling around to get it there =)


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I use buckets for doing water changes.
I have several 5 gallon/20L buckets.
I fill them in my shower and add Aqua Plus and walk the 20 ft of hallway to my fishroom
Hauilng water is my exercise<G>

I set the bucket on the floor of the fish room for a few hours for the 33 gallon or less tanks/
I fill a few buckets the hight before ready to change in the AM.
the larger tanks get the waste water and detrius/cra* from the tank bottoms sucked up during syphoning out the wast water.
Hint i use a container with a net over the discharge of your syphon hose.
This is intended to capture any fri/fish/eggs you acidentaly vacum up.
Any sludge from the tanks is great plant food add it to your plants.
My Christmas cactus behind one of my 50 gallon African tanks has been blooking since September.
I then pour in/waterfall the clean/treated water into the tanks.

On my larger tanks I remove 2 buckets and replace 2 buckets for water 
I drain and add the treated water via Waterfall method without aging the water.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I am not sure but I was told before by a rep that sold these filters that the hot water may cause the carbon filter to release something harmful into the water, so it is not recommended. Your filter should specify the max temp you can use it for.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

By the way, I spray my water directly onto my powerhead/wavemaker during my water change, which greatly reduces the amount of water bubbles I have. I just place the wavemaker above the water surface and splash my hose directly into it. Hope this helps.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

I think its normal IMO. I just did a water change and noticed tons of little micron bubbles... they are usually all gone and cleared up in a couple mins though


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Yes, I don't think it affects most fish if they are exposed for a short time, just more sensitive fish like discus. 

So i have tried everything and still get bubbles. I think I might be back to buckets! I will try the power head method when I do a WC tomorrow.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Are you using python to fill up, if so, you may also adjust the little white knob on your python to get the water to form a finer mist, and then spray that jet of water through the powerhead. The water will be chopped up before it is splashed into your water, which should out gas almost everything. I usually do not see any bubbles on my glass with this method--even with 100% water change.
Or if you have the space you can age your cold tap water in a barrel with an air stone and a heater for 12-24 hours, which should stablize the pH and out gas all the bubbles. A lot of discus keepers do that.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

AWW said:


> Yes, I don't think it affects most fish if they are exposed for a short time, just more sensitive fish like discus.
> 
> So i have tried everything and still get bubbles. I think I might be back to buckets! I will try the power head method when I do a WC tomorrow.


If you put the water into the tank fast enough you will regardless of anything be putting bubbles into the water. I used to age my water and then pump it into the tank at 300gph and would end up with thousands of bubbles on the glass. Never once was it a problem for the discus and I was doing daily 26g water changes for months like that. I don't think its so much the bubbles but the gas that is in tap water that gets trapped in the bubbles that can cause the problems because you still get bubbles when you spray tap water out as well but by spraying you are allowing it to off gas.

The argument for carbon on hot water... Sure there is a possibility of things leaching back into the water from the carbon, but that is regardless of hot or cold water, hot just makes it premature and also lessens the amount of stuff the carbon can absorb. If you really want to put carbon on a hot source of water you must do it is prior to it becoming hot so the cold line before the hot water tank, but... who needs to filter the shower and dish water! That only leaves 1 possible option and that is using a mixing valve to mix the hot and cold water to what you want for a tank temperature of water and put the carbon on the out put side of the mixing valve.

Carbon is fine to use on water all the way upto 100F without problem, and can be used on higher but.... will be lowering its usefulness


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Fish rookie,

Yes, This is a python hose, but it is connected to a new tap below the sink. Here is a picture.



Might look complicated as we have two sinks, two drains, a washing mashine, and the new plumbing for water changes all in one cupboard.

I dont drain to the sink, I drain to the garden, so no use for drain side. 
everything is absolutely tight. No air is entering within the new plumbing we installed. However, I only notice micro bubbles on the hot side, not the cold.

Kacairns,

Thanks for the info. I like the idea of a mixing valve. I will look into this further. I have a thermometer that tests with a laser, so I set temperature by shining that right on the metal Y that connects the hot and cold side. I then fine tune testing it at the end. I probably waste 2 - 3 gallons of water doing this. Not to mention With the mixing valve I wouldn't need to use prime anymore, as I could rework where the carbon filter sits in line.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

The mixing valve would go right where you have the Y going to the python. Depending on quality a decent one runs around $75-100 and regardless of temperature of cold or hot they automatically adjust themselves for the output based on what you've set it to. Its a thermostatic valve so it adjust as temperature of the sources adjust ie if its cold outside and the temperature of the water entering the house is lower then usual it automatically compensates by letting more hot water through, if for some reason you had 0 cold/hot water it would end up not allowing any water through


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## Otolith (Jan 24, 2012)

There is one thing that I have not seen mentioned and plays a big part; if you are filling the tank back up but don't have the larger end of the python filled with water you are agitating the water greatly resulting in a mist of air bubbles. If you tilt the end of the python up so it fills with water then place it under the water you will have substantially less agitation and minimal air bubbles. You will still find some air bubbles on the glass and any plants but the fish will be less if at all bothered.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Please correct me if I am wrong. It is my understanding that agitation in this case is actually desired because that is what gets the dissolved pressurized air bubbles in the water out of the system. Without agitation the pressurized air bubbles may get through the membrane of the discus and harm them.


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## Otolith (Jan 24, 2012)

You do want agitation, ideally surface disruption as this will allow oxygen to dissolve within the water, but you are looking to attain it through filtration or air stones, when there is too much agitation when changing the water you will have the mist of air bubbles which is what you will try to keep to a minimum. Just speaking from experience and two years of limnology.


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

As I understand it and I could be completely wrong like some people are time and time again but the spraying of the water is to off gas the water and it doesn't have to be that much of a spray to begin with, just something to allow it to off gas some before it enters the rest of the aquarium water instead of off gassing fully in the aquarium water. This off gassing isn't so much off gassing of oxygen but off gassing of other gases in the water that if you put the tip of the hose under water does not happen and can lead to Gas Bubble Disease. The temperature swing as well as the increase/decrease in pressure while doing your water change is what leads to GBD. Yes oxygen can cause GBD as well but to my understanding you'd have to saturate your aquarium water so much for the oxygen to be a problem its not that much of a worry. Some how you'd have to have oxygen pulled into your water to get it a over saturation and I would think you'd only be able to do that if you intentionally put to much oxygen in or some sort of hardware failure were say a canister filter started to suck in oxygen and add it into the outflow.


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Okay,

So I am getting more and more frustrated. Right now, there are just too many micro bubbles for me to do water changes this way.

Has anyone used air eliminators before? They are kinda pricey so I wanted to know if any one had installed them Here is a link to an online retailer.

Air Eliminators , Taco Air Scoops , Spirovent Air Eliminator - PexSupply.com


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