MicroBubbles Good or bad idea

JuniorMonsterKeeper

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Mar 13, 2017
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So lately I ve been seeing a lot of videos and posts around the net and YouTube about MicroBubbles and their use in cleaning REEF tanks. I ve seen videos with in-depth results of using these bubbles on a daily basis for some ppl for about an hour a day in varied frequencies during this hour.

So my question about this topic is in relation to freshwater tanks. I ve seen ppl say that micro bubbles can be harmful for fish etc that it’s like having someone with a needle inject air into our veins etc. However on the flip side I ve seen ppl make comparisons to waves and rivers with lots of flow and water disturbance and fish being use to this as it happens in nature.

Would using MicroBubbles in a freshwater system pose similar positive results where applicable vs any negatives results. With a usage frequency of say once maybe twice a week?
 

duanes

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It is essentially using fractionation, but in a non-concentrated way.
In fractionation, tiny waste products attach to micro bubbles and rise to the surface, where they concentrate in the air water interface, and are carried over into the mechanical filter.
It is not impossible, but micro bubbles are harder to achieve in fresh water because it is less dense than salt water.
Many people say it is not possible to use fractionation in fresh water tanks, due to the lack of density.
I find using fractionation in fresh to be a very effective way of removing small particulate, planktonic algae and other dissolved organic carbon, but it does take stronger agitation to bring these compounds to the air water interface.
Whether this works efficiently in in a tank in an unconcentrated way, would be something you may need to experiment with.
Below my DIY fractionator spewing waste that passed thru normal mechanical filtration, in my fresh water pond.
koi pond fractionation
 
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TwoHedWlf

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I don't think they're harmful, just too many of them can be pretty ugly...

I don't see them being useful for cleaning the water in any reasonable amount you'd want in a tank though. Best to try and keep them inside a skimmer if that's your plan.
 
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squint

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Gas emboli can definitely kill fish. The bubble you see aren't the dangerous ones. Those are inside the fish. Foam fractionators don't supersaturate the water so they're not dangerous.
 
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