Nano Bubble Injection

[soapy]

I am glad to see you are beginning to warm up to the idea. Agreed, even if this thing makes sense at some point for a display it would be awhile before it is ready for primetime. Maybe never.

These guys may want to turn their entire tank into a skimmer a few hours a day:
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/1/aafeature Those are butt ugly tanks anyway.

I don't see cost being a huge problem since you would be generating bubbles with the same technology as a skimmer? A return pump fed air by a limewood airstone and air pump makes a ton of small bubbles. That brings up the question of optimal bubble size, which could greatly affect cost.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by soapy

I am glad to see you are beginning to warm up to the idea.

No, I agreed the technology worked well in waste water treatment. I think this, for tanks, is dumb. There's a difference

Fun Fact. Don't ever fall into the aeration tank at a sewage treatment plant. You will sink to the bottom and drown. Too much air to float, not enough to breath.

[MitchM]

Reef Central had a tank of the month, 8 years ago, that used intermittent air injection.
Pic and diagram of the setup is about half way down the page.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-04/totm/index.php

I'm not crazy about the idea if you run air injection 24/7, intermittent probably wouldn't hurt anything as long as you had strong enough flow otherwise to dislodge the bubbles from the corals and live rock.

.

[soapy]

Originally Posted by MitchM

Reef Central had a tank of the month, 8 years ago, that used intermittent air injection.
Pic and diagram of the setup is about half way down the page.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-04/totm/index.php

I'm not crazy about the idea if you run air injection 24/7, intermittent probably wouldn't hurt anything as long as you had strong enough flow otherwise to dislodge the bubbles from the corals and live rock.

.

Hey thanks Mitch, great link. Interesting setup on that tank.

I agree running 24/7 would not be good. Other places I've read that guys are running for a couple hours in the evening. I see that TOTM guy does 1 minute bursts every 3 hours. I was thinking it might be good for 1/2 hour or an hour twice a day, low tide twice a day like on a reef?

In my short tests Ive found that the bubbles don't really stick to the coral flesh or the rocks unless there is an overhang that can trap it. Algae on the other hand gets lots of bubbles caught up.

[soapy]

Here is a couple of shots from todays tests. After shutting down the air I waited
five minutes which was overkill really the bubbles clear pretty fast. Trapped bubbles take longer to dissolve but I haven't waited to time that yet.

[Jordon]

I was actually reading this shortly before you posted!

Gimmicky would be if they were selling something, which it doesn't appear that they are at this time. So what would be in it for them exactly?

I think this is something I would try at night only, but would definitely wait for Mike's take on it when he posts his articles @ RB. I have many other experimental things on my list to try first.

This is what makes the hobby exciting; Finding interesting ways to make something "better" Yes, yes, maybe not visually pleasing, but at 3am, i'm not exactly looking at my tank, and it if improves health or has other positive effects, why not?

The whole thing here I think is will this actually work better than a skimmer, or what other effects does it have versus one? Also if there are pros to run this versus a skimmer, is the extra cleanup (possibly from salt creep) and other factors worth it?

soapy, do you have the resources to set up two small tanks to test this theory? i.e.: identical livestock, equipment, rock, sand and water conditions, with only that one variable changed? If so, that would be amaze-balls.

[soapy]

Originally Posted by JDH

I was actually reading this shortly before you posted!

Gimmicky would be if they were selling something, which it doesn't appear that they are at this time. So what would be in it for them exactly?

I think this is something I would try at night only, but would definitely wait for Mike's take on it when he posts his articles @ RB. I have many other experimental things on my list to try first.

This is what makes the hobby exciting; Finding interesting ways to make something "better" Yes, yes, maybe not visually pleasing, but at 3am, i'm not exactly looking at my tank, and it if improves health or has other positive effects, why not?

The whole thing here I think is will this actually work better than a skimmer, or what other effects does it have versus one? Also if there are pros to run this versus a skimmer, is the extra cleanup (possibly from salt creep) and other factors worth it?

soapy, do you have the resources to set up two small tanks to test this theory? i.e.: identical livestock, equipment, rock, sand and water conditions, with only that one variable changed? If so, that would be amaze-balls.

A comparison test like that would be a cool idea. Or even just a tank to test coral frags. Some species are going to hate this but some might thrive with it. I already know of one cyphastrea that hates the bubbles and an acro that shed a slime layer, which the reefer in Mitch's link thinks that is a good thing.

One might guess that the deep water, forereef and lagoonal corals won't be as tolerant to bubbles as the reef crest and reef flat ones.

[albert_dao]

Originally Posted by JDH

Gimmicky would be if they were selling something, which it doesn't appear that they are at this time. So what would be in it for them exactly?

But... The ARE selling something: They are a business and selling the idea that they are the experts. Good on them. I have zero issues with that nor the fact that they choose to do this with their clientelle; but the idea that they're not selling something is blatantly false. The spread of their idea beyond their customer base is incidental to their own marketing that they are innovators and authorities.