# Tiny bubbles.. In my powerhead



## Valley (Feb 28, 2007)

So I have this powerhead that keeps blowing tiny bubbles. I've done some research and found that it might need to be taken apart and put back together. No biggie. I was palnning on doing that tonight anyway. 
What info I couldn't find was what are they?? The powerhead is approx. 9 inches under water with no air tube thingy. There is no aeration in this tank and the filter is on the far end (48" away). I'd really like to know if this is Oxygen, CO2, Nitrogen, or what... I'm just a curious person really. I'll be correcting the bubbles as I know it's risky for the fishes but I'd really really like some idea of where these air bubbles came from and what they are made of. TIA


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## nokturnalkid (Feb 27, 2007)

Are your plants pearling? Could definately be from that.


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## Valley (Feb 28, 2007)

Not as far as I can see. The tank is only about 3 weeks old so some of the plants are still settling in. They bubble when I break them by clumsiness... But I haven't seen any actual pearling yet. 

The day I posted this I went home and scrubbed the powerhead. I put it back together and while under water spent like 15 mins turning it over and tapping on it to get all the trapped air out.... Well it didn't change it at all. It's still spewing bubbles. I can't recall if it did it right away but I don't think so. I didn't notice it again for about 2 days.


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## miwoodar (Jul 9, 2009)

I would guess cavitation due to low pressure on the intake side of the pump. Do you have a tight mesh strainer or sponge on it? What happens if you run the pump with it off?


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

At 9 inches under water air should not be spewing out but that is the usual problem that causes air to be ejected from the Power Head. Venturi action caused by air being sucked into the Power Head is a normal method of getting air bubbles into a Tank but usually a shallow depth for the Power Head is recommended. The bubbles need to be coming from somewhere.

Disassembly and cleaning is typically a requirement for Power Heads because of the Algae and slime that accumulates on the moving part of the Power Head


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## Felf808 (Mar 21, 2006)

Like everyone else said, the bubbles have to be coming from somewhere. If the plants aren't pearling it's possible that air in your substrate is being release if it's a new tank. One thing I do to purge my powerheads of air once they're in the tank is to either face them straight up so the air is pushed out or I pump water with a turkey baster/eye dropper in the output tube so the air comes out of the intake(both while the powerhead is on).


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

Sounds more like these bubbles are being generated underwater. The PH did not bubble for a couple of days after a thorough cleaning and purging, then started bubbling after 2 days. 
This does not sound like trapped air. 

How does the water enter the power head? Is the PH part of a sponge filter? Undergravel filter? other?


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## miwoodar (Jul 9, 2009)

You don't need a source of air to create bubbles. Bubbles can spontaneously come out of the water in a low pressure situation...sort of like boiling water...bubbles from nowhere. As I mentioned above, I would make sure the input strainers are clean and there are minimal restrictions on the intake side of the pump.


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