Re: NANFA-- weird darter illness?

geoff (gkimber2_at_earthlink.net)
Mon, 13 Jan 2003 17:40:31 -0500

setup is pretty simple-

55 gallon tank with whisper hang on tank filter
aquaclear 802 completely submerged (6 inches under)
penguin 55 at the surface, has venturi air intake - spews medium bubbles right
at the surface - lots of surface agitation. the water is cold - 50 degrees F

no plants. set up as a stream tank with lots of water movement. Gravel, some
large rocks and a stick from a local creek.

The tank has been setup like this for a year or so with pretty much the same
inhabitants.

Geoff Kimber
Lexington,KY

On Monday 13 January 2003 08:40 am, Crail, Todd wrote:
> That's not any fun Geoff. :(
>
> A few other scenarios:
> - If the pump is an external pump and "hard plumbed in" from a sump, holes
> in the line can act as air injectors without dripping any water.
> - Loose seals on flex line from a pump in a sump can inject air. For
> example, a return pump with 3/4" flex hose to some type of return valve.
> Canister filters are sometimes guilty of this.
> - Gaps inside an external pump can cause a situation called "cavitation"
> where little pockets of air form in the propellor chamber and cut up into
> fine fine fine bubbles.
>
> Before we think about this much more, what is your filter/pumps setup like?
> And if it is on a sump or using a canister filter, are you seeing micro
> bubbles, or big blobs of air come out of the return (The whirlpool Nick
> mentioned is a classic indicator)? Once we know how the lines are setup,
> it will be easier to see what action may be necessary. :)
>
> Todd
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Nick Zarlinga
> Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 7:51 AM
> To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
> Subject: RE: NANFA-- weird darter illness?
>
>
> Sounds like you might have some kind of supersaturation of gasses happening
> in your system. Any chance you have a pump on the system which is sucking
> air through the intake? What happens in a situation like this is that the
> air that gets entrailed in the intake of the pump gets "sucked" so hard
> that it essentially gets dissolved into solution. This is especially
> prevelant if there is some kind of pressure chamber after the pump, such as
> an ocean clear filter or the like. The air that gets dissolved in the
> water passes through the fishes gills and collects in the capillaries of
> the fish. Usually it is most noticable in the fins but I have had it happen
> on the skin at times also. Essentially, this is the same effect that SCUBA
> divers get when they get the bends. It is the nitrogen that is actually
> the culprit which comes out of solution (blood in this case). Sort of like
> opening a pop can and having it effervesce. It is also more dangerous in
> cold water than warm since cold water can hold more gasses. To alleviate
> the problem, check all the intake lines of the pump and make sure that
> there is no "whirlpool" effect and that all connections are secure. Also,
> never, never, never...... have your effluent from a pump enter the tank
> under the surface of the water. You need to have some surface aggitation
> to degas the water. It is also good to run the water through a degassing
> chamber, such as a trickle filter.
>
> Nick Zarlinga
> Aquarium Biologist
> Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
> 216.661.6500 ext 4485
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