View Full Version : Adding ozone...is it worth it?
Wheel of Time
10/04/2008, 08:44 PM
I have 300g reef tank. Have been happy for years with how my tank looks using standard equpment (Aqua C 240 protein skimmer, (4) 400w LB reflectors,etc.) Pretty standrardstuff
I am now considering adding ozone. Is it worth the money and which set-ups / equipment should I consider?
Freed
10/04/2008, 09:14 PM
You would need an ORP controller that you would plug your ozone generator into and set to come on and turn off at a preset level ~350mv ? You will need an air pump too to run the ozone into your skimmer or you could run air line with a tee in it to your skimmer air intake and suck the ozone thru the ozone generator. One port for normal air flow while the other is for the outlet from your ozone generator to the second port on that tee to the inlet of the skimmer air intake.
Atarax
10/04/2008, 09:32 PM
maybe im an idiot, but why would u want Ozone? what exactly does it do? ive heard it helps the skimmer clean more efficiently, but is that it?
Freed
10/04/2008, 09:37 PM
WOT, you may want to ask a mod to move this thread to the Reef Chemistry forum so one of the chemistry guys that are in the know can see it.
areze
10/05/2008, 05:46 AM
I have heard ozone breaks down the dissolved protiens, which supposedly impedes skimming... but its supposed to make the water clearer.
Creetin
10/05/2008, 06:25 AM
Its also a health hazzard. Do a google search on it. :)
hpglow
10/05/2008, 07:40 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13486228#post13486228 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Creetin
Its also a health hazard. Do a google search on it. :)
So is Vitamin A and Iron if you consume too much of it. Ozone or O^3 is toxic if you inhale too much of it. Its also extremely flammable. So don't attach it to a respirator, or collect it and ignite it and you should be ok.
tgreene
10/05/2008, 08:31 AM
I've been pushing O3 for years, and I'm still alive!
O3 is a highly volatile compound, and when excited, the 3rd more loosely attached O molecule breaks away from the remaining tightly bound pair, and binds with foreign molecules (dissolved organic particles) and allows them to be more easily remove from the water column through skimming.
The reason for injecting O3 into your skimmer or a dedicated O3 reactor, is because this is where the 3rd O molecule is excited and breaks off.
With the proper use of O3, you will see greater clarity in your water, which in turn allows greater light penetration. Being that your water is now that much more pure due to having the ability to remove a greater concentration of dissolved organics, you can often extend out your water changes.
As with everything that we do or add to our reef systems, CAUTION must be used when adding Ozone, because it could also kill everything in the system if you're not careful. As stated earlier by another member, an ORP Controller must be used to properly regulate the amount of O3 being injected. While most aquariasts will generally set their controllers to maintain an ORP level of 350+/-, I personally shoot for 400.
I feel that it's also important to fully understand exactly what ORP is and how it is measured, before you try your hand at playing GOD with it. ORP probes are platinum tipped unlike the glass bulb pH probes that most are more familiar with, and unless you've taken the initiative to carefully prepare and pre-oxidize your new probe (artificial aging), it will usually take a couple of weeks for this to happen naturally. If you simply connect a new probe to an ORP Controller and begin pushing O3, thinking your controller will handle things for you, you'll eventually discover that you were sadly mistaken. Once the ORP probe has properly oxidized either naturally or via artificial means, your probe must be properly calibrated to the controller which will be regulating it. Again, this is where an understanding of ORP comes into play, because unlike pH or pretty much every other parameter out there, ORP does not have a specific baseline, and is free ranging.
If I were to bring my ORP controller and probe to your tank and place it alongside your own ORP controller and probe, the likelihood of having 2 very different readings far outweighs the slim possibility that they would be similar. For this reason, whenever setting up for ORP, as with any other probe, it's imperative that you properly calibrate it for "averaging". For example, the calibration that I personally prefer to use is Milwaukee Instruments' MA9020 Redox Solution. Rather than having a specific calibration set point like pH solution has, this solution has a mV range of 200 to . Because of this, I always calibrate my probes to achieve a reading of 237, which is the midpoint between the two.
ORP readings will also vary greatly depending upon where they are taken in the system, and electrical interference will also wreak havoc on it... Because an ORP probe measures mV, a good indication of stray voltage will be erratic ORP readings.
Back to the desired set point levels as I mentioned much earlier in this thread... Because I personally take my ORP readings in my sump, immediately downstream from my skimmer, I have chosen to set my controller for a reading of 400mV, rather than the more traditional 350mV settings. This assures me that the remainder of my system will still have adequate levels, but will not be subject to overdosing at any point.
Now, I have just installed a brand new Lighthouse Pro XLS controller that is capable of doing far more than any controller that I've used previously, so I do intend to add a 2nd ORP module and probe to the system in order to take average tank readings. My rationale is because I will then have a wider latitude in which I can work with, to more closely dial in the regulatory factor of my Ozone generator.... In plain English; if my tank reading is only at 310, yet my sump is at 400, then I know that I can safely increase my sump controller to somewhere between 425-450 in order to get a more specific tank reading.
The reason that I don't want to regulate my controller based upon tank readings however, is because there are simply too many variables at play to want to do so. A mistake could easily burn fish gills, and create Nitric Acid as well.
-Tim
Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 1: Chemistry and Biochemistry
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/index.php
Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 2: Equipment and Safety
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/rhf/index.php
Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 3: Changes in a Reef Aquarium upon Initiating Ozone
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/rhf/index.php
ORP and the Reef Aquarium
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/index.htm
Creetin
10/05/2008, 10:53 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13486446#post13486446 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hpglow
So is Vitamin A and Iron if you consume too much of it. Ozone or O^3 is toxic if you inhale too much of it. Its also extremely flammable. So don't attach it to a respirator, or collect it and ignite it and you should be ok.
If you smell it you are breathing too much of it from what the information that i read states. TIFWIW.
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