Thoughts about Ozone

[PCIALF]

OK Changing gears on the research

[S Helinski]

I recently started using ozone, after i found a great deal on a used unit. Now i know that they are much much cheaper on Ebay, using generic brands (not made for aquariums, but for hot tubs, etc.), even though i still got a good deal.

Anyways, i am still figuring out exactly what amount i'd like to dose 24/7, not only b/c i'm wondering if its even possible for me to OD with it, but also, b/c im not sure how much ozone this used unit is producing.

I've said too much. A few days after i started using it, i am quite sure that i noticed a significant change in water clairity. I do not think that i imagined that. I also noticed that my skimmers started to produce "stinkier" skimmate, and i did not adjust any levels or clean them.

Ozone will also "nuke" many bacteria and parasites that it comes in contact with. I think it can also "nuke" free floating algae. So it is useful in preventing and controlling outbreaks of disease.

If you do some basic research, you will find that the addition of O3 to the tank has many benefits, reacting with various waste molecules, and making it easier for the skimmer to skim them. The higher redox values allow chemical reactions to occur in greater number at greater speeds. This is generally a good thing.
By reacting with some forms of waste or pollutants, the water becomes clearer, and more light gets to the corals, you get more for you money KWH wise.

There are some risks, but with a non-industrial sized unit, and a larger water volume, i'm not sure if many are really applicable.

-O3 has a very short half life, i think like 20 minutes or so, so it does not remain in the tank very long (in high concentrations), even though its constantly being made.

-O3 will "burn" the eyes and gills of fish, but basically the fish that are really close to where it is administered into the tank. Thats why carbon is a very good idea. Carbon will "remove" the O3. Exactly how this works and what it does to do this, i don't know. Infact I'd appreciate it if someone quickly filled me in on that...

-The only other real concern is raising the redox level too high. Like ~500+mv. Things start to "die" at this level. On the other hand, if the redox is super low (~<100mv), the tank should be "dead", and so you will probably never encounter a problem like this. (the use of an ozonizer will NOT cause the low redox problem ever)

There are a couple other benefits and concerns, but those are the main ones.

Many people swear by the use of ozone. I haven't used it all that long on a regular basis, so others should comment on this. I do believe that i have seen a noticable improvement in water clairity and light penetration.

It also uses next to no electricity. Like under 15w for an air pump and ozonizer. So its long term hidden expense is almost non existant.


Good luck on your research.

Check out the SPS forum.


Steve

[Gary Majchrzak]

Ozone seems like a no-brainer choice to me- but I don't use it.
Maybe someday. You should definitely go beyond the URS forum for research involving UV and O3.