Looking into OZONE and have a few ???

[ricwilli]

I've always heard people running Ozone but never looked into it till now after two years in the hobby. One of the biggest concerns that I heard was that it can be dangerous to humans if not ran correctly. I guess this is what kept me from doing more research on it since I have two kid in the house. The questions I have are below:

- How many of you run one and is it worth running
- Is Ozone just for water clarity or does it help with Nitrates and Phos
- Do you need/have a Ozone detector
- How long does the carbon last before having to change it
- Whats a good Ozone generator
- Why did you stop using it

I might have more questions later on. Thanks in advance.

 

[greg 45]

Is ozone worth it yes ,keeps water cleaner cheeper than carbon in the long run
It doesnt lower nitrates or phos
I run a ozotech
I have stopped running ,just use a good skimmer

 

[Paul_N]

Here is everything you could possibly want to know about Ozone:

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 1: Chemistry and Biochemistry by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 2: Equipment and Safety by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 3: Changes in a Reef Aquarium upon Initiating Ozone by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

the only thing I never saw addressed was how often you should change out the carbon used on the effluent.

 

[Psychographic]

Based on my experience,,,,,,,,,,,,,

It does more than just make your water clear, it does nothing for Nitrates or Phosphates.

What's an Ozone Detector, do you mean a monitor or controller? I would at least use a monitor. Injecting O3 is no different than dosing things you don't test for, what's the use if you don't know what your levels are? If you oversize your generator for your tanks demand, a Controller is needed.

The carbon in the water effluent should be changed bi monthly , the airborne effluent, seems to last quite a bit longer. This is my opinion, but the O3 prevents most of the bacteria from growing in the carbon, so it doesn't slime up and clog the pores rendering it useless as it does when carbon is normally used. So you get an extra benefit of using O3, by extending the life of the carbon. This all depends on how much O3 you are pumping and the amount of carbon used.

I've had just as much luck with a cheap China made Ebay unit as I have from name brand units. The key is to use preventative measures from damaging the generator.

I still use O3 and have since the early 80's.

 

[ricwilli]

Sorry, I meant Ozone Sensor. It detects Ozone in the air. I would think that anyone running Ozone, would have one of these. Thanks for the response and links.

Anyone else running Ozone?

 

[Paul_N]

Sorry, I meant Ozone Sensor. It detects Ozone in the air. I would think that anyone running Ozone, would have one of these. Thanks for the response and links.

Anyone else running Ozone?

I will be running Ozone in the near future and in reading up on it have never come across anyone that used a detector. I think if you are using carbon to filter the effluent you have got nothing to worry about. I will definitely use an ozone reactor with the generator for efficiency. I had it narrowed down to an Enaly or Ozotech. I was looking at this unit from Enaly since it comes with an air dryer and an orp controller built in. You would just have to buy an orp probe for it. I would add an ozone reactor and then a small DIY chamber for carbon.

 

[Paul_N]

I was reading over some posts by Anthony Calfo on various other sites about Ozone and when he mentioned the carbon he said to change out monthly just like you would do with the carbon in a reactor.

 

[wicked demon]

I met Bob Fenner a couple years ago and we had an in depth disgussion on this subject;

Best way to add ozone is thruogh a skimmer to diffuse the O3, and it actually helps break down disolved organics by breaking free radical O1 from oxygen (O3 is very unstable) molecule usually using a corona discharge and forming ionic bond at rapid rate for rapid release of energy, off gassing harmlessly from the tank. Addition of O3 will accelerate disolution rate of substrate thus-substansially reducing its buffering capability with long term use of O3.

When begining O3 suplementation start VERY slowly, this will clear you water up SO much, your corals will all get sun burns. (no joke--they will fry!)and you have to use carbon that gets changed every month.

 

[ricwilli]

I was reading over some posts by Anthony Calfo on various other sites about Ozone and when he mentioned the carbon he said to change out monthly just like you would do with the carbon in a reactor.

I'm currently in the proccess of reading that thread. There was a post (not by Anthony) that stated to change the carbon every week. That is insane.

I met Bob Fenner a couple years ago and we had an in depth disgussion on this subject;

Best way to add ozone is thruogh a skimmer to diffuse the O3, and it actually helps break down disolved organics by breaking free radical O1 from oxygen molecule and forming ionic bond at rapid rate for rapid release of energy, off gassing harmlessly from the tank. Addition of O3 will accelerate disolution rate of substrate thus-substansially reducing its buffering capability with long term use of O3.

When begining O3 suplementation start VERY slowly, this will clear you water up SO much, your corals will all get sun burns. (no joke--they will fry!)

I really do not want to run it in my skimmer even though it is Ozone safe. I would have to have a couple of bags of carbon on the lid and one on the outflow of the skimmer. If I do run Ozone, I will build a reactor like the on on the thread posted below. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting the link.

Ozone Reactor, DIY - Reef Central Online Community

The clarity of the water will be a BIG benefit for me since my light fixture is running 14 39w T5's on a 30" height tank.