Ozone with already high ORP?

[aaron186]

Highly doubt it.

So wouldn’t the bleach solution then have different ORP too?

 

[Miami Reef]

So wouldn’t the bleach solution then have different ORP too?

I don’t want to misspeak, but I think RO/DI has a very weak, for lack of a better term, buffering capacity.

I will let Randy give the facts.

 

[aaron186]

I don’t want to misspeak, but I think RO/DI has a very weak, for lack of a better term, buffering capacity.

I will let Randy give the facts.

Got it. So we can kinda ballpark it possibly?

I was also thinking of maybe buying a stand alone orp probe off amazon to spot check it. Not sure how accurate they are. I realized I tested 2 probes but both of them are plugged into the same Apex port. Perhaps that’s where the error is occurring

 

[Miami Reef]

Got it. So we can kinda ballpark it possibly?

I was also thinking of maybe buying a stand alone orp probe off amazon to spot check it. Not sure how accurate they are. I realized I tested 2 probes but both of them are plugged into the same Apex port. Perhaps that’s where the error is occurring

Here’s what I would try.

I would compare your ORP reading in the same bleach solution as mine to compare if your probe is reacting to oxidizers as it should.

The actual starting ORP isn’t important, but it’s very important that your probe can detect increases. If not, you’ll never know if there’s too much ozone.

I would make a 10:1 RO/DI water:bleach solution and test before and after adding the probe to it; I want to see the net increase.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Would freshly made RODI have the same ORP across the board?

No. :)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I cannot be sure how reproducible bleach actually is, but as Miami noted, it’s a matter of buffering.

An ORP standard will have both oxidizers and reducers in equilibrium holding the ORP steady.

A mix of Fe++ and Fe+++ at a certain ratio will give a certain ORP, and hold it there against things trying to change the ORP (say, O2 or dust with antioxidants in it).

Pure water has no such buffering of ORP and will not even properly interact with an ORP electrode. Even if it did, traces of impurities might swing the ORP around wildly, just exactly like trying to measure the pH of pure water.

The bleach has the advantage of having a lot of oxidizer, so won’t jump around as much in ORP. Again, it’s a bit like the pH of 1 N HCl not moving around much due to trace impurities even though it’s not strongly buffered. But I’m still not certain if it’s a good way to go.

 

[Miami Reef]

I think we should disregard the bleach test.

The starting ORP doesn’t matter; let the ORP rise about 30mV above the initial reading with Ozone.

Do you think that’s a good plan, Randy?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think we should disregard the bleach test.

The starting ORP doesn’t matter; let the ORP rise about 30mV above the initial reading with Ozone.

Do you think that’s a good plan, Randy?

Yes. Good point. Since I do not believe that an established reef tank without any oxidizers added can be within 30 mV of a danger zone, them starting at whatever it says and just allowing a small rise should be fine.

I’d make sure the probe is clean and has had a few days in the water to stabilize since you don’t want to changing downward over time, effectively increasing that 30 mV. :)

 

[X-37B]

I use an Milwaukee orp probe and meter for ozone in my 9430 skimmer.
This has worked well for me for 1 years now. Prior I had it in an Mutiny reactor.
Ozone comes on at 380ish and off at 420ish.
I use this solution to check my probe. I now rinse the probe once a week to keep debris off of it.
The probe is next to my return pump.
I use the 400 setting as a good point to reference. As long as the numbers go up when on and then down when the ozone is off I know it's working correctly.
So far the probe has been accurate enough for me.

 

[aaron186]

Yes. Good point. Since I do not believe that an established reef tank without any oxidizers added can be within 30 mV of a danger zone, them starting at whatever it says and just allowing a small rise should be fine.

I’d make sure the probe is clean and has had a few days in the water to stabilize since you don’t want to changing downward over time, effectively increasing that 30 mV. :)

Randy,
My skimmer cup filled up and shut off yesterday while I was out of town. My ORP this morning was down to 380 from 500 over the 24 hours my skimmer was off. It’s now rising since emptying and restarting. My ORP probe is in the same section of sump as skimmer. Do you think this could be the cause of the high ORP?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy,
My skimmer cup filled up and shut off yesterday while I was out of town. My ORP this morning was down to 380 from 500 over the 24 hours my skimmer was off. It’s now rising since emptying and restarting. My ORP probe is in the same section of sump as skimmer. Do you think this could be the cause of the high ORP?

I do not think ORP over 500 mV is likely accurate in a reef tank not dosing ozone or permanganate, even right next to a skimmer. It certainly may be higher next to the skimmer, however. :)

 

[mmorrison55]

Reviving this conversation…

I run ozone, but it has been turned off the past few days as my ORP readings have been creeping up to over 430 at times. It would come down to to just under 400, but then rise up again over time, even with the ozone generator being turned off.

This morning it was ready 450, so I was searching for how to reduce ORP in a reef tank. This was what was returned:

To lower the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in a reef tank, introduce reducing agents like certain metals (iron, manganese), antioxidant vitamins (like Vitamin C), or specific inorganic molecules (iodide, sulfide, nitrite, and ammonia). Other methods include performing water changes, using a protein skimmer to remove organics, and harvesting macroalgae from a refugium, as these actions all contribute to a more reduced environment

It’s has been about a month or more since my last water change, so I figured I would start with emptying my sump, cleaning out all the settled detritus, rinsing with some RO water, vacuuming out the sump again,and then filling with fresh saltwater ~ 30 gallons.

After the 30 gallon/ 20% water change, my orp is now reading 258.

Does this seem right? Would you expect it to drop this much after a 20% water change or is more likely that the act of draining, rinsing and refilling the sump cleaned off the orp probe and that “fixed” my orp reading?

 

[X-37B]

Reviving this conversation…

I run ozone, but it has been turned off the past few days as my ORP readings have been creeping up to over 430 at times. It would come down to to just under 400, but then rise up again over time, even with the ozone generator being turned off.

This morning it was ready 450, so I was searching for how to reduce ORP in a reef tank. This was what was returned:

To lower the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in a reef tank, introduce reducing agents like certain metals (iron, manganese), antioxidant vitamins (like Vitamin C), or specific inorganic molecules (iodide, sulfide, nitrite, and ammonia). Other methods include performing water changes, using a protein skimmer to remove organics, and harvesting macroalgae from a refugium, as these actions all contribute to a more reduced environment

It’s has been about a month or more since my last water change, so I figured I would start with emptying my sump, cleaning out all the settled detritus, rinsing with some RO water, vacuuming out the sump again,and then filling with fresh saltwater ~ 30 gallons.

After the 30 gallon/ 20% water change, my orp is now reading 258.

Does this seem right? Would you expect it to drop this much after a 20% water change or is more likely that the act of draining, rinsing and refilling the sump cleaned off the orp probe and that “fixed” my orp reading?

Get some orp 400 cal fluid to test the readout. Clean the probe once a month.
I know my probe read 20 points lower in my system when checked against the 400. So 400 is really 380.

 

[mmorrison55]

Get some orp 400 cal fluid to test the readout. Clean the probe once a month.
I know my probe read 20 points lower in my system when checked against the 400. So 400 is really 380.

How do you have your ozone setup with this? Which ozone are you running? I have the Poseidon ozotech,but it has three pieces that have to be on for the ozone generation, the generator itself, an air pump, and then the pump that runs in the reactor.

I think you mentioned you hook your ozone up to your skimmer now? But do you still have to have the air pump attached to your generator? Is that just always pushing air through your generator whether it’s powered on or not? I would assume the Milwaukee controller is controlling the turning on and off the ozone generator only, so I guess im curious how are you controlling the air pump part of it?

 

[mmorrison55]

Unless you are just using the Milwaukee as your orp level readout.

Since I have the apex. I see that it requires a different solution for calibration, but I assume I can use the pinpoint 400mv solution to get an idea how accurate my probe is and manually adjust my apex readout by the difference…