Attention to Ozone users

[tayhonglee]

im not sure if reducing the redox is such a good idea, since my tank right now is quite stable. im more of the opinion that my tank is cleaner, hence less skimmate. the reason is because i have been testing the water quite frequently since using the ozone.

the other reason could of course be that the ozone is breaking the 'bad stuff' into unskimmable 'bad stuff', in which case, my tank will be worse off. i can't even imagine what the unskimmable bad stuff are called, much less test for their presence.

[loowk]

i had been running the ozone generator for the past 2 mths (24 hrs a day 7 days a week) .... without an ORP controller Didn't had any skimmate problem... my beckett still extract a bucket full of kopi O every week... Ozene should had ionised the skimmate to a lighter colour but not for my case....

[scarab]

the other reason could of course be that the ozone is breaking the 'bad stuff' into unskimmable 'bad stuff', in which case, my tank will be worse off.

This is what I'm worried about.

The dissolved organics must go somewhere. After they are oxidise (due to ozone) do they disappear???

[Lester]

This is what I'm worried about.

The dissolved organics must go somewhere. After they are oxidise (due to ozone) do they disappear???

hi bro ..

dun know if this would help.. i rem reading some where but just can't rem where... that when the Ozone reacted wif the dissolved organics .. some are turn to gases and some turn into less harmful products.. and as for where the the less harmfuls goes too.. it either goes to ur skimmer and thoses thaat can't be skim.. it will in ur water... til u do water changes to dilute it.. as for wat are they.. i also dun no...

do correct me if i am wrong...

[huanjie]

Hi Scarab,

do you use carbon at the output of the skimmer ? Is it nec ?

According to Julian Sprung's book pg 131 ( don't know has it been proven wrong yet)

"Ozone was originally suggested to increase skimmer efficiency, but when larger amount is used, many of the organics usually extracted become oxidized into other forms that are more resistant to removal. Common symptoms of excessive ozone use are a dramatic drop in skimmer output, much lighter coloured effluent."

[scarab]

Hi Scarab,

do you use carbon at the output of the skimmer ? Is it nec ?

According to Julian Sprung's book pg 131 ( don't know has it been proven wrong yet)

"Ozone was originally suggested to increase skimmer efficiency, but when larger amount is used, many of the organics usually extracted become oxidized into other forms that are more resistant to removal. Common symptoms of excessive ozone use are a dramatic drop in skimmer output, much lighter coloured effluent."

Hey huanjie,

Thanks for the extract. That is exactly what I'm getting coz in order to boost my redox to 420mV (don't know for what also..... ) I actually tune my ozoniser up to 150mg/hr. Think I was really overdosing the ozone.

I have since cut my ozone to 75 mg/hr and limit my ORP controller to 380mV. And guess what, my skimmer is back in action.....

Also read in RC the rule of thumb for ozone dosage is 0.3 to 0.5 mg/hr/gal. So for my 100 gal tank, I should only dose 50mg/hr. Since I not using air dryer I up it to 75 mg/hr to compensate for the drop in ozoniser performance.

So guys/gals with 200mg/hr non-controllable units, be careful with the dosage. Think the only way to control a non-controllable unt is to run on a timer and limit the usage per day.

And yes, I place carbon at the outlet of my skimmer as a precaution.

[loster]

Hey huanjie,

Thanks for the extract. That is exactly what I'm getting coz in order to boost my redox to 420mV (don't know for what also..... ) I actually tune my ozoniser up to 150mg/hr. Think I was really overdosing the ozone.

I have since cut my ozone to 75 mg/hr and limit my ORP controller to 380mV. And guess what, my skimmer is back in action.....

Also read in RC the rule of thumb for ozone dosage is 0.3 to 0.5 mg/hr/gal. So for my 100 gal tank, I should only dose 50mg/hr. Since I not using air dryer I up it to 75 mg/hr to compensate for the drop in ozoniser performance.

So guys/gals with 200mg/hr non-controllable units, be careful with the dosage. Think the only way to control a non-controllable unt is to run on a timer and limit the usage per day.

And yes, I place carbon at the outlet of my skimmer as a precaution.

thx bro. it is a good info

[tayhonglee]

uh oh.....that means my tank is severely overdosed with ozone. thats really good information huanjie. first time i have seen it. very informative and apt. i don't mean to sound greedy, but are there any other information regarding ozone in that book?

mine is a 16 gallon tank. according to scarabs calculation, my ozone output should be 8mg/hr. doh! the enaly is rated at 200mg/hr.

scarab, how accurate is that calculation?

henry

[monsterz1975]

I been running ozone on my 6ft tank since day 1 . My skimate from my aquamedic 5000baby is also very litter and dry and the only time my skimmer go crazy is when i have a death fish in my tank. If we dose it direct into out skimmer the reaction only take place in the skimmer so by the time the water leave the skimmer it should be free of ozone . So far i been using it for more than 4 months if i not wrong and it doing well for my tank . And i just upgraded from a 50mg to 200mg cos i find 50mg under dose for my tank . I also add a coralife 6x to my tank and i find that help alot during my very bad ICH out break.

[scarab]

tayhonglee,

Like I say, it's a rule of thumb. So don't rely 100% on it but use it as a gauge.

monsterz is right on the reaction taking place only in the skimmer. Hence I don't even know if the thoery holds true for bigger tank you must dose more. Since reaction takes place in your skimmer, the parameter in check here should be the size of your skimmer and the skimmer pump output. The bigger the pump may allow you to dose more ozone as more water comes in contact with the ozone.

That's purely my personal opinion. The best check is to monitor your skimmer. If it is not skimming as it used to you would need to adjust your ozone dosage. If your tank organics is oxidized to particles that are not skimmable, hence reduction in skimmer production, ozone might do more harm than good to your reef.

However, I'm not too sure about the ich theory though. Used to run UV for the longest time but it never really got rid of my ich. Have stopped using since 6 months ago coz the bulb blew.

[scarab]

You guys might want to check out the following thread in RC

Ozone

A bit too thoeretical for my taste but some of the practical tips are pretty useful

Have fun

[Gouldian]

Thanks Scarab for the info.

With the current situation of lesser seniors wanting to contribute, really appreciate your kind and honest contributions.

[kueytoc]

After reading all the above postings & threads, I am wondering why go through all these hassles...I still believe a regular water change, good water flow & filtration will do the job & perhaps more cost-effective too !

Just my thoughts lah !

[monsterz1975]

Thanks for the info , still got lots of things to learn.

[loster]

uh oh.....that means my tank is severely overdosed with ozone. thats really good information huanjie. first time i have seen it. very informative and apt. i don't mean to sound greedy, but are there any other information regarding ozone in that book?

mine is a 16 gallon tank. according to scarabs calculation, my ozone output should be 8mg/hr. doh! the enaly is rated at 200mg/hr.

scarab, how accurate is that calculation?

henry

hi henry,

i also using enaly. i link the ozone output directly into my skimmer air in-take. i notice that after a while my skimmate was much lesser. after reading some thread from RC, so i decided to use the external (controllable) airpump to control the output of the ozone from enaly (just my personal work. no theory support)

now i have much more skimmate than before. and bro scarab has confirmed my obersavation in his thread. now, one day collection of skimmate from my collection cup was used to be 3 days of my collection.

this is just my personal obersavation

[tayhonglee]

thanks lobster, i think what you said made sense. i will reduce the air flow into my enaly, and see if it makes a difference.

i suppose its safe to summarize what we discussed like this.

maybe injecting lesser ozone, but for a longer period of time, to reach my target redox value will not affect skimmer performance. but large amounts of ozone for a short period of time to reach the target redox value might 'snuff' the skimmer. if that doesn't work, then maybe a high redox value is not condusive to skimming.

kueytoc, you are quite right, what i spent on the controller and ozone can translate to lots of salt. but im a little lazy to perform enough water changes to maintain a high redox constantly

[RAV-65]

I agree with some of the stuffs written in RC and here by Scarab... I also experienced the whitish skimmate, den I heed Scarab's advice and reduce my ozone , den the skimmer start skimming like crazy again!

In the intermedial stages, I've experienced that cyano was threatening to breakout in my tank again, I could see some reddish stuffs on my sand.... maybe the ozone has change the composition of the organics and my skimmer had problems skimming it out...

Juz my $0.02...

[loster]

In the intermedial stages, I've experienced that cyano was threatening to breakout in my tank again, I could see some reddish stuffs on my sand.... maybe the ozone has change the composition of the organics and my skimmer had problems skimming it out...

hi vin, good observation

i also notice cyano spread on the back wall of my tank (which is hardy happen to my tank at all). just wonder

[scarab]

maybe injecting lesser ozone, but for a longer period of time, to reach my target redox value will not affect skimmer performance.  but large amounts of ozone for a short period of time to reach the target redox value might 'snuff' the skimmer.  if that doesn't work, then maybe a high redox value is not condusive to skimming.

Bro you hit the nail on the head. I think that is the way ozone should be used.

Excessively high redox value doesn't mean it's good. Water with redox level of 375-400 mV is deemed to be excellent in reefkeeping terms, so excessively high redox level is .......well unnecessary..... I guess. The manner you achieve that level is also important. Remember, use in moderation....

However, you shouldn't reduce water change just because you are using ozone. Water change has different merits like replenishing trace elements, removing unwanted toxins that escaped your ozone/carbon/phosphate remover, etc etc.

I still advocate water changes to complement your ozone usage.

[scarab]

Thanks Scarab for the info.

With the current situation of lesser seniors wanting to contribute, really appreciate your kind and honest contributions.

I no senior in reefing lah ....... other than my age, that is.

Well, I'm willing to share experiences and listen to advices unless sarcarstic remarks and unnecessary posting start to surface.

Let's reef on.......

[zorden]

now i have much more skimmate than before. and bro scarab has confirmed my obersavation in his thread. now, one day collection of skimmate from my collection cup was used to be 3 days of my collection.

So do u mean Ozone reduce Nitrates since we get more skimmate?