Inexpensive Introduction of Oxygen?

[aquaventions]

Aeration provided by skimmers, wet dry sumps, etc. increase the amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) in the water. Significantly increasing the amount of DO beyond the usual aeration methods seems to involve an oxygen concentrator or an oxygen generator. The ones I've seen cost about a $1,000 or more.

Does anyone know of oxygen concentrators/generators that cost a few hundred dollars? If not, where might I look for a used one?

I would like to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen beyond that provided by the usual aeration methods, e.g. skimmers or water passing over exposed bio-balls.

The oxygen concentrators and generators I've seen cost around $1,000 or more. Is there anything out there that would cost a few hundred dollars?

 

[fishdance]

Buy a regulator ($45) and rent an oxygen cylinder. No need for medical grade oxygen. A shoulder high full cylinder is about AUD$80 to refill. Use of pure oxygen can be detrimental to fish too in case you arent aware.

 

[Nic]

buy a 20$ air pump and put a air stone in there.... if i remember correctly pure O2 isnt good to add directly to water...

 

[aquaventions]

Buy a regulator ($45) and rent an oxygen cylinder. No need for medical grade oxygen. A shoulder high full cylinder is about AUD$80 to refill. Use of pure oxygen can be detrimental to fish too in case you arent aware.

Thank you for your suggestion. I would prefer using an oxygen tank as the cost of the refills adds up. Diffusing some oxygen into the water is an established process in aquaculture.

 

[aquaventions]

buy a 20$ air pump and put a air stone in there.... if i remember correctly pure O2 isnt good to add directly to water...

I appreciate the idea which will help increase the oxygen level, however, there is very little oxygen transfer as the bubbles rise to the surface. Most of the transfer occurs as the bubbles break the surface and agitate the surface of the water.

 

[fishdance]

Thank you for your suggestion. I would prefer using an oxygen tank as the cost of the refills adds up. Diffusing some oxygen into the water is an established process in aquaculture.

Yes I know. I do work in aquaculture as well as having my own ornamental fish hatchery. If you want to diffuse oxygen (not air) into the water than oxygen cylinders is the norm. However, it sounds like you are simply trying to raise ORP in which case you can try ozone which also has its own risks.

 

[aquaventions]

Yes I know. I do work in aquaculture as well as having my own ornamental fish hatchery. If you want to diffuse oxygen (not air) into the water than oxygen cylinders is the norm. However, it sounds like you are simply trying to raise ORP in which case you can try ozone which also has its own risks.

I'm looking to diffuse oxygen into the recirculating system; ozone is a little too involved for me, but I will consider it in the future. Following your suggestion I did some research. I can purchase a tank and refill it economically. What I'm not sure of is how often I would need to refill it e.g. once a day or once a month. Are there any guidelines I can use to determine this?

You mentioned the use of pure oxygen can be detrimental to fish. Could you please explain since I have not read any literature about that? I realize that too much of a good thing is usually a problem.

When I'm ready to introduce oxygen or air with a higher concentration of oxygen, I plan on having a dissolved oxygen meter. Perhaps you could tell me what concentration of oxygen I should not exceed.

I'm really excited to hear you work in aquaculture and that you have your own fish hatchery. The more I research the more I realize there is a great deal of science and skill involved in keeping fish happy and healthy. Would it be ok with you if I occasionally bounce some ideas off of you?

 

[T1KARMANN]

just out of intrest if you are going to all this trouble what fish are you keeping that need higher levels of DO

i dont know many FW fish that need the amount of DO you need

unless its a SW tank

 

[aquaventions]

just out of intrest if you are going to all this trouble what fish are you keeping that need higher levels of DO

i dont know many FW fish that need the amount of DO you need

unless its a SW tank

I am looking into molding large polycarbonate tanks (400 gallons) as a business. Along with these I would like to recommend filtration systems that produce excellent water quality hence the interest in DO.

 

[Burtess]

Do you want to super saturate oxygen in the water?
I think this would be useless (I don't know about harmful?), since as long as a fishes minumum O2 level is met, any more would be overkill.

The only time this sounds like it would be usefull is with an overstocked tank with a very small surface area for gas exchange. Also then you would have to think about being able to allow for gas off of CO2 that the fish respire, as that would become a pollutant for sure (carbonic acid, pH effects).

Burt