OZONIZERS
- Thread starter DeLgAdO
- Start date
Ozone generators produce o3 (three oxygen atoms) but it is unstable and rapidly converts back to o2 (oxygen) That extra third atom that brakes loose is very distructive to what it comes in contact with. In aquarium water treatment the ozone is injected into a chamber or a reactor containing the aquarium water. THe exposure of the ozone to the aquarium water kills everything it comes in contact with including viruses. It also oxydizes organics in the aquarium water (kind of like how bleach does). It brakes down waste products to lessen the load on your biological filter. As unstable as it is, it will fairly quickly degass it self out of your water and exhaust it self due to the organics it comes in contact with. It's a decent idea to run the water comming out of your reactor thru activated carbon to remove residule ozone.
It is typically un safe to run an ozone generator with out a devise that monitors the amount of ozone being put into your aquarium water. With a large enough generator, you can easily overdose your water and literally kill everything in your aquarium. THe way I do this is I use a controller that monitors the waters ORP level. ORP stands for oxygen reduction potential,(this is a whole 'nother subject). Ozone will increase you waters ORP, I set my controller to the desired ORP value on the aquarium and the monitor turns the ozone gerator on when the ORP drops below the desired value and off when it get to or slightly above the desired value. THe desired value is a contraversial subject some times, I maintain the ORP value at 425 Mlqv which is considerd too high by most people. My beliefe is that value is in the sump, not the actual aquarium. By the time the water is disolved into the aquarium, the ORP is considerably lower. I also use a residual ozone test kit from Salifert to make double sure ozone is not getting into the aquarium.
Another important issue to adress is the ozone gass being vented out of your reactor. The gas is pretty caustic and can harm most everything it comes in contact with, including you. YOu must vent it out of your room or use activated carbon to filter it out of the vent from your reactor.
I know it sounds like alot of fuss and even perhaps a little dangerous but man does it produce some awesome water quality and almost eliminates all parasites, bacterias & viruses. It isn't cheap to do though, a good controller is a couple hundred bucks and a small ozone generator is about the same. I have friends that have bought used ozone generators from non working hot tubs for pretty cheap and bought a decent controller to run them. They are worth it but do it right or you'll be sorry!!!!!
Joel
It is typically un safe to run an ozone generator with out a devise that monitors the amount of ozone being put into your aquarium water. With a large enough generator, you can easily overdose your water and literally kill everything in your aquarium. THe way I do this is I use a controller that monitors the waters ORP level. ORP stands for oxygen reduction potential,(this is a whole 'nother subject). Ozone will increase you waters ORP, I set my controller to the desired ORP value on the aquarium and the monitor turns the ozone gerator on when the ORP drops below the desired value and off when it get to or slightly above the desired value. THe desired value is a contraversial subject some times, I maintain the ORP value at 425 Mlqv which is considerd too high by most people. My beliefe is that value is in the sump, not the actual aquarium. By the time the water is disolved into the aquarium, the ORP is considerably lower. I also use a residual ozone test kit from Salifert to make double sure ozone is not getting into the aquarium.
Another important issue to adress is the ozone gass being vented out of your reactor. The gas is pretty caustic and can harm most everything it comes in contact with, including you. YOu must vent it out of your room or use activated carbon to filter it out of the vent from your reactor.
I know it sounds like alot of fuss and even perhaps a little dangerous but man does it produce some awesome water quality and almost eliminates all parasites, bacterias & viruses. It isn't cheap to do though, a good controller is a couple hundred bucks and a small ozone generator is about the same. I have friends that have bought used ozone generators from non working hot tubs for pretty cheap and bought a decent controller to run them. They are worth it but do it right or you'll be sorry!!!!!
Joel
so how is the ozone introduced into the tank?
and where are the units usually located on a system?
do bigger tanks need bigger units?
and where are the units usually located on a system?
do bigger tanks need bigger units?
I purchased a Zonetech ZT-301 at the Canadian National Exhibition. It cleans air and sanitizes water. This device is designed to generate pure ozone (O3) by corona discharge. Apparently, the Ozone generated by this machine does not contain the nitrogen oxides of which is commonly known as the "bad" or "harmful" characteristics of ozone.
The importers of this device did a very interesting demonstration. In a glassful of water they added the contents of a broken Bic pen! The ink was swirled around in the glass, until the water was a bright blue. An, airstone attached to an air tube was lowered into the ink glass, and within 5 minutes, the water was totally clear. The demonstrator proceeded to drink it! They also had an aquarium hooked up to the device with Huge goldfish in it!
Now these demonstrations were meant to show how safe this ozone generator was, because it was being sold as an Air purifier! But, I was told this device could be used in an aquarium continuously.
I have not even used it, yet. As, I am still skeptical about its use. As, I have heard about the dangers of Ozone use too often!
If any1 is familiar with the type of generator I have described...please feel free to elaborate....http://www.air-zone.com/
The importers of this device did a very interesting demonstration. In a glassful of water they added the contents of a broken Bic pen! The ink was swirled around in the glass, until the water was a bright blue. An, airstone attached to an air tube was lowered into the ink glass, and within 5 minutes, the water was totally clear. The demonstrator proceeded to drink it! They also had an aquarium hooked up to the device with Huge goldfish in it!
Now these demonstrations were meant to show how safe this ozone generator was, because it was being sold as an Air purifier! But, I was told this device could be used in an aquarium continuously.
I have not even used it, yet. As, I am still skeptical about its use. As, I have heard about the dangers of Ozone use too often!
If any1 is familiar with the type of generator I have described...please feel free to elaborate....http://www.air-zone.com/
You can also inject it into your skimmer on salt tanks can't you? i have been looking into it a little and the benefits outweigh the negatives if properly used. You are also very right about the caustic nature of o3, it can and will harm harm you and your fish if not used properly. Definitely something you want to research before you use it.
I typcially use a protien skimmer as my "reactor" even on fresh water. The ventiru on the skimmer "sucks" the ozone into the skimmer mixing it very thouroughly with the aquarium water. I allways do this in or near my sump and have the water coming out of the skimmer dump into the resivour end of my sump. You do need a large ozone generator for a large aquarium. I use a model from ozotech that produces two ltrs per hour on a 1200 gallon system. It's overkill but does not need to work very hard.
For smaller aquariums (200 or so and down) Red Sea makes a ozone generator & controller unit all in one. Pretty nice but they are expensive. I have a few on service accounts that have performed well for several years with no problems. You do need to clean your ORP probe often and replace it yearly to keep the monitor accurate.
Joel
For smaller aquariums (200 or so and down) Red Sea makes a ozone generator & controller unit all in one. Pretty nice but they are expensive. I have a few on service accounts that have performed well for several years with no problems. You do need to clean your ORP probe often and replace it yearly to keep the monitor accurate.
Joel
wow a protein skimmer on a fresh water tank as a reactor?
sounds interesting!!!
what ozone unit would you suggest for a 300 gal?
sounds interesting!!!
what ozone unit would you suggest for a 300 gal?