Anyone running ozone?

[csababubbles]

Does anyone run ozone? What are your likes and dislikes of doing it? Which system do you have? Is it worth it in your opinion?

 

[Ed Hahn]

I have been reading about ozone for a bit. I am getting ready to try it. I have a Ozotech 250 unit. I bought a large dryer to prevent moist air from damaging unit. I am running it into my skimmers. My goal is to get less skimmate. I know my water will be clearer than it is now. That will mean more light penetration. Again, I was told to go slowly with flow of ozone. I will run charcoal in the outputs of skimmers. The above was instructed by company that built ozone unit. I am anxious to try it.

 

[Boomer]

Read through these, then come back for questions. And yes many run ozone.

Ozone

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 1: Chemistry and Biochemistry
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/index.php

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 2: Equipment and Safety
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/rhf/index.php

Ozone and the Reef Aquarium, Part 3: Changes in a Reef Aquarium upon Initiating Ozone
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/rhf/index.php

 

[csababubbles]

thanks for the great links boomer!

tell us how it turns out for you ed hahn.

 

[o2manyfish]

I have been using Ozone for 20+ years now. Once you get educated about the properties of ozone you will learn how easy it is to use safely.

Ozone is super unstable. If it bumps into anything it falls apart. So it's dying to break apart. The carbon is merely a media to splash the ozone treated water through to release any residual ozone. Its the impact/contact with ozone that breaks it down. You can use bioballs, crushed coral, rock rubble, carbon, just about anything.

The majority of the ozone will dissipate in the skimmer. All the churning and bubbles just keeps bouncing the ozone do that is does break down.

I run a 500 mg/hr ozonizer into skimmers on my FO and reef system. I don't use a controller. My Fish only has a plastic tumbler of crushed coral with holes in the bottom and some sand in it to kill the residual ozone. Mostly cause the smell was coming to the living room. The reef system the skimmer returns before the sump baffles. So by the time the sump spills over the rock in the baffles the ozone is gone.

In a stable and healthy reef aquarium, it's pretty much impossible to get to the orp to go to high to become dangerous (assuming we are talking about a system over 100g).

Dave B

 

[apollothesun]

i run ozone. i have one of the cheapy pacific import kind. it does the job though, very clear water. they say the pacific coast is adjustable, up to 250 mg but read the forums and there is no potentiameter. the thing i like about this unit is that its electronically done, doesnt need a air dryer as some do. i coincide it with a american pinpoint orp controller. i run the ozone full blast and have the orp controller set to 410mv. when it drops to 390mv the controller turns on and runs until 410mv. i also run the ozone inside a skimmer. the effuent runs to my cheato sump and where my calcium reactor effluent mix. there it runs through a encryptic zone and dsb chamber. it then is fed into a uv and finally into a mini protein skimmer. then the water is mixed with my kalk reactor and water change chamber and finally returned to the display tank.. i dont use carbon either. if you have a good controller, it takes away all the worrying.

 

[apollothesun]

helps the fish too with protazoans.

 

[DonW]

Ozone oxidizes Bromine and turns to bromide. Basicly bleach, you do need to use carbon in smaller systems.

Don

 

[DonW]

i run ozone. i have one of the cheapy pacific import kind. it does the job though, very clear water. they say the pacific coast is adjustable, up to 250 mg but read the forums and there is no potentiameter. the thing i like about this unit is that its electronically done, doesnt need a air dryer as some do. i coincide it with a american pinpoint orp controller. i run the ozone full blast and have the orp controller set to 410mv. when it drops to 390mv the controller turns on and runs until 410mv. i also run the ozone inside a skimmer. the effuent runs to my cheato sump and where my calcium reactor effluent mix. there it runs through a encryptic zone and dsb chamber. it then is fed into a uv and finally into a mini protein skimmer. then the water is mixed with my kalk reactor and water change chamber and finally returned to the display tank.. i dont use carbon either. if you have a good controller, it takes away all the worrying.

The pacific coast unit is adjusted by the amount of pushed or pulled through it. It is a corona discharge unit and does need a air dryer. Using it without the dryer is cutting back its efficiency easily up to 75% depending on humidity.

Don

 

[Boomer]

Ozone oxidizes Bromine and turns to bromide

You have that backwards Don

Ozone oxidizes bromide and turns to bromime. GAC converts the bromine back to bromide by reduction.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Boomer respectfully, Bromine is an element. I think the oxidized state is Bromate

As best I can recall, the element Bromine is typically found as a bromide in solution. The Ozone oxidizes it to Bromate and the GAC reverses it back by reduction. Havent studied chemistry in a long time and could be wrong

 

[DonW]

Ozone oxidizes Bromine and turns to bromide

You have that backwards Don

Ozone oxidizes bromide and turns to bromime. GAC converts the bromine back to bromide by reduction.

Sorry should have waited until after my second pot of morning coffee.
But while I have your attention. I'm pushing ozone through a pyrex difuser column I got from ozone labs it uses what they call a destructor for the excess ozone. It doesnt have carbon in it and lasted a long time. Any Idea what the stuff is?

Don

 

[Boomer]

I was being short here. It is really bromide be converting into hypobromus acid to be technically correct. Look at it this way, how many times have you said, without correcting yourself or others, " there is chorine in the water", same thing it is not Chlorine but hypochlorite acid. And there is no such thing has chlorine bleach it is hypochlorite. When you go to a swimming pool or spa what do ask for Chlorine correct ? Same think, you ask for Bromine.

Bromate forms if the hypobrmous its oxidized one more step. When you are in a pool, and say it smells of chlorine, next time correct yourself, as it is not chlorine but Chloramine that makes it stink and hurt your eyes.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Thanks so if I have this right, Ozone create a bromate out of the bromine in solution as hypobromous acid. And when any unreacted hypobromous acid finally reacts with the GAC, it's reduced back to bromide ions?

 

[apollothesun]

The pacific coast unit is adjusted by the amount of pushed or pulled through it. It is a corona discharge unit and does need a air dryer. Using it without the dryer is cutting back its efficiency easily up to 75% depending on humidity.

Don

hey don, so if its humid in the room your cutting back on the efficiency, can you feed the intake from the outside?

 

[apollothesun]

I was being short here. It is really bromide be converting into hypobromus acid to be technically correct. Look at it this way, how many times have you said, without correcting yourself or others, " there is chorine in the water", same thing it is not Chlorine but hypochlorite acid. And there is no such thing has chlorine bleach it is hypochlorite. When you go to a swimming pool or spa what do ask for Chlorine correct ? Same think, you ask for Bromine.

Bromate forms if the hypobrmous its oxidized one more step. When you are in a pool, and say it smells of chlorine, next time correct yourself, as it is not chlorine but Chloramine that makes it stink and hurt your eyes.

so, we still need to use gac for ozone?

 

[DonW]

hey don, so if its humid in the room your cutting back on the efficiency, can you feed the intake from the outside?

Not in this state. You have to keep in mind we use these for the hobby but generally they are fed pure oxygen in order to get 100% of the rated output.
You dont need anything fancy for a dryer. You can use a addon di cartrige and replace the di resin with drier. You just cook it in the oven after it is used up.


Don

 

[apollothesun]

hey don, so if its humid in the room your cutting back on the efficiency, can you feed the intake from the outside?

read an instructions on a air dryer. thanks

 

[DonW]

so, we still need to use gac for ozone?

In smaller systems its a good idea. I use this gizmo so it makes it real easy to have carbon both the exhaust and output.

http://www.ozonelab.com/products/OLP/fluid/flow-through.htm

 

[Ed Hahn]

Ozone oxidizes Bromine and turns to bromide. Basicly bleach, you do need to use carbon in smaller systems.

Don

So are you telling me I should be fairly safe with my 300 gallons plus of water? How important is it to use charcoal? Can I just run water from skimmers back through system? I have a 2800 gph return pump.