nanoguy1210
Non-member
What is the purpose of an ozone reactor? Also how exactly do they work?
What is the purpose of an ozone reactor?
- Thread starter nanoguy1210
- Start date
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
Dong...Your answer is off base........It is a way of raising the redox potential. Higher orp= cleaner water=better light transfer. Very dangerous & only should be used by reefers with experience. (you can sterilize your system if you dose too much!!!) I suggest you do alot of reading before using it. I've seen neg effects from using ozone more than the positives but that is because of pilot error. When used properly it is awesome!!!
A. Calfo was a proponent of O3 last time I checked. His forum on Marinedepot.com might have some good info.
Not being a chemist,
The O3 is unstable, looking to drop an electron. When it bumps into any thing that want's to pick up an electron they make the trade and bad stuff goes away/gets neutralized or something. This process sterilizes/cleans the water, leading to higher ORP (amount of stuff with a + or - charge in the water, or the potential of the water to have oxidatin and reduction reactions), and increased water clarity. Too much O3 is like poison to the tank though.
*maybe someone with a background in chemistry beyond the 8th grade can correct my expanation, but I think it gets the gist of it.
Not being a chemist,
The O3 is unstable, looking to drop an electron. When it bumps into any thing that want's to pick up an electron they make the trade and bad stuff goes away/gets neutralized or something. This process sterilizes/cleans the water, leading to higher ORP (amount of stuff with a + or - charge in the water, or the potential of the water to have oxidatin and reduction reactions), and increased water clarity. Too much O3 is like poison to the tank though.
*maybe someone with a background in chemistry beyond the 8th grade can correct my expanation, but I think it gets the gist of it.
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
A reactor is to add surface time (contact time between the ozone & water)
The above I mentioned is about an ozone generator!! Sorry.....People use ozone reactors in conjunction with a ozone generator. But there are other primitive ways out there..Theres a DIY on building an ozone reactor unit.
Heres a pic of one I built:
Attachments
SaltCreep
Non-member
I recemtly picked up an ozone generator on Flea Bay for $20.
I'm still playin around with it letting my skimmer suck in the ozone, but I have some initial observations:
1. Water is now crystal clear.
2. Skimmate seems goopier and less watery.
3. Sikimmate collection cup now smells "ocean fresh" instead of Boston Harbour at low tide.
4. I think I killed all the pods in my sump by not having enough carbon to remove residual ozone.
I'm still playin around with it letting my skimmer suck in the ozone, but I have some initial observations:
1. Water is now crystal clear.
2. Skimmate seems goopier and less watery.
3. Sikimmate collection cup now smells "ocean fresh" instead of Boston Harbour at low tide.
4. I think I killed all the pods in my sump by not having enough carbon to remove residual ozone.
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
better shut off the zone before you nuke the tank completely. You need to monitor orp when dosing ozone!!
ozone is another method for water clarifying and such, similar to UV. if you bought the coralife generator I hear they are junk. most people run off thier skimmers but if you in high doses it can weaken the skimmer so caution as Brian has said in very good advise, I used it and exhausted the air outside just to be on the safe side and it did work to clean up some nuisance algae I had AND sparkled the water.
More on the chemistry:
Ozone (O3) is an oxygen molecule (O2) with an extra oxygen atom that it desperately wants to get rid of which is what makes it a strong oxidizer. For example, a piece of iron in an ozone rich environment will rust much faster than that's sitting in normal air. In a tank, that extra O atom will readily jump off and bond with dissolved organic molecules in the water which then become more easy to remove with a skimmer resulting in clearer/cleaner water. It will also readily bond with just about anything else it comes into contact with - plastic, metal, other friendly organisms in your system...or your home, fortunately glass is already an oxide so you're safe there - that's where the importance of controlling and containing it comes from.
Ozone (O3) is an oxygen molecule (O2) with an extra oxygen atom that it desperately wants to get rid of which is what makes it a strong oxidizer. For example, a piece of iron in an ozone rich environment will rust much faster than that's sitting in normal air. In a tank, that extra O atom will readily jump off and bond with dissolved organic molecules in the water which then become more easy to remove with a skimmer resulting in clearer/cleaner water. It will also readily bond with just about anything else it comes into contact with - plastic, metal, other friendly organisms in your system...or your home, fortunately glass is already an oxide so you're safe there - that's where the importance of controlling and containing it comes from.
SaltCreep
Non-member
Oh yea.... don't worry I turned it off. I'm just testing it out.
The reason I killed the pods in the sump is that I didnt have activated carbon placed properly to absorb residual ozone.
I had it placed to protect the tank....but not the sump.
Now I'll build a carbon chamber and test it out some more....
Anyone wanna sell me an ORP meter?
Aquaman_68
too many gadgets to fail
Oh yea.... don't worry I turned it off. I'm just testing it out.
The reason I killed the pods in the sump is that I didnt have activated carbon placed properly to absorb residual ozone.
I had it placed to protect the tank....but not the sump.
Now I'll build a carbon chamber and test it out some more....
Anyone wanna sell me an ORP meter?
You can build a basket to sit under the reactor return out of PVC. (3" PVC about 5 inches high with eggcrate at the bottom.) Drop a mesh bag with GAC into it place it under the reactor return & your done. HTH
dz6t
Acro Garden, BRS Sponsor
Which part is off base?
Did I say it make water clear, right? It seems everyone agree with that.
Did I say it increase ORP? you said so too.
Did I say someone use it to kill off a tank? go do a search on this forums.
If you don't have a ORP meter, don't use it. If you do have one, don't use it either.
Why not just dose Chemi-Clean.
Last edited:
If you don't have a ORP meter, don't use it. If you do have one, don't use it either.
so your not in favor of ORP, ok - many people are. probably alot more than those in favor of using chemi-clean thats for sure.
to each thier own.
"Which part is off base?
Did I say it make water clear, right? It seems everyone agree with that.
Did I say it increase ORP? you said so too.
Did I say someone use it to kill off a tank? go do a search on this forums.
If you don't have a ORP meter, don't use it. If you do have one, don't use it either.
Why not just dose Chemi-Clean."
Can you elaborate on what your saying?
I'm a skeptic of a lot of things also, but but it helps a lot to hear the reasons behing an opinion?
Did I say it make water clear, right? It seems everyone agree with that.
Did I say it increase ORP? you said so too.
Did I say someone use it to kill off a tank? go do a search on this forums.
If you don't have a ORP meter, don't use it. If you do have one, don't use it either.
Why not just dose Chemi-Clean."
Can you elaborate on what your saying?
I'm a skeptic of a lot of things also, but but it helps a lot to hear the reasons behing an opinion?
Interesting phraseology used in this thread:
To preface this, I am using ozone, but have not been running it that long, so my experience is limited. Prior to setting it up, I did wade through a lot of articles and discussions.
Some feel that the extra water clarity that ozone can provide is not worth the risks associated with overdosing. The risk, if overdosed, is that of sterilizing your tank and killing everything living in it.
Of course, there is another side to that coin. If used carefully, ozone can provide an unbelievable level of water clarity. This not only make the tank more pleasing to look at but will also allow higher levels of light penetration. Increased light penetration is particularly attractive in a SPS tank.
My feeling on ozone is that more is not better. Many buy high yeild ozone generators because they do not cost much more than lower yeild units. Also, many units, such as Enaly, are not adjustable. In this case, you are relying on your ORP monitor to shut down the generator before you overdose the tank. If the probe or controller fails, the tank will get overdosed.
I prefer to run at a low, constant level. And, I absolutely would not use without an ORP controller as the safety net. But, if the controller were to fail, the low level of ozone will not cause any detremental effects to livestock before I can catch the error.
And increased clarity, in my tank, is noticeable.
JD
To preface this, I am using ozone, but have not been running it that long, so my experience is limited. Prior to setting it up, I did wade through a lot of articles and discussions.
Some feel that the extra water clarity that ozone can provide is not worth the risks associated with overdosing. The risk, if overdosed, is that of sterilizing your tank and killing everything living in it.
Of course, there is another side to that coin. If used carefully, ozone can provide an unbelievable level of water clarity. This not only make the tank more pleasing to look at but will also allow higher levels of light penetration. Increased light penetration is particularly attractive in a SPS tank.
My feeling on ozone is that more is not better. Many buy high yeild ozone generators because they do not cost much more than lower yeild units. Also, many units, such as Enaly, are not adjustable. In this case, you are relying on your ORP monitor to shut down the generator before you overdose the tank. If the probe or controller fails, the tank will get overdosed.
I prefer to run at a low, constant level. And, I absolutely would not use without an ORP controller as the safety net. But, if the controller were to fail, the low level of ozone will not cause any detremental effects to livestock before I can catch the error.
And increased clarity, in my tank, is noticeable.
JD
SaltCreep
Non-member
The clarity of the water is nice...and the "Ocean Rain" smell in the skimmer cup is very pleasant........but I think there is more to it than just that:
"Ozone has many effects when used in a reef aquarium. The most useful of these is the degradation of organic materials. Most importantly, and quite coincidently and fortunately for aquarists, the colored organic pigments in marine aquaria are very sensitive to ozone. For this reason, ozone can remove seawater's color quite readily, and much more effectively than it removes the overall load of organic material. Its effects on water clarity described by most aquarists range from minimal to very dramatic, with most aquarists reporting significant beneficial effects.
Another big effect of ozone is the bioavailability of the organics in the water. Many organics in the aquarium are not readily metabolized by bacteria, and such materials may last for hundreds or thousands of years in the ocean. Ozone, however, has the ability to make many organic materials more readily absorbed and metabolized by bacteria. So in a sense, ozone triggers a bacterial attack that can reduce the load of circulating organic materials. This reduction in organic materials may also usefully apply to circulating toxins released by the aquarium inhabitants in an effort to kill each other with chemicals." - Randy Holmes-Farley
While it isn't a magic bullet and can totally nuke a tank if overdosed, I think if I set it up right and use it carefully, it could contribute to long term tank stability and water quality.
"Ozone has many effects when used in a reef aquarium. The most useful of these is the degradation of organic materials. Most importantly, and quite coincidently and fortunately for aquarists, the colored organic pigments in marine aquaria are very sensitive to ozone. For this reason, ozone can remove seawater's color quite readily, and much more effectively than it removes the overall load of organic material. Its effects on water clarity described by most aquarists range from minimal to very dramatic, with most aquarists reporting significant beneficial effects.
Another big effect of ozone is the bioavailability of the organics in the water. Many organics in the aquarium are not readily metabolized by bacteria, and such materials may last for hundreds or thousands of years in the ocean. Ozone, however, has the ability to make many organic materials more readily absorbed and metabolized by bacteria. So in a sense, ozone triggers a bacterial attack that can reduce the load of circulating organic materials. This reduction in organic materials may also usefully apply to circulating toxins released by the aquarium inhabitants in an effort to kill each other with chemicals." - Randy Holmes-Farley
While it isn't a magic bullet and can totally nuke a tank if overdosed, I think if I set it up right and use it carefully, it could contribute to long term tank stability and water quality.
Last edited:
RichConley
Attack of the Killer Cute
Thats wierd, I had exactly the opposite experience on 2 and 3 when running ozone.
2.Wattery almost white skimmate. Basically looked like it had been bleached.
3. Skimmate smelled kind of like a mix of bleach, and somehting ridiculously foul.
I was only running about 8mg/h controlled at ~350mv
Just a note: Ozone has a half life in salt water of something like 8 seconds. Residual ozone in your sump is not a worry. What you're worried about is the ozone reacting with things (like boron, heavy metals, bromine, etc) and creating nasty little chemicals. Thats what the carbon is for...not to take out the ozone.
Similar threads
- Locked
- Sticky
