hooking up ozone to skimmer

[FirstContact]

If you want to try a reactor instead, Geo makes an Ozone reactor, as well as MTC Marine Technical Concepts, and Reef Octopus/CoralVue too. You are never supposed to be able to smell the ozone; so, it seems you have a leak somewhere if not from the top of the skimmer. The Kynar check valves guarantee the one way flow of output from the air pump and ozonizer. With a skimmer, I assume you would put tubing and a check valve at the air intake of the ozonizer where the air gets pulled in. Not sure if you are using check valves. You can purchase them from US Plastics for around a $1. I also purchased ozone safe tubing from US Plastics. Totally different from the air tubing you see everyone use by mistake.

Last November I set up an ozone reactor with a CoralVue Luft air pump (it's silent), an air filter, ozone reactor, and post carbon reactor. I am using check valves and have never smelled ozone on start up or otherwise.

Also, +1 or +2 on adding the air filter before the ozonizer. You don't want to ruin the ceramic cell in the ozonizer prematurely, and you can introduce some nasty things into your aquarium with the moisture reaching the ceramic cell. Read the below links for more.

Below are links to Randy's three articles on ozone. I found his second article (listed first) the most useful for set up purposes and modeled my system after that.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-04/rhf/index.php
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-05/rhf/

Good Luck, and Happy Reefing!

 

[FirstContact]

Addendum: You need a check valve before and after the ozonizer.

 

[Brianmil7516]

All good suggestions. Generally if you can smell it, you are running too much. You really don't need a high amount of ozone to see results. Also just for clarification... ozone is NOT a poisonous gas. long term exposure (like 0.1 or 0.3 ppm O3 for 4 h/day, 5 days/wk, for 1 or 3 wk) can affect the immune cells in the lining of the lungs which can make you more susceptible to Asthma, COPD and unable to fight off secondary infections. it does this by disrupting the CO2/O2 process creating some nasty by products.

So this is something you want to fix, but don't give yourself an ulcer over it.

 

[Kosmos]

Hi guys ! I just set up mu red sea ozone generator .connected air pump . Set maximum ozone 100 and nothing happens with my ORP apex controller its 200 that it .24 hours 200 only . i wont fell smell but i cant Looks like my ozon gen not working. i put tub close to my face but i don't feel smell ozone. i know what smell it is but i don't. very disappointed that i don't know its works or i waste the time

 

[bvoss]

I think I'm getting such a strong smell because the bubbleblaster pump pulls in so much air and since I have the sump saver model, the main chamber is only about 7-8 in. high. I dont think the ozone has enough time to dissipate into the water. I've looked up ozone reactors but there are only a few and are very expensive. If that eshoppes skimmer is ozone safe, I might get it...I'd have 20" of reaction time and I could clog the top of the riser tube with carbon...making the ozone pass through it. I'd set the skimmer to break apart early so it doesnt skim. It would be positioned after my octopus which really pulls out the majority of the crud.

It takes very little exposure in the skimmer to cause the ozone to react and dissipate. I have a feeling that the skimmer isn't sucking ozone in as fast as it is produced. I have run ozone in many setups but have never gotten away with the skimmer sucking it in without an air pump pushing it.

Grab an air pump out of a junk drawer and try sticking it on the ozonizer. I bet it helps.

 

[FirstContact]

It takes very little exposure in the skimmer to cause the ozone to react and dissipate. I have a feeling that the skimmer isn't sucking ozone in as fast as it is produced. I have run ozone in many setups but have never gotten away with the skimmer sucking it in without an air pump pushing it.

Grab an air pump out of a junk drawer and try sticking it on the ozonizer. I bet it helps.

That's a really good point! Just T the new line in to the skimmer air intake line and use an air pump and air filter before the ozonizer.