Ozone Reactor Questions

[JohnS_323]

Well, I got an ozone generator and an ORP probe . . . now what???

Based on my VERY limited knowledge of the process, I came up with the plan below for an ozone reactor. First off, does this seem to be a viable option? Second, there are a bunch of questions (in red) on the drawing that I could use some help with. Third, what is the ORP probe measuring, how does ozone impact that measurement, and what is the correct range?

Any recommendations and answers to the questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[scarletknight06]

John,
Steve is the man to ask about this ozone stuff. He has a nice ozone reactor.
But I can answer a couple questions. Some of the enaly units have a built in airpump, other dont, just depends on which one you buy. Most online fish supply places sell ozone safe tubing. It supposedly lasts longer that regular tubing. Many people use regular tubing, they just have to replace the tubing/parts more often b/c the ozone makes it very brittle and it breaks.

 

[JohnS_323]

Thanks, Jonathan!

 

[JohnS_323]

As I'm thinking about it, I have a couple of other questions:

1) Should the chamber be filled with bio balls (or something similar)?

2) Could I use a threaded cap on the top to allow for access into the chamber? I'd like to be able to get into it, but I'm not sure if you can use a threaded cap in a setup like this? I doubt it would be under very high pressure, but I would hate for it to leak because I'd really like to be able run this out of the sump.

Thanks again.

 

[concept3]

John, I've seen them being used injected into a Skimmer as well.

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

 

[Phyl]

Specifically with the ETSS skimmer we have?

 

[spuzio]

I currently inject it into my skimmer, and i would highly recommend it as it gives it the longest dwell time possible and also any excess is vented off. By the time it leaves the skimmer though, it has reacted with the organics in the skimmer and only excess O2 is released. I would only use a reactor if i was not running a skimmer.

 

[steve68]

John im sure u have done ur homework by now so i'll just tell u how my ozone reactor works.
my reactor has a 1/4 inch barb right on top thats where the ozone gets injected,the pump also comes in from the top & it has a nozzel that sprays water in a circular patern (u can use a drip plate).
the plastic media thats in the reactor helps to mix the Ozone with the water as long as u have about 10 to 12 inch of drip inside the chamber, the good thing about using an air pump is that when u inject air in to the reactor it helps keep the water down at the bottom of the reactor so u get good contac time in the chamber.
the reactor does not use a recirculating pump, i have a quiet one 4000 & when it exits it goes in to a DIY carbon chamber & exits, it's a simple design & works great, the reasond i dint injected in to my skimmer is cuz i love the way my skimmer works now & dint want to mess with it but u can allways go that rt

 

[sharks]

Here are a few links in case you have not already seen them…

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ozonefaq2.htm

http://www.netpets.com/fish/reference/thielbook/thielbook8c.html#8.5

http://reefkeeping.com/search/search.php

I also inject it into my skimmer. First contact your skimmer manufacture and see if it is O3 compatible. Most that are compatible will still need to replace the O-rings once in a while. O3 breaks down organics including plastics. That being said, be sure to check your plugs that are located in the sump from time to time. (Pumps, heathers, etc…) The O3 will also break them down. Be sure to run carbon on both the air exhaust and the water output. (And keep it fresh) This will lessen the chances of the plastics getting brittle and breaking down on you.
I would highly recommend having an air dryer inline before the O3 unit. There was an article somewhere that said without the dryer the output can be cut down as much as 60 percent. I use the Red Sea ozonizer with their rechargeable air dryer desiccant beads.
Any airline that will have O3 running through it should be Norprene tubing not the standard plastic stuff. It standard stuff will just break down or leak out the O3 weakening the amount actually getting into the water.
When you start using it go slow. You don’t want a drastic swing in ORP. Also we don’t want a drastic change in water clarity. You corals will be getting a lot more light and could be stressed if the process is to fast.
There is tons of info out there on ozone. Many people don’t recommend running it for cost reasons, risk factors, and who knows why? But so long as you take the proper precautions and have done your homework there really is not that much to worry about in my opinion. O3 has been used almost since the start of the marine aquarium hobby and many of the large professional aquariums I have visited all run it in some form.
These are just my opinions from what I have experienced in using ozone and what I have read.
HIH
~M

 

[JohnS_323]

Thanks all. Very informative, yet confusing, stuff. All I'm sure of now is that I'm not sure what to do next!

Since the skimmer isn't ours, I'm thinking I want to go the reactor route. If any of you are coming to the June meeting, maybe you could talk me through it a bit more. Maybe talk to me as if you were trying to explain calculus to a 5 year old! I'll check out those links and do some more research between now and then, but honestly, it makes my hair hurt trying to make heads or tails of this!

 

[jer1198]

it looks good to me, fill the chamber with bio balls, you cant run the ozone into the etss skimmer, because the dwell time is so short.

you can use regular airline till you get the ozone resistant tubing, a week or two wont matter if you dont have the ozone resistant tubing yet.

you can use a threaded cap with the setup, just use enough teflon tape to seal the threads, the pressure in the chamber will be minimal.

keep us posted.

Jer

 

[steve68]

if u are going to build one u have to get cast acrylic so it holds up to the O3, you need the reactor to be at least 20 inch tall,
:beer:

 

[tycham]

Unless you just want to build one, the Coralife unit is in the $25 range and can also be used for carbon or phosban filtering

 

[JohnS_323]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7564930#post7564930 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tycham
Unless you just want to build one, the Coralife unit is in the $25 range and can also be used for carbon or phosban filtering

Nope, I don't have a deep buring desire to build one. I didn't know there was one available that was that inexpensive. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

Based on some of the things I've read, they recommend an air dryer and high-quality ozone safe check valve. Any idea where to look for those things?

The more I read the more confused I get. There seems to be a lot of scare tactics in the articles I read. Is running ozone as dangerous and volatile as they claim? The whole "it'll wipe out everything in your system" statements kind of make me re-think whether or not I want to go down this road. On the flipside, I know a lot of you are running it and have BEAUTIFUL systems.

Any insight is appreciated.

 

[tycham]

Several places to get a dryer. EBay is always a choice (Red Sea makes one). The check valve is just a one way valve. I think I paid $5 at PetsMart. As long as you use a contoller or run it on a timer there should not be a problem.

 

[JohnS_323]

Thanks for the info, tycham!

 

[sharks]

Well you can order something as fancy as THIS .

But this is what I have and it’s still working fine after a year.
http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/21933/cid/2345
Sometime AES links don’t work so try a search on www.aquaticeco.com for “ozone check valve”.

Also for an air dryer I agree with tycham the Red Sea unit it is nice, cheap, and I use the same one. But you can build one out of any container and buy rechargeable desiccant for it. There is no O3 going through it so something as easy as a soda bottle with an air line in and out is all that is needed.
Again try this… http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/2249/cid/3999
Or search for Ozone accessories and then under desiccant at EAS.

I too was a little worried but once you use it safely and understand the possible issues you won’t even look back. As far as wiping out a whole tank you would need an industry grade or a large hot tub grade O3 reactor to nuke a tank. Most hobby grade reactors are undersized for just that reason.
I may have missed it but what mg/hr is your Enlay unit and what is the water volume on the system?
HIH
~M

 

[JohnS_323]

Thanks a lot Mark, I appreciate the info.

My Enaly puts out ~300mg/hr. My total water volume is somewhere around 380 gallons.

I looked at the Coralife reactor, but it's only good for 100mg/hr so that's out. I found one from Marine Technical Concepts that looks really cool and really expensive. They don't list a price, but I have to imagine it's pretty steep. This is it:

http://www.marinetechnical.com/page6.html

The drawing there showing a typical hook up is pretty good, too. I'll give them a call and see what range it's in. If it's crazy, I might go with my drawing above. I'll fill it with bio balls and exit the water through a carbon chamber. I have most of the stuff, so it can't hurt to give it a shot (I hope!).

Also, I'll probably pick up the Red Sea dryer from Premium Aquatics.

 

[steve68]

John the reactor goes for 300.00 PRO240D
it's a great investment DIY

 

[camz28]

actually the price of the reactor is 350 i called up and asked them , is a sweet unit not unless you want to make your own