tunze 9010 and ozone

[PaxRoma]

Can the the tunze 9010 resist ozone degradation? If I use ozone in my 9010 will it void the warranty on the skimmer?

 

[rvitko]

The 9010 is ozone safe, now with that said, all plastics do harden and degrade over time when exposed to ozone, it is a question of dose and duration. For the skimmer to work well and last a full life with ozone as well as for your own safety I would recommend adding no more than 1mg/hr per 20 gallons. This is enough to clarify the water, but not to act as a sterilant. If you are trying to use ozone as a sterilant, a purpose built reactor is your best option, high doses of ozone will make the plastic brittle within a few years and basically result in no skimming.

 

[PaxRoma]

I set up my 9010 as an internal skimmer. At the dosage you recommended, do I need to use activated carbon? If so how do I set up the GAC onto the 9010?

 

[rvitko]

At this low dose the ozone should be thoroughly decomposed by the reactions with compounds in the water. If you smell ozone I would lower the dose. There is no way to add carbon to remove any ozone vented through the cup, you could use some after the skimmer but I doubt any significant quantity will remain in the water. I have used 1mg/hr per gallon before to combat algae and this created problems, I had migraines and the air smelt strong of ozone, but at even a quarter that dose I had no problem.

 

[PaxRoma]

This is my setup so far
Air-Pod 3 Air Pump -> air dryer ->Aquazone plus 100-> Tunze 9010

I notice that the air coming into the 9010 is very weak. I do a test where I dip the tube end (the end just before attaching to the 9010 nipple) barely into the water and I do not see any air bubble coming out. It only produces air when its above water surface. Is this too weak of an ozone flow to the 9010?

 

[rvitko]

I would suspect the air dryer may be clogged or have a plug in it from shipping. They usually cap the air hose ends and with how humid it is in Houston, I would expect the airdryer to need recharging every day, when wet the media will generally clog the air intake.

 

[smatter]

I sold my ozone generator. I used it for a few months at 2mg/hr in my 40g tank with an in tank 9010. It did clarify the water well but even at that low dose I could smell it. The fish would also scratch as if their gills were being irritated by the O3. It just made me nervous so I discontinued using it. Occasional carbon does the job for me now.