More FAQs about Dryer Use and
Ozonizers
Related Articles: Reduction Oxidation
Potential, RedOx: A Very Valuable Tool For Assessing, Assuring
Maine Aquarium Health, ppt. presentation, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, by Bob
Fenner, Physical
Filtration, Re-Dox,
Related FAQs: Ozone,
Ozonizers 1, Ozone, Ozonizers
2, Ozone 3, Rationale, System/Selection, Measuring, Maintenance/Repair, Reduction Oxidation, & Marine Test
Gear 1, Marine Test Gear
2, Marine
Water Quality, Marine Water Quality 2, Marine Water Quality 3,
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Ozonizer/Air Dryer Questions -- 02/09/10
Hi,
<<Ciao Bella! (with my best Italian
accent)'¦sorry couldn't resist
[grin]>>
Hope you all are having a good day (evening)!
<<Not so bad thus far, thanks>>
Hoping you can help me with this set up.
<<Will try>>
I researched your site for Ozonizer setup but still have a few
questions.
<<Okay>>
My set up is: Luft pump then 3' of standard air tubing
<<Mmm, you need to use 'ozone resistant' tubing. Aside
from it rapidly deteriorating and cracking/leaking, the standard vinyl
airline tubing reacts greatly with the ozone and depletes/reduces the
output. There are several 'ozone resistant' materials to be
found, but I find silicone tubing to work very well and at reasonable
expense>>
going into a Taam 1200gm air dryer then a 3' section of airline
tubing going to the Ozonizer then it comes out with 1/4" tubing
section maybe 5' long that goes to a T fitting so that it connects
to my LifeReef protein skimmer.
<<T-fitting'¦ Why? And again all tubing used
needs to be 'ozone resistant'>>
I tested the air flow at the T connector but nothing was coming out. I
bypassed the Taam air dryer & now there is air flow (Luft pump is
on highest setting).
<<Hmm'¦>>
Do you think there is too much media in the Taam air dryer,
<<Not likely the Luft pump should be able to handle
this easily do check if for a cracked diaphragm>>
or perhaps just too much tubing
<<Maybe always best to reduce this to the shortest
'run' possible>>
or I have something set up wrong?
<<Don't know but is another possibility. Any
'check-valves' on this line?>>
I also have a Milwaukee SMS510 controller that the Ozonizer is hooked
up to.
<<Ah! This is the same one I use>>
My ORP was 220, after about 20 minutes then it suddenly dropped to 170
(the one minute I wasn't watching it!) then over maybe 10 minutes
went steadily up to 212. I have the Ozonizer turned to its highest
setting & have the ORP controller set at 400.
<<Okay I would give all a couple days to settle
down/stabilize at this point>>
My nitrates are at 10, ammonia 0, nitrites 0. I am having some trouble
keeping pH & ALK in the proper place but am thinking this ORP
reading of 212 would explain that.
<<Maybe so, but did you check the probe? Don't just
assume a new probe is 'accurate,' they should always be checked
with a calibration fluid before, and periodically during,
use>>
Calcium is always at 450 with no help from additives & magnesium
stays about 1200.
<<The Calcium level may be linked to your Alkalinity issue. Have
you read the 'marble analogy?' See here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/calcalkmar.htm I would also boost the
magnesium a bit for some wiggle-room if nothing else figure
about 3x your Calcium reading>>
I am running the Ozonizer now without the air dryer since the low ORP
rather shocked me,
<<Do check/validate the probe>>
not sure how long it takes to mess up an Ozonizer without the air
dryer
<<Depends on the unit'¦ Using/not using an air-dryer is
more of an efficacy issue, though cheaper units may well be malaffected
in the long term re. I found removing and drying the Silica beads to be
such a hassle that I run my unit without, but I have an
'Ozotech' unit that is actually designed to be run either way
(the electrodes can be removed for periodic cleaning)>>
so I hope you all can tell me what's wrong?
<<Hard to say what may be blocking the dryer. Try blowing through
it with your mouth and give it a good looking over, perhaps
one of the Silica beads has fragmented and is blocking a
connector>>
Thanks a bunch!
Bella
<<Be chatting! Eric Russell>>
Re: Ozonizer/Air Dryer Questions (and now nuisance algae
too) -- 02/19/10
Hey Eric,
<<Hey Bella!>>
I thought I would wait to see how the ozonizer did before asking you a
few more questions.
<<Okay>>
I have an Ozotech 150 ozonizer,
<<Ahh an excellent make>>
I still can't get air thru the Taam dryer even though I shortened
the lines,
<<Hmm a 'reversed' check-valve
maybe?>>
and I can blow air through it so it's not blocked,
<<Okay>>
the Luft pump is new and the diaphragm seems fine.
<<Must say I find it very odd that this pressure-rated air pump
can't 'get through' the bead dryer>>
So for now I'll just clean the ozonizer.
<<Follow the manufacturer's instructions re and this will be
fine. I have been doing some reading/research of late and it seems that
the use of an air dryer, at least at a non-commercial level, may only
be of 'nominal' benefit at best. This is based on some tests
performed by Randy Holmes-Farley utilizing a single make/model of ozone
generator so while interesting/thought provoking, is hardly
conclusive. Still, cleaning the Ozotech every 1-3 months beats
removing/drying silica beads a couple times a week>>
My ORP has settled down, staying right around 350 unless I add water
etc.
<<Very good'¦ You could increase this somewhat by
utilizing an ozone reactor as opposed to the skimmer (I've become
convinced that a reactor is a much more efficient means of utilizing
ozone in aquaria)'¦but this reading is fine>>
I should have told you I did calibrate the ORP meter before using
it.
<<Ah!>>
Also I do have ozone safe tubing; I just didn't make that
clear.
<<Excellent thank you for the clarification>>
I am still adjusting my magnesium to get it to the correct level and
have started adding baking soda to get the Alk up to par (Was in the
low end of normal).
<<Okay>>
Question time: sorry for the length of it.
<<No worries>>
Tank is 95g high, 250W MH light with Phoenix Hex Arc bulb (2 months
old), 125 lbs live sand, 175 lbs live rock, (tank is about 3 yrs old) 2
Vortech mp 10, 1 Maxi-Jet updated to 1200 gph, 1 Hydor 3, LifeReef
protein skimmer w/500gph pump. 1 Firefish, 2 clown gobies, 1 maroon
clown, 1 6-line wrasse, 1 Arabian wrasse, lots of Asterina starfish,
snails, hermit crabs. Some SPS frags and LPS frags and a Maxima clam.
My problem is algae,
<<Mmm oh so common>>
I have never gotten rid of diatom algae since I first set up the tank
but through this website I have gotten it to where it just needs the
glass cleaned a few times a week,
<<Ah hardly a 'problem' then>>
but right around Thanksgiving I started to get the green stuff.
<<Not talking about green-bean casserole I take>>
I couldn't place why till right around Christmas when I discovered
that my R/O membrane needed replacing (letting 2ppm get past it)
although it was only 3 months old.
<<Mmm'¦ It's not unusual for an RO membrane to
'allow' a small TDS reading. Most any membrane will have a
less-than-100% rejection rate (and is why many reef hobbyists employ DI
(deionization) in conjunction with RO)'¦with many of the
'better' ones rating at 98% rejection. And even this value can
be hard to measure/quantify for the casual hobbyist. A good
rule-of-thumb in my opinion is'¦ If the membrane is providing
a minimum ten-fold rejection based on the TDS reading of the untreated
source water, then it does not need replacement. In other words, if the
TDS of your source water is 200ppm and the effluent from your RO unit
reads 20ppm or less then all is fine re the membrane. In
actuality I find the quality TFC membranes offered today will usually
read less than this unless you live in an area like Bob where they are
pumping 'liquid rock,' which can greatly shorten the useful
life of the membrane (Do consider installing and utilizing a
'flush-unit' to increase the life of any membrane)>>
Got a silica test kit and tested the tank water and silica was at zero
so I just continued with the weekly 15g water changes. Nitrates were
and still are at 10,
<<Be sure to validate this test kit>>
ammonia 0, nitrites 0, phosphate 0, silica 0. I thought adding the
ozonizer and improving the ORP would help,
<<Is of benefit>>
but no evidence of that yet, in fact the hair algae is growing,
<<But is not a panacea>>
and about 2 weeks ago I noticed some short green stiff algae starting
in a few places and yesterday I noticed some of the red slime starting.
I just don't get it.
<<Do you employ carbon to filter the skimmer effluent? I have
dismissed its use in the past with most all these hobby-grade
generators as unnecessary. Partly due to ozone having a very short
half-life of a few seconds when applied to seawater, which means little
to none should ever 'escape' the skimmer and sump to return to
the display, and partly due to the low output of the hobby-grade
generators. But I'm starting to think otherwise re the necessity to
filter the effluent with carbon as there's more to it than just any
residual O3 present'¦ The oxidizing effect that provides the
benefits we want from utilizing ozone, also generates undesirable
byproducts in seawater such as Bromate, Hypobromous Acid,
etc'¦. Ozone is also quite effective apparently at converting
Ammonia to Nitrate, which might explain your reading above re. All in
all based on observations of my own system and further
reading/research, I suggest you pass the effluent from your skimmer
over carbon when employing ozone>>
There is so much flow in this tank now that I have to turn off the
pumps in order for the fish to have some chance of getting the food. I
feed several brands of pelleted food, and only give maybe 1/8 tsp. one
time a day.
<<Mmm, I suggest a least a 'couple' small feedings a day.
Starving/depriving your fishes is not the solution to algae
issues in my humble opinion>>
Total water flow is 5220 gph + whatever from the skimmer return. Which
exceeds the 20x flow that this website says you need (1900 gph for a
95g tank right??).
<<Indeed... Though 'need' is relative to the system and
its inhabitants>>
There is so much flow that the algae is actually flowing sideways. I
thought about adding a tang but this seems too small a tank for one,
and it doesn't really address what's going wrong anyway.
<<Bingo need to determine the fuel source for the
algae. But be aware it is not always possible or even practical to
eliminate this (the other living organisms in your system require some
measure of nitrogenous compounds for survival, and even to thrive).
Many times the answer lies in creating/optimizing conditions for the
algae to be 'outcompeted as in employing a lighted
'vegetable' refugium>>
I cannot add a refugium because the cabinet opening was only made big
enough for a canister filter (which WWM said to take off)
<<I would employ the canister as a 'chemical' filter
utilizing cut-up Poly-Filter. This quality media absorbs a wide range
of organic and inorganic compounds and changes color to tell
you when it has been exhausted>>
and the only other way to install one would involve cutting thru a wall
and taking out floor to ceiling kitchen cabinets.
<<This is indeed unfortunate 'a refugium would certainly
be of benefit>>
My husband would really freak then.
<<Don't want to freak out hubby'¦>>
Seems like the harder I try the worse things get. Any suggestion?
<<Add a DI canister to your RO filtration, utilize carbon to
filter the ozone treated skimmer effluent, and employ the canister
filter with the Poly-Filter medium. Fighting nuisance algae is often a
battle with many fronts>>
Thanks,
Bella
<<Happy to share Eric Russell>>