Ozone in freshwater aquariums

Ghazanfar Ghori · Post by **Ghazanfar Ghori** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:13 pm

At the last PVAS meeting, the lady in charge
of the Amazon Exhibit mentioned that they
use Ozone in their freshwater exibit. She said, it
helped water clarity, sped up the breakdown of
organic waste and helped with fish health.
It certainly got my attention...so I started reading
up on it. Apparently, using Ozone is common practice
among reefers. A little Google and I came up with this..

http://www.fishprofiles.com/articles/general/ozone.asp
http://www.marine-monsters.com/front/pr ... zotech2.ht ml

Interesting stuff.

SCMurphy · Post by **SCMurphy** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 7:14 pm

Go ahead and try it out and tell us about the results. Just don't use it on your ADA tank before the contest.

RTRJR · Post by **RTRJR** » Thu Jan 15, 2004 10:53 pm

O3 is moderately hazardous stuff and should be used with care and respect. Do you really see a need for this in your tanks?

I'll be happy to become your carbon provider, I could the extra money. <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0"> Quantity purchase is advised.

JLudwig · Post by **JLudwig** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:37 am

I am very interested in this for several reasons. A lot of folks (well two or three) claim its the high redox potential/dissolved oxygen content of water with good plant growth that inhibits algae. I've always asked if anyone tried ozone, since this should do the same thing as growing plants (direct O2 addition is dangerous). If I have any idea of what I'm talking about (which isn't likely) this should also mess drastically with iron uptake, due to direct oxygenj radical attack on the chelating agent (which is dissolved organic matter) and fast oxidation of iron to the unusable Fe+++ state. If this happens, I think I have some good answers to common problems, especially our wasteful use of iron.

Now, if you use this stuff, you'll want to buy a redox potential probe... if you buy one of these, I have all kinds of fun experiments thought up <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley4.gif" border="0">, especially involving bioavailability of iron in the substrate, denitrification and the like, I'm sure Sean has some ideas also...

Jeff<edited><editID>JLudwig</editID><editDate>38002.1101851852</editDate></edited>

SCMurphy · Post by **SCMurphy** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:53 am

Sean? Ideas? Poetry....

Put the iron in the substrate

and watch the crypts proliferate.

<img border="0" src="smileys/smiley36.gif" border="0">

RTRJR · Post by **RTRJR** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 7:09 am

But the ferric iron is insoluble without a chelator, so when oxidized it will end up in the substrate anyway, and once more than a few cm down, it will be available for reduction and then bioavailable to roots, right? <edited><editID>RTRJR</editID><editDate>38002.2571296296</editDate></edited>

Cristy Keister · Post by **Cristy Keister** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 8:39 am

I wonder how long you can rely on the carbon to work before you have to change it. Seems to only have about 4-5 effective days for other applications.

RTRJR · Post by **RTRJR** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:47 pm

Christy - that's why I offered to be GG's supplier - <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0">

SCMurphy · Post by **SCMurphy** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 2:52 pm

They chelate ferrous iron to keep it from oxidizing further and becoming ferric iron which is not available to plants for uptake and in fact is poisonous at high levels. Ferrous is fairly soluble, ferric is insoluble in alkaline water, minimly soluble in acidic water. Ferric is likely to form precipitates with phosphates which is a good thing if it makes it into the substrate.

Ghazanfar Ghori · Post by **Ghazanfar Ghori** » Fri Jan 16, 2004 3:51 pm

Funny. The lady from the Baltimore Aquarium said they
simply bubble the Ozone in via and airstone. Made it
sound like they don't use a reactor. I'll read into
it a little more.

Ok - now to go SLIGHTLY off topic - what do you
guys thingk about H2O2 dosing?

Ozone in freshwater aquariums

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