Help me decide whether to use Ozone

Engloid · Feb 22, 2019

I've been reading up on it and I do like that it can help with diseases and harmful bacteria… but it seems pros and cons are about equal.

I don't like that it can kill pods. Having a big red coris wrasse, I think killing pods may be a problem.

What are all the negatives of running ozone?

I'm assuming that I can run a very small amount and get some of the benefits without killing pods. correct?

laverda · Feb 22, 2019

I feed my skimmer with ozone and have plenty of pods.

Engloid · Feb 22, 2019

Im a bit of a diy type, and have considered a cheap unit off amazon, and controlling it with the apex

stacksoner · Feb 23, 2019

Make sure to plan way ahead if getting an ozone generator. If you're planning on hooking it up to your skimmer, make sure that you're not going to want a C02 scrubber down the line, which is a much better fit for the skimmer intake.

The ozonator requires dry air, which introduces you to the world of silica beads, replacement, and air dryers. It's also important to run the ozone output through activated carbon so you dont release oxidized pollutants into the air and your water supply.

On the safety side of things, ozone gas is super dangerous and destructive. It smells great, but if you can smell it then you are breathing it in. And if you're breathing it in, it is oxidizing your lungs and respiratory system. This is a scary variable to introduce to your home if you have pets or a wife that you like.

Retro Reefer · Feb 23, 2019

They can potentially be a health hazard to you and your family.. I ran one for a long time on my first tank but I could definitely detect the ozone smell when I came home from work and having two young children at that time I decided to shut it down. I used a large carbon filter on the exhaust port post reactor but it didn’t help much. They may be better these days with more safety standards in place, mine was a Saunders I had almost 30 years ago.

stacksoner · Feb 23, 2019

Retro Reefer said:
They can potentially be a health hazard to you and your family.. I ran one for a long time on my first tank but I could definitely detect the ozone smell when I came home from work and having two young children at that time I decided to shut it down. I used a large carbon filter on the exhaust port post reactor but it didn’t help much. They may be better these days with more safety standards in place, mine was a Saunders I had almost 30 years ago.

+1

My decision to get an ozonator was a scary indication of how much I lost my way in this hobby. In retrospect, the consideration of ozone is a preceded by a long list of poor decisions one has already selfishly made on behalf of one's tank. For me it was spending money, time, and prioritizing the tank's well-being over that of family, friends, and other interests.

So with ozone my tank's appearance may be slightly improved at the risk of my health and that of everyone who enters my house?

If you have a personality like mine, where you see the tank's appearance as a direct reflection of yourself and your ability to succeed at whatever you take aim at...it's time to rethink things.

laverda · Feb 23, 2019

Get an ozonizer that is the recommended size or smaller for your tank. This is definatly a case where bigger is not better. If you smell ozone your dosing too much, plain and simple!
While my apex will shut my ozone off and send me a notice if my ORP were to get to high, it has never done so.

Engloid · Feb 23, 2019

I understand that ozone isn't generally thought of as a health benefit, but I'm not so sure that the dangers of these low levels are not overestimated. Home ionizers have used ozone, and there are even ozone generators sold and marketed as a way to clean fruits and vegetables in the home. You simply drop a bubble stone into a bowl of water , drop in the food and it helps oxidize anything on them. If these low levels were harmful, I would think these products would not be on the market today.

There are many things that are harmful at high levels but can actually be of benefit at low levels. We have many pharmaceutical drugs that are made from or modeled after things found in corals, but are poison at large levels.

I just wonder where the safe level of ozone is, and whether aquarium benefit can be obtained below that level. I'm not so sure I'm comfortable just knowing that if I smell it, it's dangerous....because I'm not so sure it's not dangerous at slightly lower levels than we could smell.

laverda · Feb 26, 2019

I probably misstated when I said that. As you stated ionizers are used in the home and you can detect that level of ozone. I make sure I can not detect it from my aquarium to be on the safe side. Ozone is also used to kill oders. If you can smell your skimmate, then you should be safe. My nose is not that sensitive, but my step daughter knows right away if I have not emptied my skimmer cup recently when she walks in the house. Also based on the size recommended for my size tank I am confident I am not causing harm. A 3rd thing is mu refugium is just down stream of my skimmer and my mangroves are growing over my skimmer. If they were being exposed to ozone they would not be growing at the rate they are. Excess ozone will also cause premature failure of many plastics. I see no signs of that under the stand.