While many forms of water purification used in other industries caught on with reef aquarists, ozone never came full circle. Most reef aquarists employ reverse osmosis de-ionization (RODI), carbon filtration and granular ferric oxide (GFO) to maintain water quality. All of these are also used to purify drinking water, or some other commercial application. In commercial water purification ozone use is not uncommon, though for aquarists it’s not something you see on every reef, even those that are featured in “tank of the month” specials or are known worldwide as super systems. Why is this? Ozone has a host of potential benefits, both removing yellowing compounds from water and killing pathogens. Perhaps it’s because there are so many unknowns when implementing ozone. We don’t really know exactly what it does and we don’t totally understand its role in natural seawater. We make an assumption that a higher oxygen redox potential (ORP) equals cleaner water, but even that is up for debate. To make matters worse, ozone carries with it potential risks for both the aquarist and the aquarium. The icing on ozone’s proverbial cake is that it’s both costly and tricky to implement. For those interested in ozone, there are some benefits to implementing it and with some consideration it can be done both successfully and safely. What is ozone?
Ozone is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula OO2, also referred to as tri-oxygen or 03 on many hobbyist grade generators. It’s the same bluish gas found in the ozone layer, protecting planet Earth from the harsh effects of ultraviolet radiation. Ozone has a pungent odor, making a room smell like all surfaces have been wiped down with bleach. Since ozone is a powerful oxidant, it has a variety of consumer and industrial uses. Although, ozone can damage the respiratory tissues and mucous membranes of both plants and animals, making long term exposure (or short term exposure to high volumes) problematic. In industry ozone is used as a disinfectant primarily and also to remove odors and pigments from dyes and water. In water conditioning, ozone is used to both increase clarity and remove pathogens. At high enough levels ozone is a powerful sterilizer making it capable of wiping out every living thing in the aquarium, right down to bacteria and viruses. Why use this in marine aquariums?
Ozone is used by many aquaculture and fish wholesalers/retailers to control pathogens.… More:
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