250 Gallon Starphire tank

[littlesilvermax]

Suppose I should update this thread too.

I am awaiting an Ozotech 260 mg/hr ozonizer and air dryer.

So I guess my old Red Sea 200 mg/hr and 500 mg/hr air dryer will be for sale shortly. (PM for a real steal on a used product, not the best quality by any means, but it works if you just want to try it out for a while for cheap).

The Ozotec unit creates a real minimum of 260 g/hr and has replaceable parts, and is easy to take apart to clean. I got an awesome deal from SWC on the unit (still well over $500 taxes in).

I am also getting an automated air dryer, cool eh?

I am sick and tired of baking beads, and I refuse to do it anymore. Unfortunately the real nice auto air-dryers cost $800+. They have two dryers packed into a single unit, and switch between units when one is being automatically recharged. I am not that rich, so I opted for a $400 dryer that uses a timer to recharge the beads.

I will post pics and explanations when I get it.

[Quinster]

I stopped baking beads long ago, and instead just throw away the silica beads I use. I only use them for 2 - 4 weeks depending on the humidity level of the air I am drawing in, then dispose of them.
I am sure anyone who has used the regenerating silica is thinking this is a waste, but I switched to silica cat litter, as it is pretty well the same material, and for $3 a 5# bag, every bag lasts 6 months +.
They do color change from white to a cream color when they are getting saturated, also I can tell by the make up and consistency of the bubbles in the reaction chamber of the skimmer.

FYI for a cheap alternative.

[Dave C]

Something else to consider is that maybe a skimmer isn't the best place to be injecting ozone.

[littlesilvermax]

Originally Posted by Dave C

Something else to consider is that maybe a skimmer isn't the best place to be injecting ozone.

I thought of that too, and have read all about ozone reactors.

IMO s big skimmer is a much better reaction chamber then a relatively small ozone reactor.

[Delphinus]

I suppose if your skimmer is a recirc style it increases the contact time.

How come you weren't happy with the Red Sea ozonizer? I have one (not using it yet), it seems kinda basic but it seems like it should work?

[littlesilvermax]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

I suppose if your skimmer is a recirc style it increases the contact time.

How come you weren't happy with the Red Sea ozonizer? I have one (not using it yet), it seems kinda basic but it seems like it should work?

It works, just not great anymore. It keeps my ORP at 330.

I wouldn't sell it to somebody that has a large tank, but somebody with a 55 or 90 would benefit for hopefully a few years from a little ozone.

My skimmer's (which is not recirc) reaction chamber is 8 inches by 36 inches. Much bigger then anything I want to get for dedicated ozone use.

[Dave C]

Originally Posted by littlesilvermax

I thought of that too, and have read all about ozone reactors.

IMO s big skimmer is a much better reaction chamber then a relatively small ozone reactor.

I guess. My ozone reactor is 24" tall, 7" in diameter. But it could be much more then just size. A protein skimmer injects ozone into a column of water/bubbles. An ozone reactor injects/disperses drips of water into a column of ozone gas. According to dudes like Randy Holmes-Farley on RC that's the best way to get ozone to do its stuff. I'm not suggesting I'm right, just something to consider.

[littlesilvermax]

Originally Posted by Dave C

I guess. My ozone reactor is 24" tall, 7" in diameter. But it could be much more then just size. A protein skimmer injects ozone into a column of water/bubbles. An ozone reactor injects/disperses drips of water into a column of ozone gas. According to dudes like Randy Holmes-Farley on RC that's the best way to get ozone to do its stuff. I'm not suggesting I'm right, just something to consider.

I considered it (also talked to SWC about it) and don't think it is really worth it, even if with a large reactor it is worth it.

If you have one I will definitely take a look at how it works for you. One of these days we are going to have to check out each others systems.

[Skimmerking]

PM ed ya on ozone Ben

[littlesilvermax]

Originally Posted by Dave C

I guess. My ozone reactor is 24" tall, 7" in diameter. But it could be much more then just size. A protein skimmer injects ozone into a column of water/bubbles. An ozone reactor injects/disperses drips of water into a column of ozone gas. According to dudes like Randy Holmes-Farley on RC that's the best way to get ozone to do its stuff. I'm not suggesting I'm right, just something to consider.

I got my Ozotec ozone generator, and have yet to hook it up.


FWIW according to Ozotec the best way to inject ozone is in a large skimmer, they say an ozone reactor works, but is not ideal as there is less contact space available.

To me that makes sense from what I know of physics. But I am no expert. I know other "experts" will argue either way.

IMO the only benefit to using an ozone reactor is that it is extremely easy to run the effluent through carbon (which is a point to consider).

I still believe that you don't need carbon with ozone, but when I set-up my ozotec unit I will test for residual ozone and maybe I will find that I need it with a bigger unit. I all I know is I have had fantastic growth and no fatalities in 2+ years of using ozone w/o carbon.