The why, oh why, 38 stair, 290 gal build revised

[Roskoreef]

Originally Posted by reefwithareefer

It has been three days since starting the ozone and without a doubt, it has made quite the difference. I thought my tank water was pretty "clean", but I can now say it must have been quite yellow. I still have what I think is too many particulates floating around the DT, but the clarity of the water is fantastic.

Colours are much more vivid and corals are more open.
There does not appear to be any negative affects so far. The ORP is hovering around 320! While the PH has dropped to 8.0 from 8.1

I did have some diatoms in the substrate and rocks before the ozone, that seems to have receded by about 60%, this goes for the algae that was caking the glass as well.

The only issue I have now is determining if it was just the ozone or that I lifted up my halide fixture another 2" from top of tank. I also had my daughters 20 gal Seahorse tank connected to the main system. I convinced her to do away with them and turn it into a reef, as she did not clean it properly and I believe that may have been the cause of high nutrients feeding the DT algae.

Hmmmm, Maybe sniffing the ozone will make me smarter and I will learn to do one thing at a time to figure out what changes I do, make what differences....

what is your ORP normally, i only ask because im wondering if my probe is off, mine is unsually around 440 and drops whenever i muck up the tank or dose certain stuffs, but always makes its way back up.. although my tank is new..

[reefwithareefer]

Originally Posted by Roskoreef

what is your ORP normally, i only ask because im wondering if my probe is off, mine is unsually around 440 and drops whenever i muck up the tank or dose certain stuffs, but always makes its way back up.. although my tank is new..

My ORP was usually hovering around 270 and hit a high 300 and a low of 250. ORP will fluctuate depending on numerous things. Feeding, what you are dosing, stirring the substrate etc can all cause ORP to go up and down.

You apparently should clean your ORP probe at least once a month in a vinegar bath. It could take a day for the cleaned probe to read properly again.
From what I have read, an ORP of 440 is pretty high and bordering on causing issues for your tank. My understanding is 375 to 400 is a good ORP reading

These articles really helped me understand what ORP/ozone is/does and what causes it to fluctuate, even though scientists do not fully understand ORP either.

It is dry and technical reading, took me reading it 5 times before it begun to sink in, but the links may clear some things up for you.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-03/rhf/index.php