Tip of the Day – 3/4/2014

Ozonizers have been around the aquarium scene for what seems like an eternity. Their operation is simple and the results are usually great. They create ozone by hitting air with a charge of high negative voltage, then dump that ozone laden air into the aquarium’s water, either by a special reactor or by injecting into the protein skimmer. Regardless of its entry, ozone has been a go to solution for many aquarium related problems, namely parasites, nuisance algae, and diseases. Despite the mountain of benefits, ozone is also met with some eaqually significant downsides. For one, it can be overdosed, which would kill virtually everything in the aquarium. Another downside is its effect on plastics. Ozone use can lead to the plastic pieces in the water to become brittle…a huge problem for people using protein skimmers, acrylic sumps, or anything else not made from glass. While this problem usually takes a significant amount of time to manifest, or at least get to a level that causes a concern, it can ruin some equipment.