Skimmers/fbf's And Ozone

[RipSlider]

I wonder if someone can answer a couple of inter-related questions?

In the process of building my monster tank, I am adopting the idea that, as it's so damn big, it is going to be help to upgrade components in the future, so I want to get everything, especially the hardware, as correct as possible up front.

I will definately have a large skimmer in the system, and I like the sound of using Ozone as well.

I use a FBF in my freshwater tank, and intuitiviely it seems to be a good isea to have a really big one for my marine tank.

This elads to all my confusion:

1) I have now read three books saying FBF's should NOT be used in marine, solely fresh water. Can someone tell me why?

2) If it is becuase FBF's can use large amounts of oxygen, is there any benefit in feeding Ozone into the FBF? However, maybe this is toxic.

3) The skimmer also uses lots or air. I have been reading that using Ozone in a skimmer is really good, so plan to try and plumb this in. However, do I have to use 100% ozone, or can I blend in o2 with ozone via some sort of venturi system or a carb idea. ( I should be able to plumb in a carb from an model petrol engine that would do the job really well if I can mix it.)

4) What can't I use a skimmer in fresh water? ( I know this isn't marine in any way, I just can't find an explaination of it! )

Many thanks

Steve

 

[Aquascaper]

1) I have now read three books saying FBF's should NOT be used in marine, solely fresh water. Can someone tell me why?

2) If it is becuase FBF's can use large amounts of oxygen, is there any benefit in feeding Ozone into the FBF? However, maybe this is toxic.

3) The skimmer also uses lots or air. I have been reading that using Ozone in a skimmer is really good, so plan to try and plumb this in. However, do I have to use 100% ozone, or can I blend in o2 with ozone via some sort of venturi system or a carb idea. ( I should be able to plumb in a carb from an model petrol engine that would do the job really well if I can mix it.)

4) What can't I use a skimmer in fresh water? ( I know this isn't marine in any way, I just can't find an explaination of it! )

Ok, i'm not too hot on FBF's (Fluidised Bed Filters for the uninitiated ) but i'll give you what I know:

1) I can't tell you why you should or shouldn't only that my LFS uses one on their system

2) The FBF is designed to create a massive surface area for bacterial growth which is why I wouldn't think Ozone would be a good addition as it could prevent bacterial growth and/or kill off bacteria.

3) Ozone on a skimmer is the most common way of running it and 100% o3 is generally used by connecting the output from the o3 generator straight to the skimmer venturi input. Dosing of o3 has to be done carefully as too much can kill, too little is ineffective. If your o3 generator has too high an output then a mix of air and o3 should be fine.

4) Dissolved organics require something to attach to for it to be skimmed, saltwater provides this (the salt) but freshwater doesn't. That's a very basic explanation but the only one I know

HTH

 

[andywg]

The reason for not using FBF in Marine, I would assume, is to do with the way they filter. They only convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. Most marine filters aim to do the third step as well (nitrate to nitrogen). The theory is (as with a wet/dry) that the system will become too efficient at converting ammonia to nitrate, but will not cope with the nitrates as quickly and will thus become a nitrate factory.

This is nothing that regular water changes should not deal with. I agree with Aquascaper that there is nor real hard and fast reason not to use them.

Sea Water is heavier than Freshwater (think about the SG). As a result, it creates finer bubbles. Try putting a woodblock air stone into a marine tank, and then into a FW tank. You will see a large difference.

This lack of fine bubbles is what renders a protein skimmer pretty useless in a FW tank. There just isn't the ability to create the sort of bubbles needed for a protein skimmer to work. More than one person has no-salt checked their system (fill with free water, but not add salt) and then moaned about the skimmer not working before realising the problem.