How useful is a ORP reading?

[porpoiseaquatics]

I'm curious and before I go out and spend $80 on an ORP probe....I thought I'd ask how important it is to know this number? My Reefkeeper accepts the probe but if it's not important then why should I spend the money?

 

[jdavid]

I was curious about this myself, so I just googled it and found this article. Before I read the whole first page, I decided I don't have a reefkeeper and probably shouldn't worry about it.

 

[grouper therapy]

If your not running ozone no need IMO to know.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

grouper therapy;889447 wrote: If your not running ozone no need IMO to know.

That's what I'm getting out of the reading too. Although I will be adding CO2 through a CA Reactor.

 

[grouper therapy]

I would definitly run a ph probe in the reactor and the system for ph stability.

 

[porpoiseaquatics]

grouper therapy;889451 wrote: I would definitly run a ph probe in the reactor and the system for ph stability.

Yep...there are 2 pH probes in the system. One in the first reactor chamber (it's a dual chamber system) and one in the refugium.

 

[grouper therapy]

It surely want hurt to know the ORP. The more you know the better off you are of course.

 

[seth the wine guy]

It can be used to signal when you have a death in the tank. I set my Apex to send me an email if the orp dips below "x". If you don't do a daily fish inventory it can come in handy. I just had it happen this past week. I kept a tang in my frag tank tied into the DT to keep things clean. Well, he lived there for months off algae without ever being fed. I've recently dropped my nutrients to all time lows and there wasn't much growing for him to eat. He wouldn't even take food I tried to feed him. Long story short, I got an alarm my orp dropped and went and found the rotting carcass.

 

[grouper therapy]

I never owned a probe that stayed calibrated that long. I do like using ozone !!!

Edit:

Seth The Wine Guy;889454 wrote: It can be used to signal when you have a death in the tank. I set my Apex to send me an email if the orp dips below "x". If you don't do a daily fish inventory it can come in handy. I just had it happen this past week. I kept a tang in my frag tank tied into the DT to keep things clean. Well, he lived there for months off algae without ever being fed. I've recently dropped my nutrients to all time lows and there wasn't much growing for him to eat. He wouldn't even take food I tried to feed him. Long story short, I got an alarm my orp dropped and went and found the rotting carcass.

Bonus to using one. But I guess that would depend on the size of the fish that died and the system size.