jmaneyapanda wrote: However, you are still misapplying the technical terminology. In particular:
A higher ORP is beneficial to a point, but over a certain level you will oxidize coral and fish flesh as well as excess organics.
ORP doesnt oxidize. Ozone is one of MANY things that will. High ORP doesnt kill because it oxidizes. Oxidation can cause high ORP. Oxidation can kill. But you cant say that High ORP kills through oxidation. That is kinda apples and oranges.
I never said ORP oxidizes. You pulled this sentence out of context, out of the middle of a post in which I clearly stated "ORP is a voltage measurement of the overall potential of oxidizers (+ charged ions like ozone) in our tank water to accept electrons from reducing agents (- charged ions), including those organics we want to remove from our systems."
I also stated in the same post "Ozone is a powerful oxidizer, and while ozone is a substance and ORP is a voltage measurement, and may be separate, excess ozone in tank water will raise ORP by increasing the positive voltage measured by the ORP probe."
The above indicates a clear delineation between ORP as a voltage measurement (reduction potential) and ozone as an oxidizer. The context of this discussion, or at least what I am trying to address, is the reef hobbyist using ozone and possible overdosing of ozone, with an elevated ORP level (seems to be +400-450 mv or higher) being the best indicator of an ozone overdose, or the presence of excess ozone, or too many oxidizers (O3 use or not) in the system, however you want to look at it.
jmaneyapanda wrote: Oxidation can cause high ORP.
I can do the same thing here regarding misapplication of terminology. Oxidation does not cause high ORP. Oxidation actually lowers ORP by decreasing the overall positive ORP voltage as a reducer donates electrons to an oxidizer. The presence of oxidizers, like ozone, can cause high ORP. But I understand what you were trying to say in the context of your post.
jmaneyapanda wrote: ORP is a very complicated and balanced "equation". Having a high ORP doesnt mean you have too much ozone in your water, even if you are using ozone. It merely means that you have a greater potential for reduction, rather than oxidation. That can be through a huge number of means.
Agreed. System ORP is the result of many ongoing reactions. But since this thread is in the context of the Reefer using Ozone in his system, and relative to other means of increasing ORP, like water changes, etc., ozone overdose can be harmful to fish and corals in a relatively short period of time, monitoring ORP can indicate excess ozone in the system, in addition to all other reactions that contribute to the ORP voltage reading. If I start using ozone in my system, and my maintenance practices are unchanged, and my ORP goes from 275 pre-O3 to 500 post-O3, then that is probably a good indication I am using too much ozone and I have to do something about it.