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 State of the Tank: (cont.) |
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| Now, a moment about redox potential or ORP...JUST A MOMENT, I PROMISE!!! Simply put, ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential...sorry) is an indication of how efficiently your system can 'heal' itself through the oxidation of (unwanted) compounds. Think of it as your tank's auto-immune system; the stronger it is, the healthier the tank is, particularly when it comes to 'fighting off' pathogens. Because we're dealing in chemistry that's so far over my head I'd need the Hubble to see it, all I will add is that this indicator is measured in voltage (remember, ORP is not a 'thing' you can add like a supplement...unless you're Rafael Palmeiro).
The ocean's ORP varies from 400-450 mV, for instance, and this is what is considered the ideal range for our tanks. ORP also fluctuates some depending on what's going on in the tank. But not only does the Red Sea controller come with a probe to measure your ORP, but it also comes with a knob that will allow you to set the upper limits of the ORP you'd like! Should the tank go over that limit, the unit will shut off automatically. Also bundled with the unit is an air drier. This is because the humidity often found in fishrooms can have a detrimental long-term effect on the efficiency of the unit. Inside this air dryer are hundreds of little blue desiccant balls, which turn pink when they're 'full' of moisture. In my tank room, this takes less than a week. But fortunately, they can be recharged over and over by literally |
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baking them in an oven at 350 degrees for about an hour. (Personally, I'd wait until the non-reefing spouse leaves for a movie or sporting event before doing this. Trying to explain it to them will only make the situation worse). There are also scientific supply houses that carry desiccant balls in case you should need them. And finally, do clean your ORP probe from time to time (I'm going for once a month). They are notoriously finicky and prone to wildly false readings when coated with slime from the tank. There are even debates about how to properly do this so I'd advise you to just follow the directions that come with your unit and get on with your life...which hopefully includes more than just baking your desiccant balls (told you explaining it will only make it worse).
The third and final piece of new equipment is the Korallin BioDenitrator S-4002  . I briefly mentioned the whys and wherefores of this seldom seen unit last month but now that I'm a little more familiar with it, I can go into a bit more detail. Originally developed in Europe (and what wasn't), biodenitrators were first used to bring down the chronic nitrate problems in large overstocked and overfed public aquaria. The principle is rather simple: Anaerobic (oxygen non-dependent) bacteria are allowed to colonize a given medium within the canister (in this case, little balls of 99.9% pure sulfur). And because of very slow water flow around them, they soon deplete most of the oxygen within it. Once this is done and they have created the environment |
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