What Ozone Does
Ozone (O3) oxidizes everything — organic compounds, bacteria, viruses, color, odors. Water becomes crystal clear.
Used heavily in public aquaria and serious reef setups for water clarity.
Critical Safety
Free ozone in water at 0.05ppm or higher kills fish.
Always combine with activated carbon AFTER the ozone reactor — destroys residual ozone before water re-enters tank.
Required Equipment
Ozone generator, ozone reactor (closed mixing chamber), ORP controller, activated carbon post-filter, redox probes for monitoring.
Total cost: $500-2000 for a starter setup.
When to Skip Ozone
Smaller tanks (under 100 gallons): mechanical + biological filtration is more than enough.
Beginners: ozone is unforgiving. One mistake kills everything.
Planted tanks: ozone destroys CO2 and trace ferts — use is counterproductive.