ORP and the man-made reef

[TNreefguy]

I have a controller that constantly monitors orp. the normal range that i have read about is between300 and 400 mv. my tank stays at or above 450 at all times and is in good health anybody with any ideas. by the way the probe is calibrated.

[Physh1]

I don't see anything wrong with that ORP value but I do have some questions for you....

 

How old is your probe? If you probe is over a year old it may not be reading correctly. There are 2 types of probes I know about. A standard, with a recommended life of 6 accurate months, and a lab grade, which has a recommended life of 12 accurate months.

 

Does your ORP value flustuate with water changes or you doing things to the tank in gerenal? It should fluctuate a little for sure. On an old tank that I used a meter on it was constantly around 380-400 and after a water change the ORP dropeed to 250-300 for a few days and it drifted back to 380-400. This is normal. Does your tank react these ways too.

 

Your numbers seem valid but these are key factors in making sure your probe is funcioning well.

 

Cameron

[TNreefguy]

ya it does drop down with every water change but not to the values you mentioned. i also notice that when the value drops my protien skimmer collects more gunk. i guess the lower value indicates more dissolved protiens in the water. anyway thank for the info . i also performed a search but it did not turn up much.

[Dave ESPI]

They use a calibration solution packet. It is a premixed liquid and can be used only once, then discarded in most designs. Consult the manufactuer and see about ordering a kit.

HTH

 

EDIT TO BELOW RESPONSE: Probes can fall out of calibration and need to be tuned sometimes. I have no idea of the brand you havem but im sure there was an instruction manual with it. Consulting that might help shed some light on the issues at hand.

 

If you use tap water, or add a molelecularly heavy salt mix, it can bump the concentrations of metals up and will cause a false reading. How long has the tank been established. All these questions play a role.

[TNreefguy]

If you had bothered to read the starting post you would have noticed that i mentioned that the probe had been calibrated.

[LEEWINK]

hi there.

 

"redox potential or orp

 

optimum level = 350 millivolts.

 

oxygen reduction potential is, broadly speaking the waters ability to cleanse itself. Highly efficient filtration and the use of ozone will help to boost the values. "

 

just my penny worth,

 

cheers,

 

lee

[TNreefguy]

thanks dave. i use corallife salt with RO water for my water changes. since the last post i have puchased a new probe with the calibration solution. and the readings have dropped a little but all is well. thanks for the info no real problem but its always nice to know.