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Thread: pH2 what is it for?

  1. #1
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    pH2 what is it for?

    i've had an apex lab-grade for the past couple of weeks and have figured out most of what i intend on using aside from one thing. it included probes for temp and pH which are both plugged in on my fusion dashboard i have readings for temp, ph, amps and the one i'm not understanding pH2.
    it hovers between 6.46 and 6.56 over the last 24 hours while my pH probe is sitting at a more believable 8.02.
    can someone please offer information what exactly the readings i'm getting are from and how this reading is useful? i suppose there is also the possibility that i am getting a "phantom reading" from a device that isn't even hooked up as well.

  2. #2
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    So if you have an ORP probe, that hooks to the pH2 port and then you have to tell the apex through settings that it is an ORP probe and not a pH probe. It will then show up in fusion as an ORP probe. If you do not have an ORP probe, nor a second pH probe (usually used if you have a calcium reactor), then you simply disable the pH2 port and it goes away in fusion.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ckozma View Post
    So if you have an ORP probe, that hooks to the pH2 port and then you have to tell the apex through settings that it is an ORP probe and not a pH probe. It will then show up in fusion as an ORP probe. If you do not have an ORP probe, nor a second pH probe (usually used if you have a calcium reactor), then you simply disable the pH2 port and it goes away in fusion.
    ahhh.... makes sense now.
    i guess the next question would be does orp have any meaningful use or is a falsely reading ph2 graph about as practical? lol

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    As far as I understand it ORP, or redox, is a general measure of water quality. It generally stays between 250 and 450, the lower it is the poorer the water quality. If it gets below 250, you need major water changes most likely. It is also useful if you run ozone. In that case, you want to make sure that ORP doesn't get over 450. If it does, shut off the ozone.

  5. #5
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    very much as i understood it too. in the foreseeable future i can't see myself making moves to improve my dissolved oxygen with ozone. to a lesser extent i suppose orp would be an indicator for someone whom doesn't regularly maintain their system and is brewing up some dirty water.

  6. #6
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    ORP readings can be valuable if you learn how and when to use them. Of course you need an ORP probe plugged into your PM2 to get ORP readings.

    Here is an example of why you might want to use an ORP probe. If you are dosing certain chemicals for getting rid of invasive critters, ORP can be used to help temper your dosing regimen. Apex comes to play in this example by tying ORP readings to your dosing controls.

    ORP has, indeed, fallen out of vogue in reef aquarium management. That may be because ORP, itself, was too difficult for many people to understand so many aquarists were not convinced it had sufficient value. I believe that conclusion stems from so many people having not figured out how and when to use ORP advantageously. ORP is not a simple direct measure of a single issue physical phenomenon like temperature or flow rate.

    ORP is a complicated subject and difficult to understand quantitatively. But it is an interesting metric for the state of our tanks and can be valuable for some relatively advanced applications in aquarium management. ORP is basically a gross indicator of which way the scales are tipping in the chemical warfare between oxidizers and reducers that is forever raging in our tanks. There are times when knowing that the battle has moved substantially in favor of one of these opponents over the other is valuable and can be used to guide our attempts to return our tanks to some level of equilibrium, or not to do so.

    If you are interested, Randy Holmes-Farley published a quite definitive discussion of ORP in aquaria which treats the subject in two parts.
    http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/
    first part is sort of his Cliff Notes version. His second part is the full Monty.

    His article is a long read, very well done, and is a landmark for aquarists for quality information on a complex topic.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by JohnnyHildo View Post
    ... i can't see myself making moves to improve my dissolved oxygen with ozone. to a lesser extent i suppose orp would be an indicator for someone whom doesn't regularly maintain their system and is brewing up some dirty water.
    You are right about not using ozone to improve dissolved oxygen. That is not what it is for and it can be quite dangerous in an aquarium, and suddenly so, suddenly deadly so. There are reasonable reasons to use ozone in a freshwater aquarium with great care, but it is difficult to rationalize using it in a marine aquarium except with exceptionally great care.

    Ozone is a powerful oxidizer. ORP is not an indication of 'dirty water' or of water quality from the viewpoint of a lack of some form of cleanliness. ORP can be raised and lowered by dosing regimens, indicating that oxidizers have overpowered reducing agents within your tank, or vice versa. There are numerous potential causes for significant moves in ORP readings. Yes, there are events that can make ORP move a lot, such a critter dying and beginning to decompose. But ORP is not a means determining your water quality as there are many other causes for ORP readings to diverge from a median range, not all being bad.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ckozma View Post
    So if you have an ORP probe, that hooks to the pH2 port and then you have to tell the apex through settings that it is an ORP probe and not a pH probe. It will then show up in fusion as an ORP probe. If you do not have an ORP probe, nor a second pH probe (usually used if you have a calcium reactor), then you simply disable the pH2 port and it goes away in fusion.
    Sorry to hijack your thread, but I believe I'm having this issue. I don't see my orp probe in my apex fusion dashboard but do have an ORP probe connected. How do I tell my apex that this is an ORP probe and not a 2nd ph probe?

  9. #9
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    I am looking to utilise the second ph probe do you just plug into ORP outlet?

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by tuna01 View Post
    I am looking to utilise the second ph probe do you just plug into ORP outlet?
    Connect the second pH probe to the pH2/ORP port. Using the Classic Dashboard, go to Configuration->Probe/Input Setup. Select and enable pH2, which automatically disables ORP.

    Calibrate that new probe. If you will be using the second pH probe for a calcium reactor, use pH4 and pH7 calibration fluids.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  11. #11
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    Thank you I’ll do that I’m using it on a second fish tank raising Discus fry.

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