Who Has a DO (Dissolved Oxygen) Probe

[o2manyfish]

Wondering how many hobbyists actually have this, and if so what have they learned from incorporating it into their system?

Thanks

Dave B

[Terence]

We do not sell to many of these due to their price tag so it is not much of a surprise that you are not getting much response.

From my experience I know that, in saltwater, it's usually people who have large bioloads in fish-only, coral-insert-type systems with little biological filtration that are using these. We get many requests from public aquariums, keepers of koi ponds, algae farms, and large private fish only tanks like the ones you would see on those popular fish TV shows.

[SUSREEFS]

What levels should DO be maintained ?

[rkpetersen]

Continuous monitoring of DO isn't necessary or particularly useful in any functioning reef aquarium that has a properly sized return pump, additional in-tank circulation pumps, and a skimmer. Oxygen saturation in saltwater varies with temperature and salinity; at 78F and 35 ppm, it's 6.7 ppm. Generally you should get a DO measurement of at least 6.0, and the closer to saturation, the better. (Supersaturation is possible in some situations but not recommended.) If really interested in checking your system's DO but balking at the DO probe plus PM3 price tag, an excellent alternative is the Lamotte DO test kit. This kit is superb and has been available for 30 years. You can also use this kit to test your water's Biological Oxygen Demand; this gives you some indication of the amount of organic material in the water (instructions to perform this test come with the kit. )