Redox Readings

[cjcoopertag]

Morning All,

So is there a chart somewhere to understand the Redox reading better? I can locate ORP but nothing really on Redox which is a little aggravating. I notice that running around 300-450 on ORP is recommended however the Mv that is set up in the control from GHL is set at 200Mv. Anything would be helpful as this is the only probe Im not fully understanding.

[Vinny]

Hi,

Redox and ORP are the same form of measurements. ORP is short for Oxidation Reduction Potential and Redox is just the chemical term used for referring to oxidation-reduction. Some prefer to address this probe as ORP, others Redox, both are measured in mV.

Here's a great resource for understanding this probe's purpose in a reef tank:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rhf/feature/index.htm

[cjcoopertag]

Vinny,

Thank you for that extremely through information. So because that was a tremendous amount of information I must ask because I did not see this...is there a chart or a desired range for the mv reading for Redox? I did see the range for ORP but not Redox. Also, you mentioned that some address this probe as ORP, so is that a feature that can be changed within the system to read ORP opposed to Redox?

[Vinny]

The probe cannot be set to "ORP" because both ORP and Redox are measured in mV.

There is no typical desired range for Redox. You basically see where the norm is for your tank and if it ever deviates from that range, you know something has changed in your system.

[cjcoopertag]

So mine is around 46mv, if I'm looking at the numbers right I'm assuming my tank is pretty dirty based on what is being called the norm or ideal of 200mv-400mv?

[Vinny]

The norm will be different for every tank. Some run higher, others lower. I suggest leaving it as is and seeing the redox chart to find any swings outside of your tank's normal range.