Dissolved Oxygen Meters

[MaloK]

Are anyone using this ? I'm tempted to get one.

 

[MuddyWaters]

Short answer is no, but this is similar- I use a PH meter to determine when to turn on the CO2, but that's kind of opposite what you're looking at. (Milwaukee MC122 Pro)

Right now I will turn on the air stone full blast for a bit to watch the PH go up and the CO2 come on. It's like when I first saw automatic windows in cars when I was a kid: window goes up, window goes down. PH goes up, CO2 comes on....LOL

I was nervous about it, but have been checking the PH separately using API kit and it matches, so it must work. It's also more sensitive than the readout because even though it shows 6.7, it'll turn on the CO2 sometimes - it must be a degree or two more accurate than what it shows.

 

[StevenF]

Are anyone using this ? I'm tempted to get one.

I did see a post a few years ago were one was used . More out of curiosity rather than actually monitor the water. It was a planted tank and he was seeing plants making oxygen when the lights were on.

 

[Uberhoust]

I used them many years ago to look at Dissolved 02 in lakes, to assess the lakes for trout stocking potential. At the time they had a very sensitive probe that needed to be calibrated daily. Likely they have improved the technology but honestly the only way the O2 will drop significantly in an aquarium is if something is using up the O2 faster than it can be replaced at the water/air interface. If the O2 level is low there is something else wrong with the system. Nothing wrong with getting one but I think it would end up sitting under the tank collecting dust.

 

[MaloK]

Yeah Probably...

I tough of a Bucket test. Lets say, how is stagnant water compared with an air stone and a power head...

In real life environment this could reveal irrelevant as gases exchanges means a lot more than only oxygen in an aquarium.

But I'm still curious.

 

[MaloK]

Short answer is no, but this is similar- I use a PH meter to determine when to turn on the CO2, but that's kind of opposite what you're looking at. (Milwaukee MC122 Pro)

Right now I will turn on the air stone full blast for a bit to watch the PH go up and the CO2 come on. It's like when I first saw automatic windows in cars when I was a kid: window goes up, window goes down. PH goes up, CO2 comes on....LOL

I was nervous about it, but have been checking the PH separately using API kit and it matches, so it must work. It's also more sensitive than the readout because even though it shows 6.7, it'll turn on the CO2 sometimes - it must be a degree or two more accurate than what it shows.

This is something to take account seriously.

What you discussed means an air stone can be in some cases, your worst enemy.

 

[jaylach]

Never used and probably never will. The best test for oxygen level is the fish. If they are at the top of the water column gasping and all else is fine increase surface agitation or add live plants. Even a tank that is just moderately planted is going to have plenty of oxygen in the water unless the tank is heavily over populated.

As to oxygen I believe that live plants and surface agitation are the major factors. Take my under gravel filtration as an example. Many think that bubbles going through the water add oxygen and I'm sure that it does to a small amount. Still it must be understood why there are bubbles... Yes, bubbles are air that, of course, contains oxygen. But they are bubbles due to surface tension which contains the air. By the time the bubbles reach the surface very little oxygen has actually been leached into the water. Still the bubbles going through the air risers for my under gravel filtration do add a lot of oxygen but do so due to causing surface agitation rather than the bubbles actually adding oxygen.

If you want and have the spare money go ahead and get an oxygen meter but do so just for curiosity. Don't get one to actually try to control oxygen levels as the ideal level varies from one species to another. As an example take my rope fish. They tend to live in nature in water conditions that have a low oxygen level which is probably why they evolved to have both gills and lungs. A rope can thrive at a water oxygen level that may kill another species.

Not trying to tell you what to do but I'd spend my money on plants and a system such as air stones to cause surface agitation and not worry about it. Actually I consider the most important aspect as to assuring a good oxygen level is to not over populate the tank. Old school rule of thumb is one inch of fish per one gallon of water. So you would consider the mature size of your fish. If you have a single species of fish with a mature size of 2 inches and the tank is 20 gallons you would want to have a max. of 10 of these fish.