Snake oil?

[Oddball59]

Kia Ora. I am very technical... electronics all my life, in fact I test Beta (No pun intended) products for a couple of Chinese tech companies, then write reports etc.. So I have seen enough very beneficial technology to be open to it, for example I absolutely believe all tanks should have a UV filter, but I came across this...

Algae Inhibition » Twinstar EU

Twinstar European Exclusive Distributor Website, Twinstar Großhändler Distributor für Europa.

twinstareu.com

Any one have opinions or experience, the technology is sound, although I doubt the range of operation they claim. Thank you if you've taken the time to read this. Kia Kaha.

 

[Sgooosh]

Kia Ora. I am very technical... electronics all my life, in fact I test Beta (No pun intended) products for a couple of Chinese tech companies, then write reports etc.. So I have seen enough very beneficial technology to be open to it, for example I absolutely believe all tanks should have a UV filter, but I came across this...

Algae Inhibition » Twinstar EU

Twinstar European Exclusive Distributor Website, Twinstar Großhändler Distributor für Europa.

twinstareu.com

Any one have opinions or experience, the technology is sound, although I doubt the range of operation they claim. Thank you if you've taken the time to read this. Kia Kaha.

very interesting. Website seems to be legit and has it's own unique pictures, but it lacks any good evidence. They seem to have good intentions but functionality wise doesn't do much. I read some posts on other forums, and when put on an incorrect setting, it can actually crash your tank.
someone described it as an "underwater electric fly swatter" which wouldn't do much to algae attatched to the other side of the tank. It's supposed to do womething similar to a UV filter... but doesn't

i would say snake oil

 

[Oddball59]

very interesting. Website seems to be legit and has it's own unique pictures, but it lacks any good evidence. They seem to have good intentions but functionality wise doesn't do much. I read some posts on other forums, and when put on an incorrect setting, it can actually crash your tank.
someone described it as an "underwater electric fly swatter" which wouldn't do much to algae attatched to the other side of the tank. It's supposed to do womething similar to a UV filter... but doesn't

i would say snake oil

Kia Ora Thank you for your quick reply, Yeah I get the feeling it would work on micro organisms directly between the electrodes, but that big white plume I can't see doing anything but look like its doing something... UV filters are the way to go. Especially for algae control.

 

[Sgooosh]

Kia Ora Thank you for your quick reply, Yeah I get the feeling it would work on micro organisms directly between the electrodes, but that big white plume I can't see doing anything but look like its doing something... UV filters are the way to go. Especially for algae control.

yep, for algae spread and free-floating algae something with more mature technology is definitely the way to go.

 

[Byron]

I would considerthis more of a problem than benefit. First, algae is natural in any aquarium; the aquarium with absolutely no algae is not logical, and probably the sign of a problem ore than benefit. "Problem Algae" occurs because the aquarist has not balanced the biological system, involving light, nutrients and plants. It is easily rectified by restoring or establishing the natural balance.

Several years ago I decided to work out the balance, given the light I used (intensity), plants, fish and supplemental nutrients. It took a few months because one changes things slowly to see the impact, then continues. The light was on for seven hours, and the brush algae I have dealt with for years stopped increasing. Problem solved. I noticed the algae did increase a tad in summer, and worked out that this was due to the longer and stronger daylight. It was a dedicated fish room, so easy to blackout the windows. End of that problem.

I do not consider this contraption safe in a fish tank. This is my opinion. It is not that difficult to maintain a healthy aquarium, but we do it naturally.

 

[Uberhoust]

I would be a little cautious with it. I did find someone who potentially knows how it works. https://www.plantedtank.net/threads/twinstar-experiment.590945/. From that entry and from the various other articles on the web, it appears that it generates ions by running current through the water. If this is the case it is difficult to say what the effect would be, and it might be very sensitive to the KH in the water resulting in a different effect in hard water over soft water.

I don't know what ions would be produced but the affect in my opinion would be like poisoning the water for a short time, affecting smaller organisms to a greater effect. Kind of like chlorine in our drinking water but not quite as toxic.

I agree with Byron opinion on this one.

 

[seangee]

I'm hovering between snake oil and probably bad for fish in the long term. If they won't tell me how it works its not going in my tanks. A search showed guesses that range from electrolysis to ozone generator. One report of a snail being electrocuted. Its hard to buy that it is a steriliser and also provides macro elements in the right balance (according to their website). For a steriliser to actually work you need 100% of the water going through it in a very short space of time. Getting the balance right in tanks is easy, but as @Byron says can be time consuming if you rely on trial and error - which happens to be the way I set my tanks up. I have 4 tanks and probably only wipe the front glass once a month with a sponge. I don't clean the other walls because (IMHO) they belong to the fish - and still they do not go green.

Naturally I cannot say my tanks are completely free of algae, or even that you won't see it if you look closely. But they are aquatic ecosystems and algae is a natural part of such systems. My biggest tank is in the living room and I never feel the need to go and clean it because I'm expecting visitors, and they always comment on how lovely my tanks look. If anything I am at the lazy end of the spectrum of fish keepers. I do change 70-80% of my water every week and rinse the filter media (I only use plain old sponge), but beyond that its just a case of trim the plants when they need it and fertilise when I remember.

 

[Wills]

These first appeared about 5 years ago and Twinstar started sponsoring a lot of very good aquascapers to get them infront of people. The long-term thing to take away is that once those sponsorships wained you don't see them any more... I've known of some people personally that like them and not causing any particular issues but equally don't see them as a good investment.

I think the fact they are a high-ticket item and look well made goes a long way... Twinstar lights are also excellent so it is a good brand but yeah questionable.

Wills