Anyone using Dr. Sochting's Oxydator

[anit77]

160 gallons.

Dave

If you dose h2o2 directly to a system you will see an immediate, initial, drop in orp. It will then rise to slightly above the level it was at prior to dosing and start to even back out. The whole process takes about 4 to 6 hours. At 1.5ml per 10 gallons of 3% h2o2 you'll see a 40~50 drop. Using higher strength would only result in a bigger decrease.

Using an Oxydator and seeing a big drop would mean you've dosed more than the unit should be able to release at one time. While I don't have one yet I've been thinking about it. So my thoughts here are just an assumption.

Was the unit securely sealed when added to the tank? Did you verify the dilution of the h2o2 was correct? Also from what I understand is a W unit is a bit big for 160 gallons. An A or 2 A's would probably work better. One thing you might want to try is using 3 to 4% h2o2 in there and give it a go. The catalyst will react with less intensity so less peroxide will be added to the system, especially right after it's filled.

 

[anit77]

My water has cleared, and ORP is back up after taking offline 24 hrs ago so I think I can attribute the issues to the Oxydator if I could just understand what was happening. I started to see the cloudy water and change in skimming @ 24hrs @DangerDave I am following your experience carefully as I had two catalysts and 8.75% solution on a 450 Gallon system.

I do have an Arrid C30 Chaeto reactor and a turf Scrubber on the system, and I wonder if that was an issue although they seemed unaffected but the unit.

I don't understand the cloudy water. To me it sounds like a contaminate or a really strong release of peroxide.

This is what dosing 1.5ml of 3% looks like to 265 gallons, dosed every 12hrs. You'll see how the chart looks like a heart beat rhythm. I've done this several times battling cyano, never any cloudy water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Will this help increase ph at all or am I thinking in the wrong direction lol

I can't see why it would.

 

[DangerDave]

I didn’t experience the cloudy water @Jonty did. Although the lights were down, it was on the bright end of the moon cycle and I didn’t notice anything. It looked good this morning as well. It was around 8 hours since I pulled it last night and the water appeared clear when I left the house this morning. The wifey is reporting the water is clear though.

 

[DangerDave]

I’m going to try again on Saturday with either one catalyst or a lower %. Are there any recommendations from people who’ve used this before available for me?

Dave

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If you dose h2o2 directly to a system you will see an immediate, initial, drop in orp. .

It would be nice to understand why that happens.

I wonder if it might be from localized killing of bacteria hear the addition point, who then spill their low ORP internal contents.

 

[Jonty]

My orp did not drop but was stable 24 hrs a day which was wierd, normally rises and drops over 24hrs.

 

[anit77]

It would be nice to understand why that happens.

I wonder if it might be from localized killing of bacteria hear the addition point, who then spill their low ORP internal contents.

When I dose it, I add it in the sump, into the last part of my bubble trap before the return chamber. My probes are it the section just before. So the h2o2 has to go through my whole system before getting back to the orp probe.

I am by no means a chemist, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night... [emoji6]

My thought is the way the oxygen ions in peroxides are charged, -1, instead of -2 for o2. So when the h2o2 is added to the water it's hitting the orp probe with a lower charge along the the normal o2 and O radicals in suspention. Thus pulling down the orp reading. As the h2o2 decays and releases the 2nd oxygen atom the charge rises, as seen by the probe, until the h2o2 is depleted. Then it will slowly equalize to norm for the tank.

Is this, even remotely, the correct way of looking at it?

 

[Ridgeway]

Simple dilution check please guys:

Starting strength: 35%

Mix at 250ml H2O2 (@35%) to 750ml of RODI gives me 1ltrs at 8.75% strength ?

 

[Black Pearl]

My tank is 240 gal, I’m running a W, 8.75% with two catalyst. I initially saw an increase in ORP from 300 to 350, it now avg. around 330. I never saw many bubbles come from the W, only a few when I first set it in the sump, water has been clearer since starting, and I’m cleaning the glass less often. The water was dramatically clearer the first week or two, it’s slightly less now but that might be because I cleaned my back glass of coralline algae. I have noticed no I’ll effect on coral, fish or any livestock. Out of couriosity I removed it to see how much had been removed from the container and approx 1/8 total volume had been used. I think I posted earlier when I started the unit

 

[Black Pearl]

Simple dilution check please guys:

Starting strength: 35%

Mix at 250ml H2O2 (@35%) to 750ml of RODI gives me 1ltrs at 8.75% strength ?

correct

 

[Ridgeway]

correct

Thanks

 

[Ridgeway]

Quick feedback.

Roughly 2wks in after using 2 catalysts with 6% dilution in a W. My Orp has definitely crept up, never seen these numbers before. Typically was 300, perhaps 330 at best, now more like 350-370. Also the glass is staying clean for longer, i am 100% sure about that as I know how often I clean it.

Hard to say if the water looks cleaner although overall the system does seem cleaner !

I've increased my last mix to 9% and I think I'll stay with that.

It was nice to see the W floating up on Thursday, so the 500ml I added lasted those almost 2wks hence I hope i'll get 1 month with a full load.

 

[Jonty]

I reinstalled my unit and this time I am seeing a more typical ORP curve and you can see where the orp drops on install and there is a rise in O2 levels

 

[Lasse]

It would be nice to understand why that happens.

I wonder if it might be from localized killing of bacteria hear the addition point, who then spill their low ORP internal contents.

I´m not a chemist - far away from that but can´t this be explained by looking att the reaction as a disproportionation reaction there the reduction (forming of H2O) will be happen faster than the oxidation (forming of O2 or oxidation of some other substances with help o the free oxygen radicals). In my no chemical brain I see it like the following scenario. - The reduction process (forming of H2O) happens directly when the O atom leave the H2O2 molecule but in order to fulfil the oxidation process the free O atom has to find another O atom or another molecule. It will be a time lap between the two processes – therefor we see it as a lower ORP (due to H2O forming) followed of a rise in ORP (forming of O2 or other oxidized molecules)

I will not argue with you about it – its only a suggestion that can give an explanation to the observed measurements.

@DangerDave

I think that you got a to fast reaction in the plastic chamber and that to much H2O2 was pressed out in the water column in a speed that the secondary catalyst did not managed and therefore you get a situation rather alike dosing H2O2 directly into the water column. Not so many catalyst or lower concentration of H2O2 in the plastic chamber will probably be the best way to go.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[DangerDave]

@DangerDave

I think that you got a to fast reaction in the plastic chamber and that to much H2O2 was pressed out in the water column in a speed that the secondary catalyst did not managed and therefore you get a situation rather alike dosing H2O2 directly into the water column. Not so many catalyst or lower concentration of H2O2 in the plastic chamber will probably be the best way to go.

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks Lasse. I had assumed that i was getting H2O2 directly into the tank. Our local reef club had a meeting this weekend and i had corals i wanted to introduce into the tank. My thoughts were they would be stressed enough from the travel, so I pulled the unit yesterday afternoon. The orp started to immediately creep up. I was back to the 350 range in a few hours. It may have been sooner but that is when I noticed. Once these new corals get comfortable, I'm going to try again.

I'm going to lower to 6%, do you think I should also reduce the catalysts from 2 to 1? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Dave

 

[Lasse]

Yes do that - start slowly - its never a bad advice. I´m normally never seen this ORP down going when I use oxidators.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[DangerDave]

Thanks Lasse, your advice is appreciated.

Dave

 

[FarmerTy]

Wanted to share. I kicked up my W in the sump on a 300 gallon total water volume, predominantly SPS tank with a healthy fish population.

Immediate rise in ORP (second larger jump on graph) since I started it, so far all corals and fish are looking normal. Went from 200 to 273 currently.

This will be very nice to observe as I almost eradicated dinos completely except for a tuft or two but the last week its been making a small comeback. That and I on average have to clean my glass about every 3 days so the film algae is still a strong presence in my tank since I moved. In time it usually is less frequent in my tank but I expect it in the early days of the tank while still stabilizing. Hopefully it'll get back to its 1/week timeframe like my old mature system.

I'll be curious to watch how the unit affects both.

Running the W with 8.75% peroxide with one catalyst.

 

[Lasse]

I reinstalled my unit and this time I am seeing a more typical ORP curve and you can see where the orp drops on install and there is a rise in O2 levels

Do you have a fuge with reversed light regime?

Sincerely Lasse