Anyone using Dr. Sochting's Oxydator

[PapaDragon]

I just installed one of these to dose h2o2 in my tank, but I'm a little confused by the instructions. Should I see bubbles or not? From the diagram it looks like the catalyst causes o2 to accumulate at the top of the acrylic container and the pressure buildup forces out some h2o2 out the bottom of the acrylic container. When I first put it in yesterday I did see a faint stream of bubbles coming from the container, but this morning I only see one big bubble every minute or so.

 

[PapaDragon]

bump

 

[reefwiser]

The bubbles are so small you can not see them. After the first day.

 

[PapaDragon]

The bubbles are so small you can not see them. After the first day.

Thank you! How do you know when its time for more h2o2? Also I used the recommended 6% concentration, but everything I read with regards to using them in the USA says 3% concentration. Which is it?

 

[reefwiser]

You will see that it is empty. It's 6% concentration.

 

[PapaDragon]

You will see that it is empty. It's 6% concentration.

Thank you!

 

[Maximus]

I just ordered the large Oxydator as I had immediate benefits (water clarity) when I dosed peroxide to my tank. Where did you order the peroxide from? I'm looking for a gallon of 35% peroxide so I can dilute it down to 6%.

 

[Maximus]

The bubbles are so small you can not see them. After the first day.

The main benefit I would love to achieve is water clarity without using carbon. Does your Oxydator help with water clarity?

 

[reefwiser]

Yes it does help with water clarity. I buy my peroxide from Amazon. Buying 35 % and mixing it to 6%

 

[atoll]

If you can get hold of Albert Theil's nano book I wrote a piece for him in it on Oxydator's. I have been using Oxydator's in marine aquaria for around 30 years and always sue them on my tanks .

 

[Cory]

If you can get hold of Albert Theil's nano book I wrote a piece for him in it on Oxydator's. I have been using Oxydator's in marine aquaria for around 30 years and always sue them on my tanks .

It kills algae? Would my algae turf scrubber be killed?

 

[atoll]

It kills algae? Would my algae turf scrubber be killed?

Not at all in fact I run 2 ATSs

 

[choff]

I have the W version and im a bit confused on the functionality. You add h2o2 and catalyst into a plastic container that has a pin hole on the bottom. You put the plastic container, pin hole down into a ceramic container and drop it into the tank/sump. The catalyst breaks down the h2o2 into o2 and h2o. Doesn't the o2 just rise to the top of the plastic container and never make it into the tank? Or as the o2 fills the plastic container its forcing some of the h2o2 out of the container and into your tank, but it's getting weaker over time as the majority of the o2 is staying in the plastic container being replaced by pure water?

Mine has been running for 2 days and I have seen no change in ORP, which I expected to see an increase. To make matters worse, my ORP probe and sochting are both in the return chamber of my sump and I was expecting an ORP to be overstated due to that configuration and planned on moving the probe to a different spot to better reflect the ORP in the display.

What am I missing?

 

[CJR]

choff, I don't run an oxydator currently but they do sound like they provide a number of benefits to a tank so I've been reading everything I can on them this past week. Others can say from their personal experiences but from reading the patent and all the other threads here's my understanding of how it works. The O2 occurs in two places actually, the catalyst in the plastic bottle produces O2 to essentially pressurize the container and slowly push H2O2 through the pin hole into the tank. The same reaction then occurs in your tank water with the H2O2 breaking down and the O2 entering your tank's water. Supposedly, if everything is working correctly, you will barely see these O2 bubbles as ideally they enter into the solution verses bubbling to the surface of the water and into the atmosphere. And yes, over time the H2O2 in the plastic bottle does dilute down from the 6% starting concentration but apparently not sufficiently that the reaction stops completely. I've read that the H2O2 bottle can be topped up every week or two such that the concentration remains closer to 6% than 0%.

Can't talk to the ORP affect other than from the thread about dosing 1ml /10 gal of 6% H2O2 to take down cyano, there is a short lived reduction (in the graphs presented, is negative positive when it comes to ORP??) in ORP that lasts less than 8 hours or so. My guess is that the oxydator dispenses such a small amount of H2O2 that it has very little affect or maybe as it dispenses continually it has a leveling affect on your ORP? That is it doesn't fluctuate after an initial slight drop?

Where did you buy your oxydator? The W is the biggest version right (up to 4,000gals)? How big is your tank? Can you post a picture of it in place in your sump?

 

[choff]

choff, I don't run an oxydator currently but they do sound like they provide a number of benefits to a tank so I've been reading everything I can on them this past week. Others can say from their personal experiences but from reading the patent and all the other threads here's my understanding of how it works. The O2 occurs in two places actually, the catalyst in the plastic bottle produces O2 to essentially pressurize the container and slowly push H2O2 through the pin hole into the tank. The same reaction then occurs in your tank water with the H2O2 breaking down and the O2 entering your tank's water. Supposedly, if everything is working correctly, you will barely see these O2 bubbles as ideally they enter into the solution verses bubbling to the surface of the water and into the atmosphere. And yes, over time the H2O2 in the plastic bottle does dilute down from the 6% starting concentration but apparently not sufficiently that the reaction stops completely. I've read that the H2O2 bottle can be topped up every week or two such that the concentration remains closer to 6% than 0%.

Can't talk to the ORP affect other than from the thread about dosing 1ml /10 gal of 6% H2O2 to take down cyano, there is a short lived reduction (in the graphs presented, is negative positive when it comes to ORP??) in ORP that lasts less than 8 hours or so. My guess is that the oxydator dispenses such a small amount of H2O2 that it has very little affect or maybe as it dispenses continually it has a leveling affect on your ORP? That is it doesn't fluctuate after an initial slight drop?

Where did you buy your oxydator? The W is the biggest version right (up to 4,000gals)? How big is your tank? Can you post a picture of it in place in your sump?

Thanks CJR, I've been running it for a few weeks now and can answer some of my own questions. My ORP did rise about 100 to a consistent 450. Side note, my ORP was 450+ for years, but when I switched from live rock to ceramico about 18 months ago my ORP stayed in the 350 range.

You do not see any bubbles, I bought my W on eBay, but the seller is on R2R (@Amphibious) I have 150 gal display and a total water volume of just under 300g. I actually put the unit in my 40b frag tank (DT feeds FT which feeds sump) which at the time had the most cyano. Now it has none, but my DT has more than ever now. I'm debating tossing it in there for awhile. I had it in the return section of the sump, but I wasn't noticing any any difference. Even my ORP didn't rise when it was there, which is odd because that's where my ORP probe is. My CaRx affluent dumps into that section so I don't know if that affects the chemistry at all so I decided to move it to the ft.

If you over 100 gallons I would get the W. You can really manipulate the output depending on the strength of H2O2 used and the number of catalysts (1-3). I'm running 17pct solution with 2 catalysts. It was also smaller than I anticipated.

 

[atoll]

Oxydator’s: What are they how do they work and what benefits do they bring.

I have been using Oxydator’s for many years with great results in my marine tanks. They are powered by Hydrogen peroxide and help to eliminate and keep at bay cyno. An Oxydator will elevate the oxygen of the aquarium water reducing stress and aiding water quality. A number of Seahorse breeders both home and commercial employ them in their systems and have found they help with the survival rate of Seahorse fry.

Oxydator’s have been used in Europe for many years in freshwater aquariums. The peroxide is not administered directly into the tank (and so is far safer) but uses a catalyst to break the hydrogen peroxide down in activated oxygen and water. The process increases redox and helps cleans the aquarium water and keep it gin clear eliminating any yellowing. The effect in many ways is similar to ozone but no electricity is used as the Oxydator is self-powering.

I have introduced many reefers in the UK, USA and other countries to the virtues and use of Oxydator’s over the years as little appeared to be known about them.

Due to the Oxydator's oxidizing capacity, your water quality will be improved and many harmful contaminants in your water will be neutralized. Oxydator’s are also an aid to fighting algae problems.

The benefits of adding hydrogen peroxide to an aquarium in cases of acute oxygen deficiency, water putrefaction and water turbidity, spawn fungus, or for enriching the well-being of your fish have been known for a long time.

Söchting Oxydator’s breaks the Hydrogen peroxide down into oxygen (O2) and water (H2O).

The advantage: Your aquarium's water quality will be fundamentally improved and problems such as those aforementioned will be greatly hindered.

The Söchting Oxydator breaks down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen:2 H2O2 ----------------------------> 2 H2O + O2

My Oxydator is situated in the rear RH side of the tank almost out of view however it could just as easily be put in one of the rear filter chambers.

using the catalyst the peroxide is broken down in the Oxydator and defuses out through a pin hole under the bell housing. Only pure oxygen and water are released nothing else and no peroxide directly enters the aquarium etc..

When in use you might just be able to see some microscopic oxygen bubbles leaving the reactor for a little while while it settles down. Some of the bubbles are so small that they don't tend to rise but leave the Oxydator and drift horizontally in the water column.

I have never witnessed any adverse effects from these bubbles on any of my corals or fish. The appearance of these fine bubbles happens mainly after first introducing the Oxydator and after each refilling. From time to time larger bubbles are released esp after filling and introduction, again these are of no concern or danger. More info here.http://www.oxydator.de/english/soechting_oxydators.htmlThis is a quote from Dan Underwood, owner and operations of seahorsesource.com.

"As mentioned above, the Oxydators work by the catalyst reacting with the peroxide. This releases the gas inside the device and the gas O2 rises. As it expands. Using the recommend size Oxydator and the recommended solution, I have not been able to get a peroxide reading in a tank. When I have increased the strength several times that of the recommendation, I did get peroxide readings.

I too have done peroxide dosing on tanks. Even when dosing 5 to 10 mg/L daily, I have found the Oxydator’s worked better. My guess is because they are constantly working in a slow regulated way”

There are 4 Oxydator’s in the range the Mini, D, A and W. Note the “W” version is very large and only recommended for ponds and large systems.

MODEL SPECIFICATIONS FROM THE OXYDATOR WEB SITE. Mini D AHeight. 6cm 8.5cm 18cmDiameter 4cm 8.5cm 9cmAquarium size up to 30Ltrs 100Ltrs 400LtrsPeroxide lasting Approx 4weeks 2 -4weeks 2 to 8 weeks Each model comes with its own catalysts one each for the mini and “D” models 2 with the “A” model. More catalysts can be bought if needed but they are everlasting more or less. Up to 11% food grade hydrogen peroxide can be bought via the net in various quantities inc eBay (UK). If buying 11% then you can dilute it using RO water almost doubling the initial quantity which is very cost effective, Finally Just how long the peroxide last is influenced by a number of factors esp temperature and number of catalysts used as in the “A” model which comes with 2.

 

[Amphibious]

More information on the Sochting Oxydators can be found here. http://theculturedreef.com/algae-control.html

 

[choff]

I'm currently using the W version and there is one thing that bugs me about it.

The pin hole is in the bottom of the unit , so as the H202 is broken down, the O2 rises and stays in the container and thus forces a little bit of the H202 out of the bottom and into the tank. The other byproduct is water so this is just diluting the current H202 remaining in the container so over time you will be releasing less and less H202 and it will not be consistent over time. I think I would rather set up my BRS doser and know exactly how much H202 is going into my tank at a consistent rate.

 

[atoll]

I'm currently using the W version and there is one thing that bugs me about it.

The pin hole is in the bottom of the unit , so as the H202 is broken down, the O2 rises and stays in the container and thus forces a little bit of the H202 out of the bottom and into the tank. The other byproduct is water so this is just diluting the current H202 remaining in the container so over time you will be releasing less and less H202 and it will not be consistent over time. I think I would rather set up my BRS doser and know exactly how much H202 is going into my tank at a consistent rate.

" the O2 rises and stays in the container and thus forces a little bit of the H202 out of the bottom and into the tank. "

There has been conflicting advice on how Oxydators work and here has been a lot of misinformation about the actual workings of the Oxydator. I am not sure why this is perhaps something has been lost in translation I don't know.

Here is a quote from Dan Underwood, owner and operations of seahorsesource.com.

From Dr Sochting.

http://www.marinedepot.com/freshwater_sochting_oxydator_information-ap.html

 

[vlnemo]

Hy atoll. As you said you have an ATS SCRUBBER. I have too, also i am dosing carbon ( vinegar/ vodka). My no3 still at 25ppm. 30ml vinegar and 3ml vodka per day with bacteria biodigest. Water changes every 7-15 days 15%. 500lit reef with full soft and lps corals, 3 big tanks small fishes and a lot frozen food a day(6-7cubes) and flakes. I am thinking to buy oxydator A for the begining with one catalysts and then go to 2 catalyst if everything is ok. ( i have tried 2 ats scrubber full to algae but my coral closing every day,more carbon doses but white slights to glasses,but nothing,no3 25) My no3 drops to 20-15 with water changes only every week 20-25,% but it was very expensive. I was wondering if you use carbon and if you had a no3 reduction using oxydator. Thanks, Bill