# Söchting Oxydator



## Aqua sobriquet (10 Apr 2019)

Anyone using one of these?

https://www.pro-shrimp.co.uk/sochti...MIkvfMnPjF4QIV75ztCh01uwaUEAQYASABEgL-4PD_BwE


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## mort (10 Apr 2019)

I used one briefly when breeding dwarf zostera seahorses but didn't really see any benefits with them. There are a few people using them in marine aquaria still but they tend to be the more old school reefers. Anecdotally they seem to improve water clarity but they certainly aren't a necessity in a well maintained tank.


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## dw1305 (10 Apr 2019)

Hi all,





Aqua sobriquet said:


> Anyone using one of these?


We have a <"few threads"> mentioning them. They had a vogue with Rift Lake Cichlid keepers about 25 years ago, but like a lot of these things it didn't last people were soon onto something new.

It isn't snake oil, but there are other ways of achieving high oxygen levels.

cheers Darrel


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## Aqua sobriquet (10 Apr 2019)

The claim is:

_“Pure oxygen created by the Söchting Oxydator is mostly immediately dissolved in the water, so that there are hardly any bubbles produced.  The oxygen supply is absolutely noiseless, expelling of CO2 and swirling of ground elements is avoided."_
_
http://www.aquariumoxygenator.com/_


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## mort (10 Apr 2019)

I agree with Darrel, its just one of those cyclical products that booms and wains over time because it does work to an extent but not enough to make everyone a convert. I used it with the seahorses because they are very susceptible to bacterial infections and common advice was they needed it to survive (if was also advised the most sterile tank you could make which I learnt was not necessary at all, in fact quite the opposite).


What are you hoping it will do? they just break down hydrogen peroxide increasing oxygen, so their claims are correct.


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## Aqua360 (11 Apr 2019)

I quite like using them, but I wouldn't say they make that much difference, if any


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## dw1305 (11 Apr 2019)

Hi all, 





mort said:


> I used it with the seahorses because they are very susceptible to bacterial infections and common advice was they needed it to survive (if was also advised the most sterile tank you could make which I learnt was not necessary at all, in fact quite the opposite).


It would really be what @mort says. People would look at a coral reef, or the surge zone of a Rift Valley Lake, and says this is an alkaline, high oxidising environment with very low levels of nutrients and DOC. This is true, but it is only <"part of the story">. 

These are difficult conditions to replicate in a smaller volume of water, but you can go down the sterile tank, large water change route to achieve this. 
You can remove DOC by physical methods with a protein skimmer,  or by oxidation with a oxydator, NO3 by denitrification in a deep sand bed etc. If you have a filtration system with efficient nitrification (probably including a trickle filter of some description) then you can potentially have both a high stocking density and high water quality, which offers obvious advantages if you are a commercial breeder (<"or a lab."> working with _Danio rerio_ Zebra"fish"). 

I'm really keen on clean, oxygenated water that is a laudable aim and something we need to achieve, the issue with the "sterile approach" is that problems can arise quickly, partially because your tank is always a "blank slate" and partially because you don't have any resilience, every parameter is really a single point of failure. 

The advantage of the "complex ecosystem" approach (range of plants, snails etc) is that the tank matures and reaches a <"more resilient and stable state">.

cheers Darrel


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## Aqua sobriquet (22 Apr 2019)

Aqua360 said:


> I quite like using them, but I wouldn't say they make that much difference, if any



I had one of the fairly large ones with the ball on top in my old 50 Gallon tank. It looked good putting out all those small micro bubbles of pure oxygen.


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## J@mes (22 Apr 2019)

Yo! newb here but FWIW I had one at startup, took it & the nano out after a few months, as the planting grew in I felt they cluttered the tank & look artificial in the scape. 6 months on they’re both back in! My own mini cycle if you like.


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## jameson_uk (10 May 2019)

dw1305 said:


> It isn't snake oil, but there are other ways of achieving high oxygen levels.
> 
> cheers Darrel


This did have me wondering as they seem to be prevalent in the shrimp world.

Are these simply turning Hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen and just oxygenating the water or are they doing anything else?

I have seen mention of them adjusting ORP but  that is just by higher levels of oxygenation?  I have also seen people adding H2O2 to their tanks but I am assuming these things are powered by H2O2 but only release H2O and O into the tank?


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## dw1305 (10 May 2019)

Hi all, 





jameson_uk said:


> Are these simply turning Hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen and just oxygenating the water or are they doing anything else?


That is what they are doing, the extra oxygen comes from the break down of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

The reaction is 2H2O2 ~catalyst~ 2H20 + O2.

The catalyst was traditionally a small piece of silver (Ag) wire, I assume the "ceramic catalyst" has some silver in it <"somewhere">.





jameson_uk said:


> adjusting ORP but that is just by higher levels of oxygenation?


Yes, more oxygen raises the ORP.





jameson_uk said:


> but I am assuming these things are powered by H2O2 but only release H2O and O into the tank?


I assume that the idea behind the ceramic catalyst is to ensure the reaction occurs where you want it, and that only H2O and O2 end up in the tank.

cheers Darrel


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## jameson_uk (10 May 2019)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all, That is what they are doing, the extra oxygen comes from the break down of the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).


So expensive high tech airstones then


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## Aqua sobriquet (10 May 2019)

I was told by the UK importer at the time that both the Catalyst pellets and the pot contained a Titanium compound to initiate the reaction. They both appear to be made from the same dark brown ceramic.

The bubbles of pure Oxygen you get from the unit are much smaller than the air bubbles from an air stone.


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## dw1305 (10 May 2019)

Hi all,





Aqua sobriquet said:


> I was told by the UK importer at the time that both the Catalyst pellets and the pot contained a Titanium compound to initiate the reaction. They both appear to be made from the same dark brown ceramic.


I'm not sure, I think titanium would do. It is "transition metals" that are the catalyst, and I assume that it is cheaper then silver. Platinum or palladium would presumably be the best options, but more expensive again. I assume one of the reasons for the ceramic is to control the reaction, it is potentially explosive.





jameson_uk said:


> So expensive high tech airstones then


The small bubbles and 100% oxygen (air is 21% oxygen) would make it more potentially efficient than an air stone, but I've no idea if there are actual figures for ORP using an oxydator or alternatives.

cheers Darrel


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## X3NiTH (10 May 2019)

TiO₂ photocatalyses water to H₂O₂ - Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis from Water and Oxygen


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## Aqua sobriquet (9 Oct 2019)

I cut off the end of some 99% commercially pure Titanium rod that I had and turned a 10mm disc a few mm thick from it. I placed it in some 12% H2O2 and nothing happened. Looking closer I could then see a continuous stream of micro bubbles coming off the disc.


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