• You are viewing the forum as a Guest, please login (you can use your Facebook, Twitter, Google or Microsoft account to login) or register using this link: Log in or Sign Up

Twinstar..what is it?

Eliminate the root causes known to encourage algae and it's proliferation.
Too much light for too long,poor/unstable CO2 distribution, Nutrient deficencies,poor maint,poor planning when increasing or decreasing light,CO2,Fert routine.
These are the thing's that I was told to study,observe, when I first began planted tank in earnest,.
Choose a method and learn it well was another suggestion (ie) high tech,low tech,or Hybrid of one or the other.
With patience,researching,help from expert's, comes full understanding as to what will benefit the plant's with particular method ,and what is likely to be a detriment.
Then the device in question becomes just another must have like the latest Ipod,smart phone,tablet,etc.
Opinion's vary but this is mine FWIW.
 
roadmaster said:
Eliminate the root causes known to encourage algae and it's proliferation.
Too much light for too long,poor/unstable CO2 distribution, Nutrient deficencies,poor maint,poor planning when increasing or decreasing light,CO2,Fert routine.
These are the thing's that I was told to study,observe, when I first began planted tank in earnest,.
Choose a method and learn it well was another suggestion (ie) high tech,low tech,or Hybrid of one or the other.
With patience,researching,help from expert's, comes full understanding as to what will benefit the plant's with particular method ,and what is likely to be a detriment.
Then the device in question becomes just another must have like the latest Ipod,smart phone,tablet,etc.
Opinion's vary but this is mine FWIW.
Click to expand...

It's a good point, but only works if you have time and you can be there with your tank for looooong hours to observe different things. Daily checks etc.
What if you study somewhere or travels a lot? Or you just do not have that much time because the kids needs you. Or work. Or you have it in your office. Or the office has it and the maintenance crew is not there every day to make observations and make adjustments.

There are many different scenarios not just when we all sit next to the tank and operate it. That is the easy part even if it sound hard for some.

Not this device will solve the issue alone, but this is the field which created the demand i guess.
Many people use bread maker and not make bread in the oven. That is how the life changed and even if we like it or not this hobby needs many stuffs which makes our life easier.
 
Everything works well up to a point. But the one thing that works best is a basic understanding of aquatic life. When one gets to the aquatic basics will realize that a planted aquarium would not even need an external canister, much less of any other expensive junk.
Example. Two months old tank. 15 litres. DIY LED 6000K made from LED strips, nothing fancy. 1 year old Shirakura substrate used for growing CRS. Well packed with CRS poo. Only a hand full of Amazonia (older type) just to rise the back level a bit.
The rest is on the picture.
No aquascape here, no fancy kind of anything, but damn perfect plants.
Nano4_zps03924fcb.jpg

Sure. The cool guys will say - but the HC is not dense enough, but too little plants for two months, but if, but when, but, but etc. etc.
All in all just to get you to buy all of the cool dude crap.
 
viktorlantos said:
It's a good point, but only works if you have time and you can be there with your tank for looooong hours to observe different things. Daily checks etc.
What if you study somewhere or travels a lot? Or you just do not have that much time because the kids needs you. Or work. Or you have it in your office. Or the office has it and the maintenance crew is not there every day to make observations and make adjustments.

There are many different scenarios not just when we all sit next to the tank and operate it. That is the easy part even if it sound hard for some.

Not this device will solve the issue alone, but this is the field which created the demand i guess.
Many people use bread maker and not make bread in the oven. That is how the life changed and even if we like it or not this hobby needs many stuffs which makes our life easier.
Click to expand...

Well,,if you travel a lot,don't have time to tweak,adjust,then low tech method would be my choice rather than high tech.
As mentioned,,choose a method that fit's your lifestyle.
Basic's are the same for both method's when it comes to algae prevention in my view.
 
Hello All,

Well i thought i would add since i have had devise install for a month now, with exception for a few dots on the glass i've not notice a return of any green algea on my rocks,plant and even below substrate, but strangely the shells of my two assassin snails is covered in green hair algea. I would love to know how it targets algeas on certainly element and not of others?🙂.

Just weekly water changes and a quick once over on glass and that all, maintenance would be a breeze if it wasn't for the increase in plant growth, I'm now having to mow down my HC weekly, which is a b***h to remove, but than might beacuse if fully established now. My bonsia seem to growth a good few cm each week they are now as tall the largest stone. While i'm happy that my plant growth is great, maintenance has now become a bit of a chore again :arghh:...lol! 😀
 
Can you just not turn the lights down a bit to slow up the growth 😀 lol
 
steveno said:
Hello All,
I would love to know how it targets algeas on certainly element and not of others?🙂.
Click to expand...
Wouldn't we all! Personally I'm sceptical that it actually does much, and worried that even if it does, this same action on algae cells will affect beneficial bacteria cells on all the tanks surfaces, exposed plant roots and any beneficial bacteria living on the fish. Why wouldn't it? The manufacturer doesn't comment here.

I mean, is there really that much difference between algae on a rock and algae on a snails shell? What is its about using a snails shell as growing medium that saves the algae cells from destruction? And how come algae can easily grow on the diffuser unit, but not on rocks? Figuring this out may be the key to figuring out what's in those bubbles and how the unit works, or doesn't.

I'd consider my hobbies to be fish keeping/plant growing more than aquascaping, so the potential risks of adding an unknown element to the tank outweigh the benefits hugely from my point of view, especially since I've seen the crazy things people have added to their tanks in the past. I like to think I'm somewhat familiar with the risks of adding a chemical before I subject my livestock to it, be it gas, liquid or powder. The long term chronic effect on fish, inverts and microorganisms is what I'm concerned with.

Maybe worth the cost if you like sterile looking rocks though, rocks rarely look like this in nature IME, above or below water, and I know how my livestock prefer the rocks too lol.

From a marketing point of view, this product is fascinating but a tad worrying for a consumer like me. I love how when you click on "experiment" on their website, it just links to pics of users tanks like Viktors (which, of course, looks great). Thanks Twinstar, that's exactly what I was looking for when I clicked on "experiment" :meh: .

A lot of money for a device with, so far as what's been proven up until now, essentially subjective results IMO.
 
Hi all,
three-fingers said:
What is its about using a snails shell as growing medium that saves the algae cells from destruction? And how come algae can easily grow on the diffuser unit, but not on rocks?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure it is lack of grazing pressure on the snail shell, you get this with limpets in rock-pools, where the rock pool just has a covering of crustose coralline algae, but the limpet shells themselves have a lush growth of Fucus, Ulva and filamentous (Ceramium etc.) and thallose (Palmeria) red algae. This is purely because the limpets can't graze their own shells.

There is a good picture on the MarLIN Patella vulgata page <MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network>, (one of the thumbnails).
o_patvul3.jpg

I only get BBA in some tanks growing on the filter sponges, and I think this is because the Ramshorn Snails don't graze on the sponges.

cheers Darrel
 
Good point, that would seem to be the case! I've noticed this on my nerite snails in the past, the only place the GSA grows is on their shells lol. Not as pretty as that marine macroalgae above though lol.

If this is the case, it would suggest to me that the unit isn't doing that much...
 
I think ill hold off buying one for a month or so until a few more people put up their reviews. Also eagerly waiting for Tom Barr and Ceg to get in on this 😀
 
Maybe we could have a Twinstar users thread?

Mine tipped up from TGM earlier today and since i did a major filter/pipe clean just yesterday I've put it in already. They could do some work on the art of concealment lol, not the prettiest thing ever, but appears to be working well where i have it placed 🙂
 
Yes I've had mine in about 3 days now and i did my water change earlier... The tank glass hardly dirty this time?! Seems to be doing something 🙂
On a plus side, my Mrs loves it! She loves the mist underwater... I told her if I got the bigger tank I'm looking at, then we could have 2 running! 😉
 
John S said:
Anybody running an UP inline with one of these, and is the tank now swamped with bubbles?
Click to expand...
The mist from the twinstar only comes on for about 15-20 seconds and is dissolved in less than a minute.... So it is not really that bad 🙂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top