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Twinstar..what is it?

Questions/observations to other users 😉

Found the 1st 24hrs interesting. DC the morning following day of installation was solid blue, first time it's been back to blue on a morning.

Water definitely clearer. Fish more active (some quite frisky behaviour from my P. Ivantsoffi rainbows and BP tetras that they haven't exhibited to such an extent for a while). Plants appeared to pearl more (although could be combination of micro bubbles/CO2 bubbles collecting underside of leaves but I was looking closely at plants away from the usual significant bubble collection spots).

Did a PH profile yesterday. Dropped from 7.4 starting to 6.4 at lights on, but after co2 switched off at 7.45pm (lights start ramping down at 9.20pm for 55 mins) it climbed quicker than usual, by 9.15 it was 6.7 and 10pm 6.9. It's always held a point down til after lights off.

It makes me wonder, i'd already increased surface agitation recently to help keep the fish unaffected. I'm inclined to just switch the gas timer to stay on an extra 30 minutes as I prefer (and think my stock does too) more surface agitation with a higher bubble rate, albeit I know it uses more gas but i'm less concerned about that. I'm getting a consistent PH drop of 1 point with no noticeable effect on fauna.

Comments on the unit itself. I'd much prefer a black diffuser with black cable, 2 or 3 small in tank cable suckers to tidy the cable up, and think it would be better with the control unit having power in at the bottom and diffuser out at the top, making it inline, which would help provide a neater installation (for my application anyway 😉 lol).

Rob
 
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.
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Well, I know what a bread maker does and how it works.
This?

Once you know this, then you are not limited to just buying their products.
I've long believed in understanding the BASICS about WHY something works and ask myself does this help horticulture?
Or does it just make another one of the many algae cure all hucksters a few more $??

Excel, Glut etc, it at least grows plants.

I agree with the point of another management tool to help with algae.
But if you have algae, well, you need to do some work elsewhere.
That's never changed since I've been in the hobby, algae cure alls? About once a year a new one comes down the pipe.
In 5-10 more years, I'd be curious to know folk's opinions.

What does it do?
There's a few options: electrolysis= low level O2/O3 production. There's a mist/gas coming off.
O3 is pretty effective at low levels, but toxic at higher levels.
Given the unit is electric and is plugged in.........

ozone;sanitation;ozonated water;ozone water;ozone generator;disinfection;clean drinking water

Electrolysis of a carbon block(Carbo plus), similar to the old CO2 device here:

Carbo plus CO2 - Google Search

There's not too many other gases left to add to the water really.
We have CO2, O2 and O3. O2 is tough to dissolve into warmer water.
Like Excel, Glutaraldehyde, O3 at lower non lethal levels may be the root cause.
If you place the Twinstar into a small glass of water and sniff after a few minutes, there should be a faint bleach smell if it's O3.
You can test this yourselves. Or use a O3 test kit. Marine folks use it for skimming. I do not though for any of the reefs I've worked on.

We also can say based on the responses about disease prevention, that it's basically low level O3 additions.
When you produce O3, a lot of the by products are singlet Oxygen and O2.
This type of thing seems to go against the basic gardening approaches the Dutch suggested and the Japanese gardener's also suggest: good consistent basic plant care.
I have a hard time arguing that should not be the focus for hobbyists. Nothing else has really offered me much more success in growing planted tanks than that simple approach.

I've tried many products, I may try this one just to put to bed the critics or convince myself that it has a decent application as a management tool or it may be inconclusive.
What I gather, it has no impact on BBA. Green algae are VERY easy to manage. Which is the only algae they suggest it is effective for.

So..........I see little utility. I have started up a number of nice sized tanks recently, no green algae issues. No twinstar, just go basic stuff, the SAME general advice that ADA also suggest.
Does it have an impact on shrimp or livestock over time? Adding O3 to more sensitive livestock such as invertebrates has not been addressed.
 
alanyusupov said:
Also find out on Russian forum about Twinstar

or ozone or hydrogen but hardly hydrogen .. probably ozone ..
Previously, the manufacturer makes ozone generators, but to adjust the speed of the ozone supply was not possible, and now switched to see a new way of ozone supply ...
An interesting device to understand what's inside, so most can be done?

:lol: :lol: :lol:
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I just put the sucker together, it's O3 at low levels.

You can use a O3 test kit and confirm?
 
To test this: use a redox probe, or an O2 meter. Redox is a standard measure used to control O3 in marine tanks.
A similar system could be used to specifically target a set rise in redox.

An O3 generator is not much and a redox controller would offer far better control than say 90-150 liters sized tanks etc.
Also, you could plug the twin star into a Redox controller and use mV to adjust.
This would greatly optimize the usage to a specific users tank and to optimize the Redox values that work best across a wide range of aquariums.

That is better knowledge than "buy our product, it works". Maybe I'm all wrong and someone has a better argument for me about this? I'm all ears.

So there's 3-4 ways to test this.

And to make it even better, wider ranging. Lying to everyone about it never helps.
Knowledge, not some product were they never give you any answers.........
I have a tough time supporting such companies.
 
Question to Twinstar users 🙂

Are people cleaning the diffuser part every two to three weeks as per instructions? What are you using to do this if you are? (UK folk that is, or UK obtainable!! 😉).

At the minute I just disconnect and whip the diffuser out every week and wipe the plastic part down and the cable, seems to get minor covering similar to glass but good as new after a wipe 🙂 Not done anything with the mesh part though.

I'm 2 weeks in with this now, no green algae in tank at all. Left my red coloured rocks uncleaned when I installed it to see if it had an effect. These rocks have never self cleaned lol and usually been removed every 6/8 weeks, scrubbed then replaced. They had a covering of brown algae/diatoms when TS put in. The rocks that receive the most exposure to bubbles from Twinstar are pretty clean now 😉 ones on the other side of the tank cleaning up but slower, which leads me to diffuser placement...

Anyone else using with just a rear spraybar? I'm tempted to pop the diffuser (stuck with just one cup since it's only geared for corner mounting) in the centre of the rear as one side of my tank definitely gets less bubble coverage than the other.

But generally, the tank looks MILES cleaner and clearer than it once did, however I do accept i've also put lots of effort into fundamentals (co2, flow, ferts etc) so combination of all things helping things look positive 🙂
 
After reading all the comments I gather the Twinstar is very likely an O2 or O3 supplier. No more. Well, the same job at start up does 1 drop per liter from 3% solution of H2O2 (about 1.5-2 ppm every day) or good enough aeration at night (like ADA suggests). Oh, and of course good care of the tank at start up, water changes, frets routine, CO2 ....all the usual, but that's boring.

All said is good unless we are looking for the "saviour" of our tank. That miracle, which is going to deliver us from the green misery. This is what many want to hear and it is what they are paying all the big bucks for - the buzz in the ears.

It is curious how much perfection folks want from a planted tank and how little they are prepared to do about it.

This is one case in, which money can not buy everything. Not this time.
It does not matter how well the tank will start up with the Twinstar. If the following maintenance is incorrect sooner or later the tank will explode in troubles. Have no doubt about it.
 
Simon jones said:
I bought one today. There is a definite high pitched noise while it's running. I'm betting it's some sort of sonic device.
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Sonication is well documented on it's impact on algae, but does little on epiphtyic algae which is really the only issues planted hobbyists might ever have other than Green water which is easily addressed via UV sterilizer.
The electric arc produced by O3 generators also can make noises. We used a large sonication device in a large aquarium, it did nothing for the client's algae.

LG Sonic Algae control. Algae removal by ultrasonic in lakes, cooling towers ponds

I can assure folks, having used the larger model, this has a LOT more power than the twinstar could EVER add to an aquarium.
Now if that did not work..........It have strong doubts here. Their own comments give t away that it is O3 via the redox and O2 levels. That is also what the parent company is known for making.

Get a redox probe and measure the redox before you use it and after.
Sonication will not cause a rise in Redox mv.
 
Rob P said:
Are people cleaning the diffuser part every two to three weeks as per instructions? What are you using to do this if you are?
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If you have ADA Superge for glass diffuser cleaning that should do the work. Make sure to not use product like JBL Power Clean which should not be used with metal things
Or use the solution what the manual recommend.
 
Sounds like a smoking volcano is a good idea OR if it resonates high pitch why not use it as a mouse/spider deterrent?😉 :lol:
 
viktorlantos said:
Tried the super s on a fish rack with an import shipment. Worked well. But that is only a sterilizer. Seems like a good replacement of the UV.
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Potentially it could be better, since UV only has an impact on the water column. The downside is that it must have some impact on beneficial bacteria aswell?

I dont really understand what makes a model suitable for algae and one for disease? If Super S is on a more powerful setting should it not have impact on both algae and micro organisms of a certain size.
 
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