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Twinstar..what is it?

RisingSun said:
been using my twinstar m9 for 13 months now. Recently soaked it in vinegar as there was limescale on 1/3 of it. Output has faded by about 50%. My water is very hard. About ~300 TDS after a water change and goes up to 500 in between. The chihiros wouldn't run at all.

I did seem to get less dust algae in the last year but it's anecdotal + there can be other confounding variables (I reduced nutrient dosing, increased light intensity, reduced photoperiod) so who knows if it's actually doing anything. I'll probably buy another m9 reactor in a couple months to replace it. Oxygen can't hurt and I like the mist ∘˚˳°∘°(˘▼˘ )∘˚˳°∘°

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Your tank looks great!
Does that terrapin live in there all the time or did you plop him in for the photoshoot?
 
Zeus. said:
Normally descale my reactors every WC, glass of hot water and a couple of teaspoons of citric acid 10 min soak and done, keeps them going as the reactors do get a fair amount of scale deposits. Since I have been doing it at WC the reactors seem to last much longer.
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I've had the same twinstar reactor for a year now and it still works like new, the chihiros doctor reactor barely lasted a month.

I clean mine every 3 weeks when there is some limescale on it. A mug of warm water with 1.5tsp of citric acid for about half hour while i do maintenance. I think it will still be good for a while, so i will report back when it "dies".
 
LondonDragon said:
It's supposed to detect and automate the frequency to your tanks water/condition!
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I don't think they have any sensors on them Paulo, there are only two DC wires running to the electrolysis plates - they just run on a pre-determined schedule, that as far as I can tell has increased frequency when you first start them up, and reduces the frequency over time. That schedule also appears to 'reset' when they lose power of you cycle the setting on the control unit.
 
LondonDragon said:
My bad, thought that was the whole point of them! Mine as been in its box for months now lol
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I've come to a similar conclusion on my high tech - I feel it produces enough DO on its own now that the Twinstar isn't needed. I do think it helps on tank start up though, and I also think it helps on my low tech, as in both situations they don't naturally max out the DO.
 
Wookii said:
I've come to a similar conclusion on my high tech - I feel it produces enough DO on its own now that the Twinstar isn't needed. I do think it helps on tank start up though, and I also think it helps on my low tech, as in both situations they don't naturally max out the DO.
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Might stick it on the low tech cube I have then at least make some use of it 😉
 
Just curious, anyone here use these on larger tanks? I've seen a vid of someone using 2 in a larger tank, but no explanation how/why that would work. I know their effect hasnt been proven, nor explained why it would work, but I've used them in my tanks for a while now and do believe in a small positive effect, and it allows me to track flow very well which to me is a huge pro. Also the mist just looks cool, still doesnt get old after all these years 🙂
 
Hi @Wolf6

When I first stumbled across the Twinstar Controller, it appeared to be nothing other than 'Snake Oil'. I'm now inclined to think that it may produce what are known as Reactive Oxygen Species. If anyone owns an ORP/Redox meter, I suspect it would show an increased (more positive) ORP reading when the Twinstar Controller is switched on. If I'm right, it may help to combat growth of Cyanobacteria (aka BGA). Cyano have been shown to have a high sensitivity to what is known as 'oxidative stress'. As you will gather, I do not own a Twinstar Controller.

JPC
 
I had a twinstar on my tank and removed it. No change what so ever.
 
I was expecting to see some algae growth, nothing happened. Except for the BBA that was there already.

Mattu
 
Can I just say, I work in a warehouse environment and for ozone machines to be effective they have to be massive. The effect from one the size of a tv isn’t effective in a room say 5mx5m. As for one submerged in water? I could see it being more effective but I doubt you’d see clear results. Just my opinion of course but I know they have to be huge in a industrial capacity to be effective in which case they can be very dangerous. They create a layer of air in the room that’s mostly c03 which can cause breathing problems, dizziness and so on.
 
Wolf6 said:
Just curious, anyone here use these on larger tanks? I've seen a vid of someone using 2 in a larger tank, but no explanation how/why that would work. I know their effect hasnt been proven, nor explained why it would work, but I've used them in my tanks for a while now and do believe in a small positive effect, and it allows me to track flow very well which to me is a huge pro. Also the mist just looks cool, still doesnt get old after all these years 🙂
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I have two Nano+'s in one of Discus tanks I am not sure if they make a difference but I like the added O2 in the tank because Discus are sensitive to CO2 and the Discus water is warm which lowers O2.
 
Wolf6 said:
Just curious, anyone here use these on larger tanks? I've seen a vid of someone using 2 in a larger tank, but no explanation how/why that would work. I know their effect hasnt been proven, nor explained why it would work, but I've used them in my tanks for a while now and do believe in a small positive effect, and it allows me to track flow very well which to me is a huge pro. Also the mist just looks cool, still doesnt get old after all these years 🙂
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I used the Chihiros in my 75 Gallon (283 litter) tank, and yes, now I want to use a Twinstar because it really helped me, now that I don't have it, I got some green water, with the chihiros the green water was gone, also my danios were swimming more lower (deeper) in the tank, without the chihiros they are at the top of the tank.
 
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