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Twinstar..what is it?

I think that the current does not passes through the entire tank but only from one metal net to the other.This does generate free radicals that goes through the entire tank.
 
Hmm, maybe your right, but I think the inverse square law may at least apply. Trying to remember my A-level physics! In the patent it says the direct action is to disrupt membrane potentials by applying voltage to the bugs (I can't beleive they used the word germs in a patent) , but if that only applies between the electrode and cathode and ,there is no directed water flow,that would have almost no effect on a big tank. Radicals would effect a bigger area, but they are super reactive so would be rapidly depleted before dispersal.

I guess there is no conventional current flow anyway because it's ions attracted to the electrodes rather than electron flow. Is there a physicist or better still a spark around that can draw a diagram?
 
Cheers to all. I've been away for a while as the season was super busy, but as things slowing down i have a little time to surf on forums again :)

Thought to check in and see if i see new feedback from the device in use. Anyone jumped to the Twinstar since the topic start?
What are the experiences after a few months of use?

We do use like 10 of them now in our showroom in different conditions for months now. I still do not have bad experience with it.
Kind of living with it like with the daily fertilizers. I do have a zillion of shots in my gallery on tanks which has it so you can check it:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/viktorlantos/
Any good / bad experience? Love it or hate it? :)
 
Amazing scape! Also, I possibly spy a harlequin shrimp in there at the bottom left (and a tiger shrimp on the right?), beautiful and interesting tank :). Did they do OK with the injected CO2 Victor, if that is a harlequin?
 
three-fingers said:
Amazing scape! Also, I possibly spy a harlequin shrimp in there at the bottom left (and a tiger shrimp on the right?), beautiful and interesting tank :). Did they do OK with the injected CO2 Victor, if that is a harlequin?
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We do have tigers in there. But sure they are ok with the CO2. :)
 
viktorlantos said:
Thought to check in and see if i see new feedback from the device in use. Anyone jumped to the Twinstar since the topic start?
What are the experiences after a few months of use?
Click to expand...

Hi Viktor,

As a novice I can report my findings. Twinstar has been in use since late December 2013. I've had some ups and downs with the tank but i feel safe to say that TS has helped, not hindered. The plant mass from month 1 to month 3 multiplied around 3 times I would guess.

I have seen small amount of algae over the last couple of months (mainly GSA but very also small amount stag/BBA) and this has been in areas at the rear of the tank in lowest flow/co2 distribution but considering lighting levels used and my general inexperience I think I have got away lightly and I believe TS has given room to manoeuvre. I have recently lowered levels of light/co2 as the fish have been affected at higher energy levels.

I clean TS diffuser weekly to be safe, overnight soak in strong ADA Superge solution which seems to keep performance consistent.

Any rocks/decor in tank have stayed clean.

I'm still not convinced unit is giving best operation when used with long rear spraybar as TS bubble distrubtion is not equal throughout tank, i don't know how to get around this.

I have no issue leaving device in tank and certainly have no regrets buying and using it :)

Rob
 
Hey I recently installed a Twinstar Nano into a new setup which has been growing now for about 8 weeks and i'm not completely sold.

No major algae problems but i usually don't get much anyway, so technically it does what it says it does. However I still have brown algae appearing on the Twinstar unit and some areas on glass.

My main problems are;
  • I'm getting alot of dusty sediment appearing on rocks that i usually don't get in a tank, is this normal?
  • People have stated that it has increased plant health in tanks, where i'm having the total opposite experiences plants look like they are melting. In fact from what i've experience it has increased the need for maintenance on my tank with increased water changes and an increased fertiliser regime.
If the Twinstar Nano is a water steriliser why would this be needed in a Nature Aquarium as sterile water is unnatural and not found in nature? Sterile Water would be beneficial to fish and inverts mostly because there is no bacteria in the water, but since most of us have Planted Tanks this isn't a problem anyway.

I do think that this should just be a maintenance tool, maybe turn it on once a week and run for a day. Which is what i'm currently testing will let you know the results.
 
Has anyone noticed that their twinstar works less often as time goes by. Initially it was fairly consistent in its bubble/mist output but after a week or so mine seems to be seen working very rarely? Is this part of the so called working algorithm?
 
Peter Botting said:
Has anyone noticed that their twinstar works less often as time goes by. Initially it was fairly consistent in its bubble/mist output but after a week or so mine seems to be seen working very rarely? Is this part of the so called working algorithm?
Click to expand...

Yup, this is a preprogrammed thingie. I guess the logic behind it as your tank progress and you have less algae you do not need that much sterilization. Makes sense.
Still you need to keep up with the diffuser plate cleaning to have the best effect. Like bi-weekly or so. And probably better to soak the plate longer than the CO2 diffusers. Maybe for overnight?

If you're unhappy with the fact that it is turning on less these days, you can reset the program anytime by pressing the button for 15 sec. You will hear a beep sound. Then you need to turn on and the program will start again from the beginning.
This is useful also when you put the TS to another tank.[DOUBLEPOST=1397858757][/DOUBLEPOST]
JoshScape said:
I do think that this should just be a maintenance tool, maybe turn it on once a week and run for a day. Which is what i'm currently testing will let you know the results.
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This will not work then. Each algae is different and need different time to die off or eat up by the maintenance crew.
For example TS helped us with BGA but it took weeks til the algae disappeared completely from the soil etc.

Turning on the device and turning off will not have that effect. As you run it you hit the algae with TS, but turning it off the light will inidicate the grow again.
This is a problem if you have some issues with the balance in your tank.

I would run it for 4-6 weeks depend on the situation and then would remove it completely.

Some of our tanks cleared up in days. Some took weeks.

Your plant melting is interesting. We do run it in 10+ setups now and not identified similar thing.
Would be nice to see some shots on the algae and the plants. Maybe that gets us closer to the problem.
 
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Many thanks for your reply Viktor. What are you using to clean them? Would h2o2 or bleach be okay or is there something more suitable?
 
Peter Botting said:
Many thanks for your reply Viktor. What are you using to clean them? Would h2o2 or bleach be okay or is there something more suitable?
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I am not 100% sure. We do use ADA Superge, but i guess similar solution would work fine. Some cleaning solution is not working well with the diffusor. H2O2, JBL Powerclean is reported by out clients as a non to go way.
Even with Superge need a bit stronger solution and soak is for overnight. Not enough for a few minute or hour like with the ceramic diffusers.
 
Ok I know this has been discussed before, but any further recommendations or experiences on the diffuser cleaning method would be appreciated ? I don't have ADA Superge, but wanted to try either H2O2 or normal household cleaning bleach. Sure, both these products will clean the diffuser, but I'm concerned on potential long term damage as presumable both options might need to be diluted first and if so what solution ? I have three Twinstars operating in a big tank, so don't want to risk damaging all three !
 
I have tried to find out how to safely clean with something different than superge. Heard Twinstar is releasing special liquid soon.
On the feedback note I am loving my 2 units and would like them in every tank now :(
Having more than 5 aquariums with co2 does not help!
 
Piece-of-fish said:
On the feedback note I am loving my 2 units and would like them in every tank now :(
Having more than 5 aquariums with co2 does not help!
Click to expand...
It's about time you showed them off then isn't it :p


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