# Dr Sochting's Oxydator



## Dale Landry (Jan 4, 2007)

Hi, i'm new to aquatic plants and i was wondering if dr sochting's oxydator works and were can it be gotten in canada.
Dalerayer:


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

> dr sochting's oxydator


Never heard of it. What is it supposed to do?


----------



## jamesB (Aug 31, 2006)

I can't judge the product but here is some information about the product.

Dr. Sochting's Oxydator Information - Marine Depot - Marine and Reef Aquarium Super Store



> What makes the Oxydator unique?
> 
> The benefits of adding hydrogen peroxide to water have long been known. It keeps fish in good condition, prevents acute oxygen starvation, stops fungus from growing and halts the build-up of decaying matter which makes the water murky. But regulating the peroxide concentration has always been a problem until now! The Oxydator is a unique new design with a constant, controlled release, giving the exact amount needed at any time. It radically improves the water quality, giving all the benefits mentioned above. The key is a specially developed ceramic which breaks peroxide down completely into water and oxygen. But the Oxydator does not only provide a supply of fresh oxygen. Unlike ordinary aerators, it will not expel CO2, an important plant nutrient, from the tank. It also releases activated oxygen which detoxifies poisons, rendering them completely harmless. With an Oxydator you can keep many more fish in your tank and you do not have to change the water so often. The oxygen supply adjusts to the temperature of a populated pond or tank. An 8 °C increase doubles the amount produced. Approximately 20,000 liter of water will be 100% oxygen-saturated (156 g of oxygen) by 1 liter of 30% peroxide solution at 25 °C. The table below shows the quantities and consumption rates at 25 °C. A simple adjustment gives the figures at other temperatures. An average number of fish and plants is assumed for each volume. As a highly populated tank needs more oxygen, the next highest combination may be more appropriate. The Oxydator also provides economical, purifying activated oxygen for plant-free, highly populated aquaria where aerators satisfy the large oxygen demands.


Found this link as well Biotechnik GmbH maybe someone in Europe can comment on the product.


----------



## fishdude1984 (Feb 17, 2005)

so its safe tho add hydrogen peroxide to your tank?


----------



## jamesB (Aug 31, 2006)

I wouldn't say that it is safe. Some people use it in small doses to fight algae.

This product does not technically but the H2O2 in the water it cracks the H2O2 first to release as they say "activated O" of which I am unsure what they mean. 

james


----------



## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

The Inexpensive DIY Version:

DIY Oxygenator

Lead is one of the "Catalysts" that breakdown the H202. Check the thread out--its pretty cool.....

.


----------



## HeyPK (Jan 23, 2004)

I would say that if your fish need more oxygen, it is better to correct the problem the old fashoned way by reducing the number of fish, aerating/circulating the water, removing excess organic matter that is decomposing, etc. The "science" in the explanation of how this product works is suspect. For example, the chemical equation given makes no sense. Two molecules of hydrogen peroxide stay the same, but a molecule of oxygen appears out of nowhere.


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Get a tank full of healthy growing plants, and your fish will have more oxygen than they know what to do with. My advice is to sink your $ into what you need to have healthy plants. Once you've accomplished that, you'll be surprised how healthy your fish become.


----------



## oblongshrimp (Aug 8, 2006)

strange. I agree though if your plants are growing well you will have 100% saturation anyways during the day and can just run a powerhead at night.


----------



## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

> My advice is to sink your $ into what you need to have healthy plants.


Hi Bert,

This is nothing personal toward You, but it amazes me just how much resistance that this has met.

The DIY Version is <$2 investment= Soda bottle-Free, Rocks for weight-Free, Lead-Free from Tackle box/Plant Weights, Tubing-Anybody around here not already have some?-Free, Airstone-Optional, 16oz of 3% H202~$1. Last batch was still running at 8 weeks.

I agree that the Dr. Version is a rip, but a DIY version has been found that's super dirt cheap.

High 02 levels are what we seek and we call it "Pearling"--it's not a Bad thing. Various people have low 02 levels at night, are voluntarily overstocked, etc, etc, etc.

I will set mine up and plumb it into one of my Internal C02 reactors. There the 02 will be beat to death until it dissolves. I may experience a build up during the day, but the output is very small amounts of pure 02 and the C02 will continue to dissolve anyway. It should help keep my 02 levels higher--day or night. Plants do most of their growing in the dark--that's when they also use 02. At night is when the 02 lowers, because everything is using it. As the water reduces in 02--the 02 in the reactor should be absorbed more readily--keeping 02 levels as High as possible. Higher 02 levels at night--might just help plants grow and may help their overall "Health". Anybody know otherwise.....?

By attempting to produce and dissolve 02 without surface movement--it also helps conserve C02. Then surface movement can possibly be reduced and used to eliminate surface scum. Conserving on Pressurized Systems and increasing the impact of DIY systems.

Plants don't Pearl at Atmospheric equilibrium--So, Higher 02 water levels are possible beyond Atmospheric equilibrium--the plants prove that. So, what's the Problem(s) with trying to increase 02 beyond Atmospheric equilibrium? Airstones, powerhead venturi's, etc really don't offer any 02 levels above Atmospheric. This might....

Unnecessary--Sure. Potentially Beneficial--Sure. Cheap--Yep. At $1/2month refill--it would take well over a Yr to pay for a $10 air pump-(Airstone not included). I assume that the amount and shape of the lead will determine the rate of breakdown, and there are other catalysts that will breakdown H202. But lead is cheap and easy to come by.

I agree: Save Your $$$s and don't buy the Drs. Version, but if any of this is of interest --Cough up that $2........

Sorry, but I'm just not seeing a Downside to this experiment.......


----------



## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

There is nothing wrong with experimenting, I work in science and, believe me, I am all for it.:thumbsup: When I told the original poster to save his money, I wasn't referring to the diy version of this. This is a member's first post, and he appears to be at the bottom of the learning curve in dealing with planted tanks. IMO, he will get a lot more benefit by learning how to successfully grow healthy plants, than by starting to tinker with an experimental system which may or may not have any measurable benefits to his tank.

I fully support your experimenting. I hope you post your results of your testing. Plumbing it into your CO2 reactor sounds interesting. Having lower solubilities than CO2, I wonder if you will get a gas bubble build up, but you'll soon know those answers. Let us know how your results go.


----------



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Adding O2 may or may not be of benefit and I can't give an opinion either way about the benefits/downsides as I've never tried it. I've always felt that in a tank with a good mass of healthy plants, O2 is never an issue. But it would be interesting to see if there are any potential benefits.

However, it really rubs me the wrong way when some con artist puts together pseudo scientific babble to try to justify/sell a product. If the product has merit, it wouldn't need the pseudo science. If it needs the pseudo science to sell then I call it fraud.

What in the world is "activated Oxygen" ??


----------



## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

"Activated Oxygen" is the Buzz word for Ozone=03.
"Super Activate Oxygen"=04

I set mine up earlier--connected it to the internal Power reactor in my Plant Filter. Not getting any build up---Yet. Turned off the air pump/stone and no problems so far. Its just fizzing away.....

Thanx, Burt, I was hoping my post would be taken well. I didn't notice the First post status of the original poster. This whole thing has met with a higher level of resistance over at TPT then I would have ever imagined. There's a lot of *Potential* here. It just need to be tried and checked out IMO.

HTH


----------



## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Thanks for the definitions!  

Now why don't they just say so?  

And let us know what the results of your experiment are...


----------



## Tonka (Mar 20, 2004)

I'm not sure that plant weights are made with lead...

Aquarium Plants, Pond Plants, Freshwater Aquarium Plant & Aquarium Accessories - Arizona Aquatic Gardens


----------



## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

Good Call. I am using Lead fishing weights and the Original poster over at PT is using a piece of Plant weight. Its working for them, so maybe their's is Lead, or zinc/magnesium are on the catalyst list.....???

Either way, mine is still producing well, I didn't get any build up yesterday and the fish are not having any problems with the air pump off. I'm not sure how to actually tell of any "Benefit(s)" other than not running an airstone combined with reduced surface movement and lack of gas build up in the Power Reactor.

Anybody know how to tell redox benefit without an ORP meter? Will redox affect TDS in any noticeable way? I have a pH Controller and a TDS meter, but no ORP ATM......

While I can still edit this post: This has been setup on a ~110g system consisting of a 40g main tank + 30g Plant Filter + 40g sump. The overflows and return are all under water, so surface movement in not a problem. Its a slow flow system. I am not seeing any build up at all, so I am going to make another one of these and plumb it into a second C02 power reactor in the sump. Eventually I will add a 2nd (3rd system total) C02 reactor in the sump and, if there is still no build up, plumb a 3rd one of these into that. Hopefully, I can increase 02 production and dissolution enough to start acquiring a build up and then back down some. By using 2-3 different C02 reactors and 2-3 different 02 production sources---hopefully I can achieve a higher level of 02 saturation. We'll see......


----------



## Satirica (Feb 13, 2005)

Without going into whether this is of any value at all -- which I suspect is the source of resistance -- I'll just say that the best way to get O2 into a tank from H2O2 is to use a drip line and drip the H2O2 into the tank. That way the O2 forms in a dissolved state, and the peroxide in minute quantities won't hurt anything.

Someone ought to do the math on the amount of O2 you get from a bottle of H2O2, particularly since 3% H2O2 is usually around 1% long before it is purchased and while it is still in date. The amount of O2, that bubbling that looks so intense in the bubbling container, is actually quite small and unlikely to affect the oxygen level in the tank to any measurable degree.


----------



## Naja002 (Nov 15, 2005)

Satirica said:


> Without going into whether this is of any value at all -- which I suspect is the source of resistance -- I'll just say that the best way to get O2 into a tank from H2O2 is to use a drip line and drip the H2O2 into the tank. That way the O2 forms in a dissolved state, and the peroxide in minute quantities won't hurt anything.


Adding H202 directly to a system will always contain much greater risks than dissolving pure 02, and I doubt you could obtain the same 02 level without embracing the negative effects of H202 overdosing.



Satirica said:


> Someone ought to do the math on the amount of O2 you get from a bottle of H2O2,


Its already been done. Just do some research.



Satirica said:


> particularly since 3% H2O2 is usually around 1% long before it is purchased and while it is still in date.


Larger container, more catalyst, Greater H202 concetration. What's the problem? Easy to compensate for......



Satirica said:


> The amount of O2, that bubbling that looks so intense in the bubbling container, is actually quite small and unlikely to affect the oxygen level in the tank to any measurable degree.


You haven't done the math or the research--How would You know? Additionally, its pure 02, not 70% nitrogen like an air pump/stone offers.

This is the basic ill-thought-out, knee-jerk reaction. Nobody has yet to be able to offer a "Down-side" to this. I'm still listening.....


----------

