75% reduction in WC's with ECO-Aqualizer?
- Thread starter Fishman0
- Start date
Every few months...
They make a lot of claims on that site with very little explanation. It sounds like they are selling a cure all elixir from a conestoga wagon in a traveling show. Let's start with the paragraph on the first page:
All aquariums contain organic wastes which over time slowly degrade water quality and create unhealthy conditions which typical aquarium filters can not control. Unfortunately , monthly water changes have been the only way to help manage these problematic issues.
Monthly water changes?? Right there is your first red flag especially how in the next sentence they claim "no more!! implying that you can skip months at a time according to their own water change chart.
On to the chemistry/ biology you asked about. There is more involved in this than what I am about to go into but I am trying to simplify it. The Nitrogen cycle as we all know it results from the breakdown of ammonia NH3/NH4 + into a less lethal form known as nitrate NO3 -. It then gets broken down into nitrite NO2- and finally into nitrogen gas N2. When ammonia gets broken down into nitrate, Hydrogen ions are lost and Oxygen bonds with the Nitrogen atom left (a little oversimplified) After that an Oxygen gets lost each step of the breakdown. NO3/NO2/Nitrogen. We are eventually left with nitrogen gas N2 that goes off into the atmosphere harmlessly. What they are implying here is that their "ionization process" (undefined by them I might add) helps facilitate the breaking of the Hydrogen bonds in ammonia while at the same time breaking the hydrogen bonds of water H2Oto free up excess Oxygen. This in turn allows the Oxygen to bond to the ammonia molecule and displace the Hydrogen atom from it. They are saying that "freed" up Oxygen facilitates the Nitrogen cycle. I guess it does to an extent because there must be oxygen present for the process to occur.
but, why would I buy their product when I could add Oxygen to my tank with an air pump (assuming of course that all of their claims are accurate. They aren't.) So I don't see the significance they are attaching to this. However to make their claims a bit more confusing they also claim that their gadget also stabilizes pH. Many factors go into pH readings but the buffering capacity (tds and the hardness readings ) of your water is, IMO, the biggest factor. I know their machine doesn't buffer the water because it doesn't have the ability to add/remove anything to/from it, but I do know that based on their claim that their "ionization process" would theoretically be releasing a lot of hydrogen ions into the water. Assuming of course that they are actually breaking up H20 molecules..........pH = potential HYDROGEN. It is a measure of the activity of dissolved Hydrogen ions. So I don't see how creating additional Hydrogen ions is going to help stabilize the pH. If anything as these Hydrogen ions accumulate they are going to eventually overcome your water's buffering capacity and your pH is going to go acidic in a much shorter time than their suggested water change schedule of one month. I'll not even get into the months that they tell you can be skipped. I hope this was somewhat helpful.
All aquariums contain organic wastes which over time slowly degrade water quality and create unhealthy conditions which typical aquarium filters can not control. Unfortunately , monthly water changes have been the only way to help manage these problematic issues.
Monthly water changes?? Right there is your first red flag especially how in the next sentence they claim "no more!! implying that you can skip months at a time according to their own water change chart.
On to the chemistry/ biology you asked about. There is more involved in this than what I am about to go into but I am trying to simplify it. The Nitrogen cycle as we all know it results from the breakdown of ammonia NH3/NH4 + into a less lethal form known as nitrate NO3 -. It then gets broken down into nitrite NO2- and finally into nitrogen gas N2. When ammonia gets broken down into nitrate, Hydrogen ions are lost and Oxygen bonds with the Nitrogen atom left (a little oversimplified) After that an Oxygen gets lost each step of the breakdown. NO3/NO2/Nitrogen. We are eventually left with nitrogen gas N2 that goes off into the atmosphere harmlessly. What they are implying here is that their "ionization process" (undefined by them I might add) helps facilitate the breaking of the Hydrogen bonds in ammonia while at the same time breaking the hydrogen bonds of water H2Oto free up excess Oxygen. This in turn allows the Oxygen to bond to the ammonia molecule and displace the Hydrogen atom from it. They are saying that "freed" up Oxygen facilitates the Nitrogen cycle. I guess it does to an extent because there must be oxygen present for the process to occur.
but, why would I buy their product when I could add Oxygen to my tank with an air pump (assuming of course that all of their claims are accurate. They aren't.) So I don't see the significance they are attaching to this. However to make their claims a bit more confusing they also claim that their gadget also stabilizes pH. Many factors go into pH readings but the buffering capacity (tds and the hardness readings ) of your water is, IMO, the biggest factor. I know their machine doesn't buffer the water because it doesn't have the ability to add/remove anything to/from it, but I do know that based on their claim that their "ionization process" would theoretically be releasing a lot of hydrogen ions into the water. Assuming of course that they are actually breaking up H20 molecules..........pH = potential HYDROGEN. It is a measure of the activity of dissolved Hydrogen ions. So I don't see how creating additional Hydrogen ions is going to help stabilize the pH. If anything as these Hydrogen ions accumulate they are going to eventually overcome your water's buffering capacity and your pH is going to go acidic in a much shorter time than their suggested water change schedule of one month. I'll not even get into the months that they tell you can be skipped. I hope this was somewhat helpful.
but isnt the process ammonia, nitrite then nitrate?i smell a scam. if it worked, we'd already know about it. it reminds me of the old x-ray glasses and sea monkey eggs that used to be sold in ads in comic books.
I have an ionization unit on the end of my ro system as well, but to say it lasts for 10 years and never needs cleaning, why only 180 day guarantee then. That is all I saw, it is an ionization chamber, sure it will help polish the water and make tank look good and all it states, but not to totally eliminate the need for water changes, it does not remove nitrogen from the water and does not claim to either.
My wife made me buy her a $300 hair dryer that uses "Far-Infrared" light generated by heating "Tourmaline crystals". I dont know what processes are involved, but it still takes her an hour to dry her damm hair.
EDIT: I wonder how they got Dr. Herwig to endorse it? He's a pretty tough guy to impress...
EDIT: I wonder how they got Dr. Herwig to endorse it? He's a pretty tough guy to impress...
