Technology, H2O2 Oxydator, Pond Oxygenation And Water Quality

The worst advice I ever got was from a koi dealer who advised shutting off one of my hiblows to avoid turbulence that upset kois. Those of us who have seen the postings on Yotti's pond and his fantastic fish grown in highly oxygenated water knows the beneficial effects of oxygen. David Soon's postings on Cavitated water are also highly educational.

We all know that the koi hobby, there are many hurdles or challenges to raising good fish -- koi selection, management of water quality, feed, disease control and the use of technology.

From the early days of picking up this hobby, I have always tinkered with improving water quality -- from the use of PP bombs to increasing flow rates, modifying filter chambers and filter media etc.

Back when photocatalytic TiO2 was still in research phase, I experimented with the help of Japanese nanotech experts on the use of TiO2 with Sunlight and UV lights for the treating pond water. Its use was already proven in the waste treatment field, but unfortunately, while the TiO2 succeeded in breaking up the cell walls of the unicelled algae, it was not able to remove green water as these broken celled algae proliferated with wild abandon.

The use of PP bombs to increase Total Dissolved Oxygen ("TDO") is well documented elsewhere in this forum and is, indeed, an important part of the resources available for disease management. The other equally formidable weapon is Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) which is a powerful disinfectant with strong oxidation properties :http://www.koiquest.co.uk/hp1.htm. It is conventional theory that H2O2 has to be treated with utmost respect due to its potentially destructive effect. A bit like the atomic bomb.

So it is no accident that I sat up and took immediate notice when Dr Sochting's Oxydator came onto the market. It was like there is now a method to harness nuclear energy through nuclear reactors -- in this case, it is the brilliant Oxydator.

Details of the Oxydator can be found here: http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~freshwater_sochting_oxydator_information.html

I took the risk of trying out the Oxydator in my ponds for the last 6 months, on the basis that since the Germans had gone on to market the product in the US, it should be relatively safe if they are prepared to take on lawsuits in that market.

I also asked the local dealer to work on larger units rather than the standard 1 litre units for use in large ponds. The manufacturer developed the 5 litre Maxi Oxydator that treats 25 tons each.

With increased oxygen, my fish prospered due to enhanced TDO and incidents of disease dropped drastically even though my pond is overstocked. In fact, the fish grew so fast that the ponds are now overcrowded.

I figured that even if all the other benefits fail to materialise, I would still have an uninterrupted supply of Oxygen that will ensure fish survival during a power blackout. You will be surprised how often the conventional battery backed Uninterrupted Power Supply fails -- one even blew up the battery due to overcharging!

Cheers,

Jeff