The Twinstar is an interesting, yet headscratching, product we recently encountered. The product hails from Korea but a lot of what the product does exactly seems lost in translation. From pictures, a YouTube video and reading through the company website, this product uses some sort of electrical reaction to emit a mist of fine bubbles that destroys green algae spores and other harmful pathogens (stronger than a UV sterilizer they state) — all while enhancing plant growth and fish health without harming the beneficial bacteria in your biological filter.
These are being sold for planted aquariums and there are positive before and after photos on numerous blogs as well as the company website, but it is hard to get a deeper understanding of the product through online language converters such as Google Translate.
The company website describes the Twinstar as:
…Inhibits green algae effectively without a harmful influence on aquarium ecological environment, and keeps aquarium clean by eliminating spores from the initial propagation.
Sterilizing factor with microbubbles destroy cell wall of green algae to inhibit growth, and it is nontoxic so harmless to aerobic bacteria. Promoting aquatic plants growth by inhibition of green algae on plants, those plants can elevate absorption of excess nutrients to block nourishment of green algae growth. Therefore it makes Virtuous Cycle ecological environment.
While we don’t understand the entire process behind the product, it does show some potential. We’d love to see if any of our readers in Japan or Korea has any first hand experience and can share with the rest of us. Until then, we will definitely be intrigued and to see if we can find more information on this product.
probably… no definitely using electrolysis of water (and other constituents) to sterilize microbes (includes algae cells)
Chinese has patent on the concept. CN206635085U
It would kill off any small single/simple cell organisms in water, that plus added oxygen (on the contrary to some belief O2 level in water does not kick out CO2) to further enhance its sterilization process (making O3 in the process among other decomposition)
So I would assume that is how it works, O2, O3 those are toxic to most (oxidation, antioxidants etc should ring a bell) organisms, except mitochondria…
So It would kill or denature the algae cells/spores floating around and waiting on a surface to sprout, thus over all algae growth minimized.
Potential cons due to its system:
probably accumulate Ca or other minerals in water though, so if in hard water is used it maybe little less efficient since you have heavy build up on the electrode.
It would kill a floating bacteria as well but I guess majority of beneficial bacteria is living in substrate, filter, surface, it wouldn’t do much damage.
But unless the unit fails I would doubt the current travels far from the unit (same as water flowing down, electricity goes least resistance path)
after looking at the unit I might give this a shot if I had appropriate tank sizes (now 5,3gal nanos)