Water Ionizers?

Just wanted to get everyones opinion on water ionizers & the use of magnetic fields to break hydrogen bonds.

Since I installed my Ecoaqualizer the light seems to penatrate deeper. The Ick outbreak I was trying to cure totally disapeared in 2 days and my protein skimmate is jet black. There is also a layer of Tourmaline which is supposed to emit Far Inferred for sterlization.

Can anyone think of any drawback??

 

Well, from a scientific / chemistry standpoint, water cannot be ionized. Water is an ionizing agent for other compounds. (Acids, as an example, become highly reactive when dissolved in water because of the high density of free ions formed.) The manufacturer's website has no real scientific theory or explanation for what is happening, though what they do say draws a bit from the function of an ozone generator or UV filter.

As far as I know, infrared light has no ability to sterilize. Further, tourmaline is an extremely common mineral, and while it can be used to create piezoelectrics, I can find no reference to it's use to create, or even filter, infrared.

They also claim that "The Earth's Magnetic Field and the Suns Radiating Wavelengths are natural forces which contribute to the missing links in achieving aquarium perfection." .... Uh, I don't remember shielding my tank from the Earth's magnetic field, so I'm good on that point. As for the sun, well, maybe the ocean sees more UV than my tank (good thing, too, because my tank isn't deep enough to offer the UV protection most of the inhabitants need!) but MH bulbs do a respectable job of creating the other wavelengths found at sea level. Certainly, they produce a ton of IR.

I'm happy that you are seeing improvement in your tank, but it's hard for me to believe the "ecoaqualizer" is the reason. Every indication is that this is another aquarium snake-oil. If you continue to use it, I highly recommend investing in a ORP meter. If their claims of increased ORP are true, you need to be careful of raising the reactivity too high. That would be just as dangerous to the tank as a low value. (search the forums for ozone to learn more about ORP)

 

process is detoxification

The breakthrough technology of water ionization supplies you with an endless stream of healthy, tasty, hydrating, inexpensive water. Jupiter basically neutralizes this acid condition. Just by supplying your daily drinking and cooking water from this alkaline water purifier (high pH), you can restore a healthy alkaline environment in your body. This process is detoxification; and there's a vast body of research about the importance of maintaining a proper acid / alkaline balance.

 

Ya and they improve your gas mileage, extend oil changes, cure your arthritis and many other bogus claims.

 

Im fallowing along but skepticaly.snake oils are so common in this day and age.....butt their are always new ideas....

 

This thread is like the Herpes virus. It never really goes away. The Eco-Aqualizer is nowhere near a new idea. Here's a more recent review of this "miracle" product:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/filters-pumps-etc/eco-aqualizer-review-86174.html

 

The BunkHouse: Water pseudoscience gallery

There are literally thousands of ways to get taken for a ride in the water industry and few are based on science or real world applications.

 

This thread linked to doesn't really say very much. Nothing about the water flow or how the materials inside of it react in the flow. The white powder was never identified. If it is Diatomaceous earth for instance it might actually be a pretty good filter though it probably wouldn't do much for very long.

Being skeptical about things is good but I would rather have more info first before just deciding that it's bunk. The OP already said there was an improvement in his tank after installing it so the question becomes why did it change things.

Maybe just adding more flow to the tank? Idk, I would have to know more about the particular filter first.

 

The Eco Aqualizer has been around for ~10 years and has been "dissected" many times...if you dig into Google far enough you'll find threads were they have been tested with water quality readings charted daily, etc...at the end of the day it's still PVC pipe, some cheap magnets and a sparkly label...every few months a thread pops up somewhere on these things on one of the boards...I don't know how long you've been in the hobby, but I think for those of us that have been around for many years we just hate to see this and other potions, tonics, ect. marketed to the "newer" hobbyist looking for that magic bullet...it's money wasted and in some cases does more harm than good.

 

+1 This thread is from 05' Back then, I remember the Eco Aqualizer employees used to show up on the forums, as "new users" of the product, who had never posted anything before. They would post a big spiel about the products, almost the same, word for word, and disappear. Luckily people caught on quick and this one really never went anywhere. There are a lot out there though, that aren't quite as absurd sounding that do stick around more unfortunately.