Hydrogen Peroxide dosing

[alex93se]

Anyone every try using hydrogen peroxide in their tanks? I was given some advice to dose hydrogen peroxide, 1ml per 10g for 3 days, then 2ml per 5g for 3 more days to help fight some algae issues in my brother-in-law's tank. He's noticed much better water quality, the algae has stopped growing(but has not died off) and his SPS polyp extension and color have improved noticeably. I've read that dosing will kill of good and bad algae, so I'm not trying it, but it is interesting...

 

[redfishbluefish]

Hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizing agent. I’m assuming you are using the stuff you get at your local drug store…I think 3 percent.

Unless you are directly applying this stuff to the subject algae, it is immediately consumed once added to the tank. In the pH 8.0 or so, hydrogen peroxide is virtually converted to water and oxygen. The oxygen, being highly reactive, is immediately consumed by whatever is in the water. Again, unless it is intimately applied to the algae, the algae never sees the oxidative effects of the peroxide. I would be leery putting hydrogen peroxide in my tank, but then again, I’m continually amazed at what some are doing.

 

[radiata]

In the "right" dosage, I guess it would have the same results as ozone - higher ORP, clearer water, fewer organics in the water, etc. But I have no idea what the "right" dosage is, nor would I care to experiment to find out.

 

[Tazmaniancowboy]

I just read (in the last month) an article on one of the known reef keepers who is dosing peroxide. There was no amount recommended and it actually said that is was not recommended that we try it. I'm going to see if I can find the article.

 

[alex93se]

Thanks for the input. My gut feeling is that his tank was in bad shape and that the peroxide helped clean it up and added oxygen. I'm guessing at a certain point the peroxide would become a detriment and with no clear guidelines, too risky to use.

 

[Boomer]

HP can be very dangerous if you do NOT know what yo are doing. It can raise the O2 though the roof. When allied correctly in the old "Craig Bingman Method" it works great. Although he never got to writing up anything on it. He used it in a special rector. For years, in the 'olden days", there use a be a marketed reactor by Aquarium Products we used that ran on 20 % HP. It was a ceramic cone the HP dripped into. That controlled things with no runaway O2. In the "olden days", with a limited dosage of 3 %, we used it to raise O2 during power outages. When asked before about guidelines, for reef application, my answer is always the same, you better be willing buying a good O2 so you know where the hell you are at. A ORP probe is not going to tell you how much O2 is in the water. Contrary two what some may think, O3 raises the O2 very little where HP can easily.