Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: Robert on November 25, 2019, 07:40:38 AM
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https://www.caissen.co.uk/products/eco-aquarium-water-purifier-cube (https://www.caissen.co.uk/products/eco-aquarium-water-purifier-cube)
Saw this today In a Facebook ad.
Looks almost too good to be true of course, and therein is the issue.
Thoughts?
Similar product here https://amzn.to/2pMMS8m cheaper mind...
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It is just carbon, made in a physical shape to trap tiny particles. The usual way of removing fine particles is with filter wool.
Being carbon it will also remove organics from the water. These include things which cause yellow colouration and odours - we already have carbon granules and carbon sponges that go in the filter to do this.
They are marketing this as a way to get rid of cloudy water without doing water changes. But the members of this forum know that we don't do water changes just to get rid of cloudy water; we don't have cloudy water but do water changes anyway. If our tanks looked like the one in the link, we'd be panicking because we let it get like that!
Personally I think it is another gimmick, a bit like Tetra Nitrate Minus, aimed at people who think fish tanks are a living ornament and are not prepared to care for their pets properly.
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Those pesky marketers!
And this is the thing Sue, so many people would be taken in by that ad. It's very visual, very crash bang wallop and devoid of the host of subtext that accompanies issues around this.
There must certainly be a perception that it's natural for tanks to get this bad and there is a quick fix, else why would they market it in this way? :cheers:
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It is a popular misconception that you buy a tank, fill it with water, put fish in and just feed them. There is the misconception that a fish tank does not need any looking after; that fish are maintenance free pets. That's how tanks end up like the one in the ad. So many people will turn to any gimmick to avoid work.
Hamster cages have to be cleaned; horses have to be mucked out. Why should fish be different?
Our temporary cat has a litter tray, which he doesn't like but has to use when he can't get outside. Our son doesn't just leave everything in there, he empties it. Not doing a water change is like leaving the litter tray untouched for months, which is how tanks get into the state of the one in the ad. The cube is the equivalent of using an air freshener to hide the smell from the unemptied litter tray.
That's why forums like this exist - when things start to go wrong, the owners turn to the internet for help. We can educate people in how to actually look after their fish :)
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That's why forums like this exist - when things start to go wrong, the owners turn to the internet for help. We can educate people in how to actually look after their fish
Where's the heart shaped emoji when you need one :cheers:
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Wholeheartedly agree with Sue. It's aimed at those who think their "water is fine if it's crystal clear", when in reality water could look ok but have ammonia and nitrite or high nitrates if not being maintained as it ought to be.
It's advocating washing with water and soap :yikes:, without even a mention of very heavy rinsing required to get rid of any traces of soap!
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Hi Everyone,
There's so much to criticize about this 'wonder product' but I'll restrain myself. OK, they openly state that it is activated carbon. But they are relying on the water flow in the tank for it to be even remotely effective. Without flow, it will do very little. And who would want a nine centimetre* black cube sitting in their tank?
JPC
* my (revised) estimation!
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I don't understand how washing it will refresh the carbon - I thought it (I know my chemistry is poor at best so won't attempt to get wording right) got full and couldn't absorb more, washing it won't change this surely?
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As @fcmf has noted - wash with soap & water. :o
I didn't realise soap & water re-activated carbon either. Oh dear.
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@Matt this obviously uses a form of chemistry that we were unaware of. :rotfl:
Or perhaps it's magic carbon, or magic soap.
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I thought i was safe with "got full"...
I've since noticed I've written "absorb" and I suspect I may have meant "adsorb"!...
It's a dangerous game this chemistry business....
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Washing with soap is when it's new; after that it is just rinsed. It does say (with my italics)
Wash the cube with warm water and soap before using.
Recommended placement is near the water inlet of the fish tank pump.
Do not position the grid filter downward, otherwise, it will clog up and affect the filtration effect.
For best results, rinse or replace the filter every 3 to 6 months.
All rinsing will do is remove the usual brown goo that builds up in filters.
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Matt - I meant that perhaps the cube used the sort of chemistry that we are unaware of, which is why it could magically "clean" the tank, and be "reactivated" with soap & water.
I know your spelling can be a bit touch and go when you use your phone, but I thought you'd spelled everything right on this one. ;D
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The information on this cube also sounds a bit like the marketing that came with the launch of the Hydra filters.
https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/review-ocean-free-hydra-30-internal-filter/
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Don't worry I got the joke... I think it is adsorb though... ive googled it now :rotfl:
Just above @Sue s quote is...
100% Safe & Reusable
Just wash it with soap and warm water, and then you can put it back in the tank again.
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Things adsorb onto carbon; that is, they stick to its surface. But with something like a carbon sponge, things will also get absorbed - penetrate inside the sponge part :)