"Yabbadoo" wrote:

Anyone got experiemce of this new device?
The few references I've seen so far say
1/ It's expensive
2/ It's dangerous to koi
3/ It works on blanket weed

Jury seems to be split 50/50 on how good it is. Comments?

The i-tronic works by creating copper ions in the water. Many
algaecides are based on copper.

1) the i-tronic kills algae which produces oxygen, so the water may
become oxygen deficient, suffocating fish.

2) if you have added salt to the water, you must refresh the water.
Sodium (kitchen salt or sea salt) will combine with the copper ions.
These bonds can be precipitated on the gills of the fish. Especially
cypriniformes, including koi, are very sensitive to this.

3) the i-tronic kills snails. The copper minerals are fatal for
molluscs, even in small amounts.

This is from the i-tronic manual, page 6 at:

http://www.oasis-water-gardens.com/itronic.pdf

"If all else fails, read the directions."

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