rhf - hydrogen peroxide?

mbsun · Sep 27, 2015

Ok

Tbh i am certainly not an advocate of its use, too indiscriminate

However something said to me regarding a potential use, which tbh i was somewhat less than keen, but explaining why proved difficult

Using hydrogen peroxide to increase oxygen in the event of depleted oxygen from reef putty (poorly used)

What would be the effects on fish?
What would be the effect on micro life?
What would be the effect in the presence of ammonia or nitrite?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 27, 2015

I don't think an epoxy putty is going to noticeably deplete O2.

That said, in an emergency, adding some hydrogen peroxide to help boost O2 does not seem to be a problem in reef tanks.

I don't know how rapidly it reacts with either ammonia or nitrite in seawater.

mbsun · Sep 27, 2015

What do you imagine the concievable outcome to be in the presence of ammonia or nitrite?

I assume there would be no issue with micro fauna in the amounts that would be used to significantly raise o2? (Tbh i havent actually comcidered how much maybe used, so if very little needed a mute question)

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 27, 2015

mbsun said:
What do you imagine the concievable outcome to be in the presence of ammonia or nitrite?
)

If it did anything, it would oxidize them, but I do not know exactly what might be made as there are lots of possible compounds, N2, nitrite, nitrate, and various nitrogen oxides, and even hydrazine.

I wouldn't worry about that reaction in a reef tank, however.

People who have used H2O2 for other purposes, like dinos or algae, do not seem to notice other impacts.

mbsun · Sep 28, 2015

Thankyou randy

Due to its effects against dinos etc, i believe it would have the same effect against zooxanthellae
Though i havent actually used hydrogen peroxide as such i did use a well known remedy to attack dinos a few years ago, which i believe is based on h2o2, my experience was sps and lps bleached comciderably, to the point i stopped and played with more traditional cures. Certainly other reefers i know experienced issues with h2o2, though not everyone for sure

In the case in question the tank it transpired wasnt really fully cycled, in fact a 5 day cycle had just been added with some arguably uncured rock, allong with i possibly a bit of blending of a few packs of epoxy in a small tank into the water column! ( guy was new but we all were once) My concern really was what i would assume to be a large dose of h2o2 (in comparrison to typical vs dinos doses), may do to what was at best fragile biology?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Sep 28, 2015

mbsun said:
Thankyou randy

Due to its effects against dinos etc, i believe it would have the same effect against zooxanthellae
Though i havent actually used hydrogen peroxide as such i did use a well known remedy to attack dinos a few years ago, which i believe is based on h2o2, my experience was sps and lps bleached comciderably, to the point i stopped and played with more traditional cures. Certainly other reefers i know experienced issues with h2o2, though not everyone for sure

In the case in question the tank it transpired wasnt really fully cycled, in fact a 5 day cycle had just been added with some arguably uncured rock, allong with i possibly a bit of blending of a few packs of epoxy in a small tank into the water column! ( guy was new but we all were once) My concern really was what i would assume to be a large dose of h2o2 (in comparrison to typical vs dinos doses), may do to what was at best fragile biology?

Perhaps it would damage zoox, but zoox may be somewhat protected by being inside the corals tissues. So lower doses may still be OK and the fans of H2O2 dosing do not seem to experience widespread bleaching.