SuperTab - Chlorine Dioxide

Calculation SuperTab/ClO₂ dosage

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SuperTab Manual - Safety Data Sheet

SuperTab is the oxidant chlorine dioxide (ClO2) in tablet form. This tablet form of chlorine dioxide is a new development and makes the use of the product very easy. Chlorine dioxide (should not be compared to or confused with chlorine) s a relative weak oxidizing agent. Therefore its allowed to be present in specific concentrations in drinking water and  ponds with live stock. 

Chlorine dioxide is very effective in killing pathogens such as fungi, bacteria and viruses. Chlorine dioxide is a very selective oxidant and reacts mainly with organic substances. Anaerobic bacteria cannot become resistant to chlorine dioxide because, unlike UV or antibiotics, the cell wall is destroyed. 

Contrary to many other oxidants, chlorine dioxide is also very effective at low temperatures and high pH values. Unlike chlorine, chlorine dioxide does not affect the pH value.

Chlorine dioxide is a lot less effective in the dark, which limits the adverse effect on biological filters to a minimum. Also due to the low oxidation power, bacteria, which provide the conversion process of proteins/ammonia/nitrite to nitrate, are hardly affected by low concentrations of ClO2. Because anaerobic bacteria (pathogens) have a very thin skin, they are already killed at very low concentrations.

The major advantage of chlorine dioxide, in comparison with other oxidants (hydrogen peroxide, ozone and chlorine), is its low oxidation power, in combination with a high oxidation capacity. 

Low oxidation power:
The more powerful the oxidant, the more dangerous it is for living organisms. Because of its power and potential harmful effects on, for example fish, no free ozone may be present in the water. Therefore, ozone is always used out of reach of the fish, and it is ensured that no residual ozone is present in the water.

Oxygen is a very weak oxidant: as much oxygen as possible should be present in the water to prevent pathogens and to neutralise harmful (reducing) substances.

Chlorine dioxide lies above oxygen, but far below ozone with regard to its oxidation power. A fixed low concentration will therefore not result in any problems for fish or other living organisms. 

High oxidation capacity:
To neutralise the same amount of dirt 2.5 times the amount of other oxidants is needed compared to chlorine dioxide. In other words, the concentration of chlorine dioxide only needs to be 40% of that of other oxidants to kill anaerobic bacteria or to neutralise organic material.

The combination of low oxidation power and high oxidation capacity makes this product very suitable for relatively safe and easy use in aquaculture.

In practice the working of chlorine dioxide is in long term good visible:

• less bacterial problems
• walls and pipes visibly cleaner
• fresher water odor
• significantly more active fish

One SuperTab is suited for 50.000-200.000 litre pondwater. It is adviced to dose weekly because the chlorine dioxide will be consumed. At this dose a concentration of 0.01-0.04 mg/l is reached and the the bacterial load is greatly reduced without having a negative effect on the biology and aquaculture in the water. 

At higher concentrations (from 0.2 mg/l to 0.5 mg/l) ClO2 is well capable of significantly reducing and/or solving bacterial problems in fish. 

Application examples:

(Koi) ponds with fish:

For the private user it is important not to let the bacterial pressure increase and to keep it well-controlled. A concentration of 0.01-0.04 mg/l is required for maintenance doses in the pond. This means 1 SuperTab per 50.000-100.000 litre water. If you have a 10,000 litre pond, you can dissolve 1 SuperTab in a 1-litre container and then use a dose of 50-200 ml in order to get a concentration of 0.01-0.04 mg/l.

Especially if the organic load is very high (i.e. when first using the product), the quantity dispensed will be consumed rather quickly. In this case, it is advisable to apply a dose every other day, 4 times in succession. Then apply a dose twice per week for 4 weeks.

In addition to the reduction of the bacterial pressure, much of the organic material will disappear from the walls and the interior of the piping after prolonged use. Your pond will gradually become visibly cleaner.

If the bacterial pressure in the pond is very high, the dose could be increased to 1 SuperTab per 20.000 litres or even 1 SuperTab per 10.000 litres. If this dosage is repeated every day for a week, the bacterial pressure will drop drastically.

(Swimming) ponds without fish:

For swimming ponds without fish, a higher dosage of 0.1 - 0.2 mg/l is recommended. The product has no chlorine smell and is therefore especially suitable to strongly reduce bacterial pressure. Over time, a silt layer is created in a swimming pond. This often causes the bacterial pressure to increase to unacceptable levels. At low levels, chlorine dioxide will have no harmful effects on the plants. The SuperTab also reduces the specific swimming pond smell: when using the SuperTab, the water will smell considerably fresher.