Diatom Filters and the advantage of use

[Mattyou]

Could also hook up a whole house filter with a 5 micron cartridge to your filter output or add another pump like the quiet one pumps which would last a lot longer than the Vortex crap.

My Vortex is well over 10 years old, I just add a few drops of oil before every use and have never had a problems with the motor. As a matter of fact, mine was knocked into a saltwater tank while running by my then 5 year old daughter, that was in 1997-1998 I think and even after that I have had no problems with it. It was in the tank for a few minutes too while she tried to decide if she should get me or run away from home.

 

[C2112]

The diatom filter truly is amazing. I have a Vortex right now. It works great but is not as user friendly as the one I used 13 years ago. Back then I had a Whisper Diatomagic. It was a hang on back type of filter. It was very easy to use and worked amazingly well. Unfortunately, i got out of the hobby and got rid of it. Now they are not sold. I highly recommend diatom filters.

 

[redpsycho78]

I PLAN ON BUILDING A LARGE POND SOON AND WAS THINKING BOUT DIATOM WHY SHOULDNT U RUN DIATOM ALL THE TIME

 

[wckdkl0wn]

I PLAN ON BUILDING A LARGE POND SOON AND WAS THINKING BOUT DIATOM WHY SHOULDNT U RUN DIATOM ALL THE TIME

I honestly dont know the answer to that one. We used to run ours all the time as a main filter and never had a problem. Then we started running just diatom for a short while until the water was clear then take it off. I only have experience with an older filter so I dont know if you can or not with the newer ones.

 

[Mattyou]

You can run it non-stop. I just don't because I use it for maintenance only. The literature on them states running non-stop is fine. I leave mine on at night sometimes on my bigger tanks. I think the main thing is keeping it oiled if you use it non-stop, and checking output pressure as the bag gets dirty.

 

[ahkiu]

am i right in thinking that the "powder" used in these filters have a similar quality to asbestos? That is, it's carcinogenic if breathed in.

 

[Mattyou]

You are correct. Dont breath the dust.

 

[thomast77]

am i right in thinking that the "powder" used in these filters have a similar quality to asbestos? That is, it's carcinogenic if breathed in.

No it is not carcinogenic. But you should wear a face mask as it is still not good to breath in diatom powder.

 

[terrors r us]

i recently threw in some poly filter in my sump. while it did make a difference, its not crystal clear. what im talking about is crystal clear like the way a tank looks the first day you fill it up. its hard to keep your water looking like that on an established tank.

if a diatom filter can do that, i dont mind using it once a week after i do my 50% water changes.

I have always been under the impression that a diatom filter should be
only used periodically because it is so good that it also removes benifical
elements from your tank.........

 

[RedTailKinG]

I use one it does 350 gallons an hr and it is well worth the cash but it is rvery hard to clean