tel Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 what exactly are they, does anyone run them and how, where can they be bought?? any help appreciated thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 They are just fine filters, could be a carbon block cartridge or anything fine enough to not let diatoms through. They are not normally used in a tank, an application would more typically be for filtering NSW prior to putting in the tank to remove parasites, or some similar use to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 They were fashionable about 30 years ago on fresh water tanks. I had 3 of them. These worked by adding the diatomaceous earth to the bottle and the powder clouded up then settled on a fine filter arrangement. They could filter down to 1 micron depending on the grade of powder used. They were like a reverse filter as the powder settled on the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Oh yes, NOW I remember , diatonomous earth filtering was once suggested for marine tanks also, in fact, there are a few web pages floating around still advocating its use. Probably no harm in it but more not needed nowadays with the improvement in other technology such as skimmers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 They probably would be good on marines. I found they would blow a bit of the powder through until they settled down, that might be ok on marine, I don't know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 They are just fine filters, could be a carbon block cartridge or anything fine enough to not let diatoms through. They are not normally used in a tank, an application would more typically be for filtering NSW prior to putting in the tank to remove parasites, or some similar use to that. Would beg to differ - the americans have been using diatom filters in their tanks for years and they are often advertised for sale in the US fish magazines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 There may be a few people who still use them in a marine tank these days. But very few, trust me BTW, I did something like this myself back in 1986, something I did not even remember when I first saw this thread. What happened was you dissolved the powder in some water then tipped into the tank, & it encased onto a filter thingy attached to a pump. Did make the water sparkling clean I did not even have a skimmer in those days. However the effect was only temporary, I just did it till the pack ran out and that was it. The instructions also advised doing it at times when various problems arose, and it would probably have worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted March 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 back in 1986 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Should add though I don't have 20 years solid experience, I kept a simple FO system back then for 4-5 years, then sold it when I sold the house, and didn't get back into the hobby until 1999. Was a shock to find how much things had changed in the mean time, I was initially going to set up an under gravel filter, as I'd had before, and then found out that marine keeping was now a whole new world. I think it's the internet that's greatly sped up the learning curve for myself and most hobbyists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 There may be a few people who still use them in a marine tank these days. But very few, trust me Really ? They are still heavily advertised in the US magazines - does that mean they are just more used in freshwater nowadays then ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 They are still heavily advertised in the US magazines - does that mean they are just more used in freshwater nowadays then ? No idea really. I don't know much about fresh water. If they are being advertised, then presumably they are being sold. But so are jebo skimmers. I don't believe they serve much useful purpose in a well equiped reef tank, but neither will they do much harm, if you want to use one, go for it. Especially if a person has a cheap / no skimmer, or is otherwise lacking in good filtration, they may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tel Posted March 5, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 i asked the question because i read somewhere that they ''polish'' the water, remove really tiny particulate matter and make the water almost disappear, due to its appearance, clarity etc...i had quite green water from howick beach which i got on the 18th. ive since collected 720lts on fri morning and done a 100% w/c. thanks to steve for use of his pump, it took 10 mins to load on board...brilliantly easy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 diatom filters use silicate sand which can add silicate to your tank, so not the best for marine tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Diatom filters use diatomaceous earth which is the shells of microscopic diatoms, chemically similar to coral or oyster shell (calcium carbonate) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 So it could add diatoms to your tank and po4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 "A characteristic feature of diatom cells is that they are encased within a unique cell wall made of silica." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatom I dont know how easily silica dissolves, does silica sand create diatom problems? Real cool shells. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I stand corrcted. I knew they were carbonate but not that they were encased in silicate. Does that mean they would not tend to make fresh water harder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 I'm pretty it wouldnt, I think that they are pure silica , perhaps with the other detrius from inside the shell, but I'd imagine it would have been wahed or bleached or something. The Montheiths brewery on the West Coast uses diatom filters - basicially you force the beer through the skeletons under pressure and it removes all the particulate matter (yeast in the case) before bottl'n. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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