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diatom filter
- Thread starter peter
- Start date
George Farmer
Founder
- Joined
- 21 Jun 2007
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I've not seen any in the UK. They're popular in the US, but shipping would be costly.
You could try contacting Aqua Essentials to see if they can source some.
You could try contacting Aqua Essentials to see if they can source some.
zig
Member
A friend of mine bought one (imported) from the United states just a few weeks back, it cost him €180 inc postage duty costs etc, so approx £126, he could not buy one anywhere in Europe, he also got a few kgs of diatom powder as well included in the total cost.
_Maq_
Member
Recently, I've been experimenting with DIY diatomaceous earth filter. I can tell you, I've laboured with a few methods of uncommon methods of filtration, incl. UV-C lamps, but I've never seen a tank water as clear as after three hours running this prototype. Incredible. No words to describe the difference.
Only now I've fully realized how many micro particles and microbes are dispersed in the water column.
Only now I've fully realized how many micro particles and microbes are dispersed in the water column.
I believe I speak for everyone when I say; Tell us more
MichaelJ
Member
Hi @Hufsa, Start here - very efficient water polisher using a micron filter … you can prime it with diatomaceous earth powder for additional clarity. I’ve used it for a number of years when I am occasionally bothered about water that isn’t gin clear. 🙂I believe I speak for everyone when I say; Tell us more
Cheers,
Michael
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Polishing Filter Pad - Superior Polishing Pad for Aquarium - Cut to Fi – Aquatic Experts
Polishing Filter Pad 50 Micron - Cut to Fit 24" by 36" - 1 Pack TRAPS FINE PARTICLES - Our 50 Micron Polishing Filter Pads’ dense fiber network traps large to very fine particles floating in your freshwater or saltwater aquarium to produce sparkling clear water. Its durable design allows this...
www.aquaticexperts.com
Polishing pads are available in 200/100/50 micron sizes. As I've mentioned before, I just put one onto a usb pump and during maintenance and it catches all the algae in the water column after I scrape the glass that is not removed by water change and canister filters. 200 micron will make the water crystal clear but the truly obsessive can go for 50 micron.
A 1.5cm x 2.5cm piece of 50 micron pad on my usb filter is good for a least a week (i.e. after a week, a reasonable amount of water is still passing through) and 200 microns will last even longer before it gets clogged.
_Maq_
Member
I believe diatomaceous earth can trap even smaller particles, possibly even bacteria. In food industries, advanced DE filters are used for that.
Nevertheless, your "discovery" is very inspiring. I think this is the way to go - very soft mechanical filtration.
I will, @Hufsa , I will. I keep no secrets. But right now, it's just a work in progress, not tested thoroughly, just first impressions, very primitive setup. I've ordered some tools to assemble a bit better looking and stable version, I hope.Tell us more
I'll post it here with photos and detailed description once I get reasonably assured it works and anyone can replicate it without doing any harm.
_Maq_
Member
Why is this thread filed under "Substrates"? Please, could an admin move it under "Fitration"?
PARAGUAY
Member
Please put pictures up,very intrigued
zozo
Member
Me too... 🙂 So I did some research on what it actually is. And it left me with some questions...
Diatomaceous Earth Filter for Aquarium - All You Need to Know
Every aquarium requires a stable and effective filtration system to maintain the water clean and healthy. The filter oxygenates the water and removes floating particles, viruses, and chemicals for a ...
smartaquariumguide.com
So it simply is just another alleged 'perfect' porous filter medium that does its job. One of many...
Is it better? Best of the Best? That's again a matter of opinion and comes down again to questions leading to more questions instead of answers...
Is more than enough or more than sufficient better than something that is already sufficient enough? Enough is enough, isn't it?
I would say as an inline closed system it still can't beat a fluidized sandbed filter, which IMHO is the Ferrari of all inline filters or one should make a fluidized diatomaceous earth filter since it should be partially porous and simple silica sand is not AFAIK to get to the Rolls Royce of inline filtering. Did build quite a few different constructions of filter systems and all worked a charm. But in the end, I actually never noticed or couldn't tell the difference between a cotton filter up to a fluidized sand bed filter and anything in between and beyond, this also goes for the Open Air wet and dry trickle tower. Since I tried them all in sufficiently planted tanks... And that on its own regarding substrate and its plant(root) mass is biologically unbeatable in its filtering properties.
Well, i have to correct myself on one thing, the open-air trickle tower needs less care and takes a lot longer before it needs cleaning but this is a personal end-user convenience and not better filtering.
But still, anything DIY that works is fun and that's a lot worth as well any experience and gathered knowledge have its value...
_Maq_
Member
Please, be assured that I'm not a newbie and that I possess a fairly experienced eye for water clarity. When I said that I saw something I'd never seen before, you can take it for extraordinary clarity. Remarkably better than what you get using UV-C lamp.
The difference is in the size of this media. And that's also the main problem.
Diatoms are so small that it's quite tricky to get a mesh which can hold them and let the water flow through. But there's more to them: diatoms possess irregular shapes (very beautiful, by the way) with edges, thorns and pores, so that they can trap particles by an order smaller than themselves. Somewhere between decimals and units of microns, i.e. the size of most bacteria.
The main drawback of most commercially produced aquarium DE filters (apart from price) is that they trap so many particles that they get clogged quite quickly. After that, you have to replace the bags containing DE, and, naturally, you have to pay the manufacturer's price. It's unlike 'normal' aquarium filters which you switch on and forget about their existence for weeks or months.
Diatomaceous earth is in fact quite cheap. And not much of it is needed. So, the trick is to create something where you can replace DE relatively easily and without paying extra cost for brand and packaging. I don't know if I can do that. So far, I've only tested that my (very inconvenient DIY) prototype can deliver short-term - to clarify a tank water in a few hours.
Hi all,
You can buy 20kg of diatomaceous earth for £100.
cheers Darrel
I don't think there is any argument that diatomaceous based filters are efficient filters in terms of filtering out very small particles, they are used very widely in beer production, drinking water purification etc. <"Diatomaceous Earth Filter Aid"> The problem is just the clogging issue, unless the filters are very large (like swimming pool filters etc.).
You can buy 20kg of diatomaceous earth for £100.
cheers Darrel
_Maq_
Member
For £40 in here, wine-making purity.
Oh yes. Right now I've replaced the pump for another, a standard one for aquarium use. No way, the body was too clogged. Membrane pump could handle it but small submersible pump was too weak.
I'll keep on researching.
I've found granulated DE, size 0.3-0.7 mm. The filtration efficiency would be much reduced, obviously. The question is - how much?
Small remark here. A UV-C filter by itself does not create any additional clarity to the water unless you use it in conjunction with a mechanical filtration that collects dead cells, be it algae or bacteria. This is why when you have an algae bloom in the water column it is paramount to load the filter with floss to collect all dead cells else the water won't clear.
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_Maq_
Member
Fair point, indeed.
LondonDragon
Member
Way to raise a decade old thread 🙂
I find the Eheim white filter pads quite effective at clearing the water, they do get clogged quickly if you mess about with the substrate too much though! Mine is always as @Stu Worrall described it once "gin clear" 😉 I change them once a month!
I find the Eheim white filter pads quite effective at clearing the water, they do get clogged quickly if you mess about with the substrate too much though! Mine is always as @Stu Worrall described it once "gin clear" 😉 I change them once a month!
MichaelJ
Member
Yes. I can only speak from my experience with the Marineland water polisher. Before you prime the filter with the diatom powder the water needs to be pretty darn clear already otherwise it clogs up really fast. However, I could imagine a system where the water would pass through increasingly denser filter-material before it finally passes through the diatom power. I guess if one would dedicate a canister filter for water polishing it would be quite easy to DIY such a setup.
Cheers,
Michael
Hi all,
cheers Darrel
I think there are "polishing filters" that do that. I'm pretty sure Lenntech? sell one, I'll see if I can find the details.
cheers Darrel
sparkyweasel
Member
- Joined
- 30 Jun 2011
- Messages
- 2,965
I'm not surprised you're left with questions after reading that! 🙂Me too... 🙂 So I did some research on what it actually is. And it left me with some questions...
Diatomaceous Earth Filter for Aquarium - All You Need to Know
Every aquarium requires a stable and effective filtration system to maintain the water clean and healthy. The filter oxygenates the water and removes floating particles, viruses, and chemicals for a ...
