Diatom Filters

[Toro Driver]

Okay-I'm showing my ignorance here. Diatom filters are advertised to prevent tearing your tank down. Is it true, or do I still have to remove the occasional ornament or rock to clean it. It takes 2-3 hours to tear down the tank clean everything and set it back up. The fish don't like it much either. Do they filter fine enough to replace water changes?

[ChilDawg]

Why do you feel the need to tear down the tank so often?

Diatom filters "polish" the water by removing almost all particulate matter from it.

[Toro Driver]

I tear it down every six to eight weeks when I tear down my Emperor 400. But its still a pain in the butt.

[OrionGirl]

Agreed--if you clean regularly with water changes, the only reasons to tear a tank down are moving, or redoing.

Diatoms remove solid particulates down to the size of most diatoms--ie, way tinier than we can see without magnification. I have never run one on my tank--regular cleaning/changes, moderate feeding/stocking, and a healthy balance of micro critters works to keep my tanks clear. Diatom filters do have their uses, just not in all tanks.

[ChilDawg]

I haven't used a diatom filter, and, while I have lost three fish since setting it up, I can directly point to the causes of their deaths. None would have been alleviated by using a little diatomaceous earth. Polished water looks nice, but you might remove some of the microcritters which many people (unknowingly) use to keep the tanks in proper balance.

[OrionGirl]

Why do you tear it down? I replace the sponges in my filter maybe once every 6 months--and even then, one at a time, though I open it up and clean the filter compartment and sponges each water change.

Completely removing the substrate, decorations, etc., is not needed as part of regular tank maintenance, and can result in the serious problem of disturbing or killing the bacterial filtration.

[Toro Driver]

Maybe tearing it down is not what I do. I remove the ornament and my crabs (so they dont get hurt) and clean the alge off everything. Its during a regular water change. I dont completely tear down the whole aquarium.

[125gJoe]

Diatom Filters are not needed for every set-up, but they sure do keep the water clean.

They can even filter out Ich parasites....now that's small..

[RTR]

But diatom filtration will do nothing for the algae on ornaments, rocks or other solid surfaces. The only algae the diatom filter will remove is free-floating in the water column.

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by Toro Driver
.... Do they filter fine enough to replace water changes? My guess is this was the main question..

Water changes are necessary and a Diatom filter will not 'replace' that.

Diatom filters will keep your 'water column' extremely clean.

[RTR]

Agree w/Joe, good point. Diatom is removing particulates only, although down to much smaller ones than those traped in more conventional constant-use media. That does nothing for dissolved materials - nitrates, proteins, cyclic compounds, colorants, etc. Nor does diatom adjust pH, KH, GH, back nearer to source water levels as will water changes.