View Full Version : Vortex Diatom Filter
aquanewb
02-06-2005, 6:29 PM
This is a bit of a review for anyone who like myself had never used or heard of these things before. I had an awful alge bloom. You could not see more then an inch or so past the glass. Let me say here that the cause of the bloom does need to be treated seperatly and I am not under any sort of delusion that my problem was fixed. That being said I went to my LFS and purchased a Vortex Diatom XL since I had seen a post by Tom 'PlantBrain" Barr that it will clean a bloom up. Now the instructions are a bit dicey, and I found them sort of tough to follow at first. (Rereading it after I used it cleared up a bit for me). I managed to get it set up and running after a couple of curses and I sat back with my wife and watched. Unbelievably the water cleared in about 45 mins in my 72G tank. I am truely impressed with this product and from this point will recomend it highly to anyone with a bloom. Thanks Tom.
:bowing:
Kasakato
02-06-2005, 6:34 PM
Just a question but what do you do when there is no alage and you are not using the filter. Can it be used as a normal canister filter or does it have to sit there untill next time?
Blinky
02-06-2005, 8:49 PM
I use mine intermittently to 'polish' the water. They're not really designed to be in permanent use (though the instructions say if you really want to use it 24/7 you can, but the current may disturb the fish).
Yeah, it would be a bit (OK, a lot) noisy and obtrusive to run 24/7, what with the tubes and whatnot hangin all over the place, but to polish the water or to clean up a really messy tank, it's the bomb!
Joe, if you are reading this post, could you re-post the pics you took of the green water cleanup your diatom filter mastered?
aquanewb
02-06-2005, 9:49 PM
Yea I was giving some thought to using it 24/7 in addition to my fluval 404 by plumbing it in under the tank, but its a bit noisy compared to the fluval which is silent. I really wish I took pictures because I honestly didnt expect such a dramatic change. I will be using mine intermittently at this point. Also if anyone is setting one up for the first time drop me a line since I feel the instructions in the box stink.
Matak
02-06-2005, 10:15 PM
Also if anyone is setting one up for the first time drop me a line since I feel the instructions in the box stink.That's an understatement. Also, when I got mine, I felt that it had been designed in the 70's and hadn't been improved since. Sure, it's bulletproof, but there are many design changes I would make if it were up to me.
chefkeith
02-08-2005, 4:12 PM
I think the diatom filter is not only a great investment for the planted tank, but also for the quarantine tank too. When I have an ich outbreak in one of my q-tanks, the diatom filter is the 2nd thing I reach for. Coppersafe being the 1st. I'll run the diatom filter for about a week straight or until all signs of the ich are gone. I'll probably build a sound-proof box for this thing next time though. It sure is loud.
The only problem I've had with it is that the glass jar broke somehow. I got a replacement at big als.
I think the diatom filter is not only a great investment for the planted tank, but also for the quarantine tank too. When I have an ich outbreak in one of my q-tanks, the diatom filter is the 2nd thing I reach for. Yes, a DE filter can (theoreticaly) filter down to less that 1 micron, smaller than many parasites & bacteria, like ich. But, it can be counter productive to run them 24/7 as the fishes immunity systems don't get the 'work out' they need.
chefkeith
02-09-2005, 4:10 AM
Yes, a DE filter can (theoreticaly) filter down to less that 1 micron, smaller than many parasites & bacteria, like ich. But, it can be counter productive to run them 24/7 as the fishes immunity systems don't get the 'work out' they need.
That doesn't make any sense to me. You'll have to explain.
A fish with ich will have to fight secondary bacterial infections when the cysts fall off. The fishes immune system will be working at full capacity with a diatom filter running or not.
If I'm using the diatom filter for treating ich, I'll definately keep it running 24/7 until I'm done using the filter. It's extremely important not to turn it off, then turn it back on later, when treating for ich. The diatom filter doesn't kill ich immediately, it just contains the parasite.
As soon as I turn the filter off I've got to thoughly clean the filter with hot water or I'd be releasing the ich back into the aquarium when I turn the filter back on.
aquanewb
02-09-2005, 4:33 PM
I hate the sound of the thing also. If anyone figures out a way to lessen the sound of it please let us know!
That doesn't make any sense to me. You'll have to explain. What I meant was; if you leave the filter on all (and by all I mean 24/7/365) the time, the fishes immune system can go dormant, or so I have been told.
NotGumbel
02-18-2005, 10:19 PM
Almost off topic ... Has anyone tried the AquaClear Quick Filter? I just saw it in the Dr Foster & Smith catalog. It hooks to a powerhead and says that it filters particles all the way down to 1 micron. I thought this would be a good tradeoff for occasionally polishing the water, decent price and all. But I'll of course defer to the experience of others :)
Thanks in advance,
Bryant
chefkeith
02-19-2005, 2:04 AM
I have 2- 802 Aquaclear Quickfilters. I used them for a few months, but I don't use them anymore. For quick polishing and removing small particles they work fine. They're not good for fulltime use or in removing large debris though. It's probably a good idea to order an extra quickfilter pad. Cleaning the pads is easy. Just soak them in some Oxyclean over-night and rinse well.
scottracy
02-19-2005, 9:03 AM
I know that those reading and responding to this thread have learned and know how to use thier Diatom filter, but I thought I would provide this link
http://www.carolinagal.com/diatom.htm
It simplified the process for me.
Scott
acefred
02-19-2005, 10:17 AM
I know that those reading and responding to this thread have learned and know how to use thier Diatom filter, but I thought I would provide this link http://www.carolinagal.com/diatom.htm (http://)
It simplified the process for me.
Scott
The link is dead..............
scottracy
02-19-2005, 11:35 AM
Sorry, I inserted the hyperlink wrong. I was just able to connect to the site! Try this http://www.carolinagal.com/diatom.htm
Scott
Matak
02-19-2005, 10:39 PM
Good advice. I went to the dollar store and got a large pitcher (about 2L/2Q) and hung the pitcher on the side of the tank by its handle. The extra volume of the pitcher is really appreaciated.
pickeral_1999
02-19-2005, 11:23 PM
After reading the threads on this which of the two Aqua Clear Quick Filter or the Vortex Diatom XL is the best to use?
Blinky
02-20-2005, 7:37 AM
It really depends on what you want to use it for. If you've got a lot of cloudiness ('green water', or a new setup with cloudiness from the substrate, for example), IMHO nothing can compete with a diatom filter.
If you just want something to polish the water in your tank, a powerhead with a quick filter will work well.
pickeral_1999
02-20-2005, 1:05 PM
OK thank you. I will go with the diathom. My one sw tank seems to be cloudy and dingy looking i dont have a protien skimmer on that one it is a 30 gallon tall, has some rock, 2 eels, foxface, dogface puffer some snails in it but seems to be cloudy.