Sorry about the copy/paste and the length of it - but it is worth reading!
Vortex D1
by Bob Buettner-5/13/99
"The "mother" of all diatom filters, this filter has been sold for 17 years ( I stand corrected...I'm not sure where I got the 17 years...now that I think about it...I've had one longer than 25 years ! ) and even today remains the workhorse of the industry in this type of filter. Diatom filters use a fine powder called diatomaceous earth, (Diatoms are tiny single celled plants that live inside a hard shell, when the animal dies it leaves very tiny holes in the shell). The powder is composed of the dead shells of these tiny animals which when used properly as a filter media can filter down to 1 micron. What this means is that this filter will filter out anything suspended in your aquarium water including many parasites. This is the only type of filter that I know of that will filter out algae from "green" aquarium water to sparkling clarity. I have owned the Vortex D1 for over 25 years and can attest to it's reliability, it is of a very heavy duty design. Actually I just bought a second one as the first one was stored for some time in a damp basement and the metal parts of the motor rusted up so bad it would not start! The current version of the D1 is exactly the same EXCEPT the jar that holds the filter bag and powder are now plastic instead of the original's breakable glass and there is an in-line on-off switch on the power cord. This filter is designed for water "polishing" and not designed to be run all the time (regardless of what some web sites claim this is not designed to be run all the time, Vortex calls it an "auxillary" filter!). The filter is so good at filtering out particles that the flow rate can decrease rapidly as the pores in the diatoms get clogged! If you rely on only this for filtering, some day you will get home to a clogged filter and no filtration for your tank! Please buy this only as an auxiliary source of filtering for quick water "polishing". Vortex makes an "XL" model which has over twice the media capacity and can be run all the time. At any rate this is a basic, heavy duty pump motor with fiber bag suspended in a large plastic jar with inlet and outlet tubes. To charge the filter with powder you fill the jar with water, maneuver the mesh filter bag into the jar, screw the plastic collar that is at the base of the motor onto the top of the jar for a good seal. Using a large container of water (a water pitcher will do) you insert the inlet and outlet tubes in the water container and plug the filter in. If the filter does not prime you need to turn it upside down to get the water into the motor impeller and it will start to circulate water through the filter and your water container, you can then turn the filter upright. The diatom powder (1 cup) is then put in the water container that you have the inlet and outlet tubes circulating water in. The pump draws in the powder/water mixture and the powder coats the filter bag creating a layer on the bag. This is where the filtering takes place! As the aquarium water is pulled through the bag it is drawn through the powder which has formed a coating of microscopic holes, filtering out all particulate matter from the water. A note is in order here about a must have accessory Vortex sells, make sure to buy the P-29 recharge valve as this makes it very easy to prime and charge the filter with powder and makes it possible to move the filter from tank to tank without loosing the prime. Please, please, please DO NOT buy the D1 without this accessory, it is a must have (Vortex really should include it with the filter!!). Upon initial use in an aquarium that has a fair amount of suspended matter, the flow rate will decrease quickly as the tiny holes in the diatoms clog up. The filter is doing it's job, and unless you've seen an aquarium that has had one of these run on it you really don't know how clear water can be! My personal observation using this filter says there is a potential problem using this on a long term basis (more than 8 hours or so). I notice a PH shift from my rock solid 6.8 to around 7.0 to 7.2 after 5 or 6 hours. I believe this may be because my standard tap water has a PH of 7.0 to 7.2 and with CO2 injected into my tank my PH stays at 6.8. I believe that the diatom filters out CO2 from the water also, causing my PH to rise! I read on a web site some time ago that diatom filters also filter out toxic gas (!), my theory is that while using it I am removing the CO2 I am injecting causing the PH shift! So a word to the wise, monitor your PH while using a diatom filter and only use it on occasion to clear your water. I only use mine when I do a major replanting and really stir the substrate up. Within 2 or 3 hours the water is crystal clear and the filter gets cleaned and stored away, do not store it full of water! Another caution-the inlet and outlet hoses are a friction fit over the pump outlets, there are provided, small rubber bands that goe over the hose inlet and outlet fittings to act as clamps. The motor warms up and warms the hoses causing the fit to be less than tight even with the bands acting as a clamp. Get two small hose clamps from an auto supply store and use them to clamp the hoses to the inlet and outlet, eliminating the possibility of the hoses coming off and pumping your tank water on the floor! There are a few accessories available for the D1, including a gravel washer, which I have never used, but I'll bet is does an incredible job. Anyone using one? How about a review? Wow talk about a long review! I really recommend that every serious hobbyist (many shops have used them for years) buy this filter!"
My brief comments....
The XL should not be continuously run, for the same reasons he said about the D-1...
I doubt CO2 can be filtered out... Don't worry about that. The filter only needs to be run for several hours (more or less - depends on your 'experimentations'...).
Vortex is an auxillary filter as the company mentions.
As he mentions, "buy this filter" -- I agree!
Vortex D1
by Bob Buettner-5/13/99
"The "mother" of all diatom filters, this filter has been sold for 17 years ( I stand corrected...I'm not sure where I got the 17 years...now that I think about it...I've had one longer than 25 years ! ) and even today remains the workhorse of the industry in this type of filter. Diatom filters use a fine powder called diatomaceous earth, (Diatoms are tiny single celled plants that live inside a hard shell, when the animal dies it leaves very tiny holes in the shell). The powder is composed of the dead shells of these tiny animals which when used properly as a filter media can filter down to 1 micron. What this means is that this filter will filter out anything suspended in your aquarium water including many parasites. This is the only type of filter that I know of that will filter out algae from "green" aquarium water to sparkling clarity. I have owned the Vortex D1 for over 25 years and can attest to it's reliability, it is of a very heavy duty design. Actually I just bought a second one as the first one was stored for some time in a damp basement and the metal parts of the motor rusted up so bad it would not start! The current version of the D1 is exactly the same EXCEPT the jar that holds the filter bag and powder are now plastic instead of the original's breakable glass and there is an in-line on-off switch on the power cord. This filter is designed for water "polishing" and not designed to be run all the time (regardless of what some web sites claim this is not designed to be run all the time, Vortex calls it an "auxillary" filter!). The filter is so good at filtering out particles that the flow rate can decrease rapidly as the pores in the diatoms get clogged! If you rely on only this for filtering, some day you will get home to a clogged filter and no filtration for your tank! Please buy this only as an auxiliary source of filtering for quick water "polishing". Vortex makes an "XL" model which has over twice the media capacity and can be run all the time. At any rate this is a basic, heavy duty pump motor with fiber bag suspended in a large plastic jar with inlet and outlet tubes. To charge the filter with powder you fill the jar with water, maneuver the mesh filter bag into the jar, screw the plastic collar that is at the base of the motor onto the top of the jar for a good seal. Using a large container of water (a water pitcher will do) you insert the inlet and outlet tubes in the water container and plug the filter in. If the filter does not prime you need to turn it upside down to get the water into the motor impeller and it will start to circulate water through the filter and your water container, you can then turn the filter upright. The diatom powder (1 cup) is then put in the water container that you have the inlet and outlet tubes circulating water in. The pump draws in the powder/water mixture and the powder coats the filter bag creating a layer on the bag. This is where the filtering takes place! As the aquarium water is pulled through the bag it is drawn through the powder which has formed a coating of microscopic holes, filtering out all particulate matter from the water. A note is in order here about a must have accessory Vortex sells, make sure to buy the P-29 recharge valve as this makes it very easy to prime and charge the filter with powder and makes it possible to move the filter from tank to tank without loosing the prime. Please, please, please DO NOT buy the D1 without this accessory, it is a must have (Vortex really should include it with the filter!!). Upon initial use in an aquarium that has a fair amount of suspended matter, the flow rate will decrease quickly as the tiny holes in the diatoms clog up. The filter is doing it's job, and unless you've seen an aquarium that has had one of these run on it you really don't know how clear water can be! My personal observation using this filter says there is a potential problem using this on a long term basis (more than 8 hours or so). I notice a PH shift from my rock solid 6.8 to around 7.0 to 7.2 after 5 or 6 hours. I believe this may be because my standard tap water has a PH of 7.0 to 7.2 and with CO2 injected into my tank my PH stays at 6.8. I believe that the diatom filters out CO2 from the water also, causing my PH to rise! I read on a web site some time ago that diatom filters also filter out toxic gas (!), my theory is that while using it I am removing the CO2 I am injecting causing the PH shift! So a word to the wise, monitor your PH while using a diatom filter and only use it on occasion to clear your water. I only use mine when I do a major replanting and really stir the substrate up. Within 2 or 3 hours the water is crystal clear and the filter gets cleaned and stored away, do not store it full of water! Another caution-the inlet and outlet hoses are a friction fit over the pump outlets, there are provided, small rubber bands that goe over the hose inlet and outlet fittings to act as clamps. The motor warms up and warms the hoses causing the fit to be less than tight even with the bands acting as a clamp. Get two small hose clamps from an auto supply store and use them to clamp the hoses to the inlet and outlet, eliminating the possibility of the hoses coming off and pumping your tank water on the floor! There are a few accessories available for the D1, including a gravel washer, which I have never used, but I'll bet is does an incredible job. Anyone using one? How about a review? Wow talk about a long review! I really recommend that every serious hobbyist (many shops have used them for years) buy this filter!"
My brief comments....
The XL should not be continuously run, for the same reasons he said about the D-1...
I doubt CO2 can be filtered out... Don't worry about that. The filter only needs to be run for several hours (more or less - depends on your 'experimentations'...).
Vortex is an auxillary filter as the company mentions.
As he mentions, "buy this filter" -- I agree!
