diatom filter

[hypnogogia]

He has a very strange writing style…

 

[PARAGUAY]

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!

Well remember my first APS external filter every basket with filterpads ,,bio balls,and ceramic noodles and activated carbon for the final one, not a sponge in sight, the water crystal clear

 

[MichaelJ]

View attachment 205277

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.

Nice @erwin123 - I just bought a set of the 50 micron pads and will try it out.

Cheers
Michael

 

[erwin123]

Nice @erwin123 - I just bought a set of the 50 micron pads and will try it out.

Cheers
Michael

yes, keep us updated. it is cheap good stuff. one side is specially treated to prevent the fibres from coming apart (not all polishing pads have that feature).

As I only use small amounts, 24"x36" will last me 2 years so I don't bother trying to clean and reuse.

 

[MichaelJ]

yes, keep us updated. it is cheap good stuff. one side is specially treated to prevent the fibres from coming apart (not all polishing pads have that feature).

As I only use small amounts, 24"x36" will last me 2 years so I don't bother trying to clean and reuse.

Hi @erwin123, I've had the pads in my HOBs in one of my tanks for little over a week now - cut out to fit and located loosely at the very top of the basket in my Tidal 35's making sure flow is not needlessly restricted . The water was already pretty clear beforehand (the reason I opted for the 50 micron pads), but I can definitely see an appreciable improvement to water clarity. The pads are getting somewhat dirty already so I plan to remove them in a couple of days. I will cut out new ones and deploy again in the future as needed. In short: Definitely worth it for that extra level of water clarity! 👍

Cheers,
Michael

 

[hwscot]

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

Hi .. does anyone know of a UK supplier for this, or similar .. are UK folk buying from the US?

As you were. Handily, Amazon UK will sell you it. $16.99 in the US, yours for £92 in the UK. Although that does seem to be for a pack of all three sizes.

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi .. does anyone know of a UK supplier for this, or similar .. are UK folk buying from the US?

I bought mine on Amazon US.

Works really well in my HOB's - have used it for almost two months now in both my tanks. If you already have clear water, but hysterically need that little extra clarity the 50 micron pads is the way to go depending on your filter setup.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[Mat H]

@_Maq_o Wondering if this experiment ever progressed?

I ended up here for some reason after adding a replacement Magnum 200 Polishing Filter, then the Filter itself, to my Amazon cart, all before seeing this thread.

It probably went something like this -Hmmm... I wonder what else can help reduce BOD > micron filters > website on wastewater > Magnum 200 stuff added to Amazon cart > Hmmm... I wonder what UKAPS thinks of this sort of thing, and here I am.

 

[Mat H]

Hi .. does anyone know of a UK supplier for this, or similar .. are UK folk buying from the US

A somewhat late response, but I found both the replacement micron filter and filter itself on Amazon UK, albeit the filter is pricey and I'm sure there are cheaper/better options - the 50 micron pad mentioned by @MichaelJ for example.

They're in my 'saved for later' now, I have a few of those! 😂

 

[_Maq_]

@_Maq_o Wondering if this experiment ever progressed?

Oh yes, I've promised to post information here.
Well, as you may expect, I failed to invent anything new. Diatom filters of various designs always do wonders but are impractical in the sense that they quickly get clogged. You can either purchase expensive branded filters which can possibly make the thing a bit more convenient, or - like I did - try some DIY solution, which requires tedious cleaning and re-installing in short sequence.

During this summer, I've laboured with a filtration system incorporating mechanical filters used as pre-filter components for reverse osmosis. This, too, was unsuccessful. Firstly, it requires a pump really strong which is always somewhat noisy. Secondly, to connect all parts in a way that makes the system convenient and not leaking in any of the connections proved to be beyond my skill & will (and budget). I still believe this is a promising way (filters supposed to catch particles of 1 µm in size are quite common and inexpensive) but I have simply failed. I never insisted that I'm a skilfull plumber; quite the contrary.

 

[Mat H]

Oh yes, I've promised to post information here.
Well, as you may expect, I failed to invent anything new. Diatom filters of various designs always do wonders but are impractical in the sense that they quickly get clogged. You can either purchase expensive branded filters which can possibly make the thing a bit more convenient, or - like I did - try some DIY solution, which requires tedious cleaning and re-installing in short sequence.

During this summer, I've laboured with a filtration system incorporating mechanical filters used as pre-filter components for reverse osmosis. This, too, was unsuccessful. Firstly, it requires a pump really strong which is always somewhat noisy. Secondly, to connect all parts in a way that makes the system convenient and not leaking in any of the connections proved to be beyond my skill & will (and budget). I still believe this is a promising way (filters supposed to catch particles of 1 µm in size are quite common and inexpensive) but I have simply failed. I never insisted that I'm a skilfull plumber; quite the contrary.

@_Maq_ Thank you for taking the time to give an update.

As always, it's really all about the trying (experimenting) and not necessarily the successes. Funnily enough I was thinking of incorporation of an RO filter element as I have one on order, though in hindsight I'll probably leave it to its intended use.

As you say it ultimately comes down to ease of use, maintenance, cost and ultimately time, and there are likely simpler, cheaper solutions albeit not as effective.

If i ever do order the Marine land filter with a view to having a meddle with it as a more Diatom focused filter I'll let you know - maybe good for occasional use but will likely still clog as already mentioned.