Polishing... any thoughts?

by **spongebob4460** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 7:15 am

I've been reading online about "polishing" your water to get it crystal clear... anyone have any info about this? I read something about a diatom filter that runs on a powder that you use to polish your water... Vortex Diatom Filter? Is this a freshwater thing or saltwater? Anyone with any experience running these and is it worth the money?

by **saltwaterpimp** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 3:49 pm

spongebob, i have never used one of these filters. from what i read they are for fresh and saltwater tanks. and they should only be used for about 6 to 9 hours a week. for problem diatom algae+ to make your water sparkel. i cant tell you if its worth the money
swp

by **snowboss** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 4:19 pm

old school theory is just good ol high quality carbon - -the stuff that comes in filter bags is junk, I put 1/2 cup of Black diamond in a bag and lay it on top of my media in the HOT filter and it made a HUGE difference - i change it every 2 weeks, fill up the bag, rinse the dust out of it and drop it in {i know, i know carbon is supposed to be good for a month - but at 7 bucks for 3-4 months worth of carbon - -i'll toss it early to keep it at peak production

I can't speak to any other practices as this is simple and cheap and it works for me, so why change it? lol

Black diamond is great carbon but I'm sure there are others out there as well

by **spongebob4460** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:22 pm

My penguin 150 cartridges say they have black diamond premium actvited carbon in them... are you saying this isn't as good as getting black diamond brand carbon and putting it in a media bag... or are you also saying that its better to put more carbon in the water than comes just in the cartridge? Cuz i'll take the extra step to try to get clearer water if this is the case :) any suggestions on media bags?

by **Snowboss4492** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:36 pm

I can't argue with Penguin obviously -but i was useing whisper brand cartridges and they had a very small amount of carbon in them and I don't see where it says a brand of carbon - - the media bag I'm useing is approx. 6 inches long and 2-3 inches wide with a draw string at the top [looks like a tiny laundry bag}it was likw 4 bucks at the fish store, i fill it a little more than half full { I'd say from eye balling it I'm using 5 times the amount of carbon that comes in the cartridges} tie it off and set it on top of the Ehiem Mech I use in the filter {i don't use the factory cartridges either} water runs through the bag as it returns to the tank

by **spongebob4460** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:45 pm

cool thanks, i hope placing one in mine won't restrict the water flow, and cause my biowheel to stop spinning, i know a lot of people have problems even with a gunky cartridge, and must clean it to free up water to pass through the wheel, maybe just cleaning this filter bag periodically should keep water flow at a max. thanks snowboss

by **gumbii** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:21 pm

there's a way of using a magnum 350 canister filter as a diatom filter...

you get the polishing cartridge, get some diatom filter sand in a bucket... then i guess you turn on the filter and start mixing the sand so it gets sucked into the filter and attaches to the filter cartridge... then you run it on your tank for a couple of hours and ta-dow...

i've never tried it before... and i'm not saying to do it... that's just what i remember... i'll try to find the write up later today...

by **LeviNHeidi4480** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 9:32 am

My tank came with a Whisper filter that takes the large Bio-bags. When you buy Bio-Bags, they come with a miniscule amount of activated carbon. From day one, we bought quantities of activated Carbon and Zeolite filter media and filled the bag to capacity. The original filter kept the water clear by doing so. We came across a supplemental Whisper 20 Gal. filter that used the same Bags and fits perfectly alongside the original filter. Using more media will probably really help you out.

by **spongebob4460** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:20 am

i tried looking up zeolite, is it better than carbon, or does it have different uses?

by **LeviNHeidi4480** » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:33 am

Zeolite is a white crystal-like substance. You can buy a carbon and zeolite mixture at aquarium supply stores. It may not specify Zeolite. The white crystals help lower ammonia and heavy metals.

Polishing... any thoughts?

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