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Re: [APD] EHEIM diatom Filter




Is floss the same as filter wool?
I only added about a cup's worth of sand (really fine gravel actually), but it had been sitting outside in the bucket for a few weeks, so I wonder if it is some biological bloom which got "seeded" in the sand from the bucket. I don't think that much rinsed sand would make such a mess, especially when the cloudiness only increases over time. Maybe it's green water, but it is not green (looks brown, but could be the tannins). Maybe I'll have a look at some of the water under a microscope at work tomorrow.


A guy at my LFS suggested using either a flocculent, or Seachem Purigen, which claims to be as good at cleaning up the water as a diatom filter. Would the Purigen which would take the Nitrates out be bad for my planted tank otherwise? I would only leave it in long enough to clear up the tank, and I am assuming the plants can handle a temporary drop in Nitrates.

- Seweryn


From: "S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>
Reply-To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Subject: Re: [APD] EHEIM diatom Filter
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 17:00:49 -0700 (PDT)

After Larry Lampert and I invent the world's first
reasonable diatom filter, you'll have a good answer. Uh,
don't hold your breath onthat one.  So, until then, note
that the trouble with the diatomaceous medium is that it's
a loose medium, not like talk radio but like the sand
that's giving you a problem. It works as a filter when a
fine coating of it is used. A sack of it probably wouldn't
do much unless it was a really really thin sack ;-) .

What you can try is to pack the canister with floss.  The
tighter you pack it the finer it will filter -- up to a
point.  And you'll need to change the floss in a few hours
or days depending on how much you squeeze in. Don't go nuts
with this, you should be able to close the canister without
any difficulty.

As an alternative you can put a layer of 100 micron or 50
micron felt as the very top layer in the eheim.  This too
will load quickly.  The felt you can get at some fish
sotres and certainly at some on-line stores.

Either of these along with activated carbon should clear
your water of any temporary turbity condition. If diatoms
got loose, they'd be a heck of a lot messier than whatever
you now have.

Is this clouding act something the sand did before it went
in the bucket?

Worst comes to worst, you vac up the sand, rinse it
thoroughly and put it back when it no longer clouds badly.
Of course, a tear down is usually the last thing we want to
do.

Good luck, don't get frustrated, think of the mechanical
problems as part of the fun,
Scott H.

--- Seweryn Bialasiewicz <s_bialasiewicz at hotmail_com>
wrote:
>
> I know that Eheim does not make one, but is it possible
> to buy a diatom bag
> w/ powder from another brand and place it in the 2213
> canister filter? Ever
> since I added some top up sand (that has been sitting in
> my rinsing bucket
> outside for a few weeks) to my tank, the water has been
> cloudy, no matter
> the water changes, and seems to get progressively worst.
>
> Cheers,
> - Seweryn
>
>
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