Diatom Filter

To: "The List" <Aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
Subject: Diatom Filter
From: "paul lesniak" <plesniak at compusmart_ab.ca>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 10:35:26 -0700

Hi,
	I remember at one time reading that you would not want to run a diatom
filter all the time on a fish tank because it would remove friendly bugs
from the
water column. I am wondering if this would apply to a planted tank with a
very 
low fish load?
	What would the likely effects be of running a diatom 24hours a day in a
planted 
tank other than keeping the water crystal clear?

	The reason I ask is because my local water supply contains about .4ppm of
PO4.
It seems that this has significantly contributed to a wonderful green tinge
in my water.
I have asked acouple of the more frequent writers on this list  and it
appears that I am doing 
a lot of things right. Other than sourcing different water change water
what are my other options?

	My tank is a 130g heavily planted tank. 2-175w MH lights provide the sun.
I use PMDD and have gotten my NO3 to about 3-5ppm, Fe-.2ppm. The tank is
CO2 injected to a Ph of 6.8, KH-5, GH-9.
PO4's run at about .1-.2ppm. The quartz gravel contains 2 boxes of the
Terrapur(laterite) cones.
The plants are growing very well since I started using the PMDD about 2
months ago; However,
the unicellular algea is a real plague. I have noticed almost no other
algea types in my tank.

						Just a few 'simple' questions,

								Paul. Lesniak