Diatom Filters

Anyone use em? Opinions,,thinking of getting one for water polishing.

I never used it but i read about it and it looks very useful!, if you get it let us know how it goes!!

My 20 year old Diatom Filter wore out so I ordered a new one on Amazon.com about a year ago....With 3 boxes of diatom powder it was around $130 and was delivered in less than two weeks.

There are now two sizes, but I got the one similar to the old one which will work well on tanks up to 55 gal.....I also got a couple of boxes of the activated carbon powder later on.......

I have used Diatom Filters from the late 60s and think that there is nothing on the market that is better for cleaning water and filtering out disease organisms above a micron in size...(ick and velvet).....They will clear up algae blooms in a couple of hours......They can be a pain to use and clean, but are well worth the effort and cost.

Back in the 60's they we're high tech gadgets. I still see them advertised but don't hear about them often. Someone (HINT, HINT dano) should do a library article on them.

Hi, I used Diatom filters in the early seventies. Great filter to " polish " up the water. I don't believe they can be used continuously , They tend to clog up. They certainly can clear up a tank in a very short time. I have not heard much about them for years. I do recall the smaller one would retail for about $ 29.00, those were the days!

must be a new iberia thing, LOL i have used diatom filters for quiet a few years also, and still using them.... awesome for polishing tanks and for quick cleanup on dirty tanks, lol..... that $29 one i think you are talking about is called the "whisper diatomagic", lol have two and use EVERY day. awesome for polishing! you can clear a 10g tank with algae bloom in 8.458 minuttes, lol..... a few years back mine broke beyond repair, and when marineland i think bought them out, they quit making the diatomagic, but fortunately i still get the cloth filter inside thru big als... i bought two of them on ebay...... a year ago, for $100 each plus freight crazy huh!!! but i would never keep a tank without it!

k,,thanks for the info. Think I'll give them a try. Any recommendations on manufacturer?

The diatom I remember was a glass quart jar, made by a company called Votex. Cajun I still have the motor to the larger diatom filter if you are interested, this filter had a jar size I think was a gallon. You can come by and pick up if you want. The $ 29.00 price could have been a wholesale price. It's hard to remember 35 years ago.

One last (maybe) question. whats the difference between them and a canister? Could not a canister be set up to get the same results?

This is where I got my latest one.....I also got several boxes of powder.
http://www.amazon.com/Vortex-D-1-Diatom-Filter-Stand/dp/B0002602SW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292564923&sr=8-1

Canister filters generally aren't very tight around the media trays or compartments allowing a lot of debris to by pass the filter media......Diatom filters have a solid wall of diatomaceous earth that the water must pass through......Nothing bigger than a micron will pass a properly set up Diatom filter.

Never used em myself. I find that they are just another gadget to plug in. Much like the UV filters. ;o)

Cool nice to know about this product, ill keep it on mind!

Nope never used them!