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I managed to get a vortex filter in the Uk where they are not sold ,and believe me they are a wonderful piece of kit for giving the tank water a perfect polish.i only use it now and again but it makes getting rid of irritating floating bits that don't seem to get sucked up by the filters a breeze.
I do believe that vortex make a filter called the XL for contiuous use,but i think most people would hardly need that level of fine particulate filtration that often.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

Bob Wesolowski
Thanks for that. I'd start to do dayly water changes and cut my feeding, and see how that goes.

krige
Happy Honeymoon.

Untitled, i bought it on ebay uk for £50 however before i bought it i was in the process of buying one from an online shop in the USA which would have cost me about £110 delivered.I am going to the states in august on honeymoon so i will be picking up more consumables for it as they are also not available in the UK.

Gibson SG you know you want one!!

Angel,

The only ways to reduce nitrates are to do water changes and to plant your tank with fast growing plants. Realistically, a 50% water change will reduce your nitrates by 50%. Smaller daily water changes will keep your nitrates under better control if you lower your feeding frequency.

Last edited by bob wesolowski at 16-Mar-2005 00:01

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Would this help with nitrates?
My tank is clear/ no algae. By nitrates are up in the 80s.
I do regular weekly water changes and filter clean, but I still can not get my nitrates down. I use plastic plants.
So would this filter help get rid of nitrates? ***Tiger.

Main reason for high nitrates is overfeeding. My tank has a few too many fishys, which I tend to overfeed. I've since cut back the feeding. Ammonia 0- Nitrite o.
Just want something to get the nitrate down. *** Tiger

Such pretty colors! Do you guys live in Chicago where they die the river green for St. Patrick's Day?

Here is a link for a Vortex Diatom Filter: http://www.aquariumguys.com/diatomfilter1.html. The unit uses diatomaceous earth that coats a screen to provide a very fine filter. Caution is needed when starting it up as some of the earth may discharge into the tank giving it a milky appearance until the filter sucks it back up.

A less expensive and less technical option is to use a MAG HOB with the pleated paper filter. Not as messy and almost as good.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Yeah Sin, it's pretty wild, huh? It happens so gradually you barely even notice, then one day it's like, why can't I see my fish? Or my filter? Or my hand in the tank...?

Interesting idea to prevent algae, though I've never heard of anything like that.

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LOL woooow those tanks are GREEn. ive never seen tanks so green in person i couldnt even imagin it.

a cheaper way to fight algae...and this is just something ive read recently and have NO personal experience with it...algae balls. they are suppose to prevent other algae from accuring and they cost little money. just a thought to add to the thread.

UV sterilizers will also take care of green water.

Krige, can you say where did you find the filter?

I've been having a problem with pea soup green water. You couldn't see a few inches inside the tank, it was pretty bad. I caved in and got a diatom filter, and the difference has been amazing. Plus, I don't think I've posted a full tank shot, so here ya go...

Here are the before pics:



Last edited by NowherMan6 at 13-Mar-2005 17:00

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The model I have should only be used once every so often, for about an hour - depending on tank size. However, I believe Vortex has made a filter that's meant to be on all the time, though I havent heard of anyone who uses it.

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That is certainly one powerfull filter. Do you run it all the time or is it a once only job?

Keith

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I had the same problem. Of course, the diatom filter doesn't stop the algae from coming back, so I was having to use it ever 5 days or so. Finally found the root cause, started treating nitrate, and it went right away. Here was my tank:

Janna attached this image:

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They shade the glow of it with their mossy-misty costumes,
They wear masks of silk, porcelain, brass, and silver,
So as not to mislead with their own, ordinary faces.

No worries

A diatom filter is able to filter out tiny particles and single celled organisms that regular filters cannot. It's especially useful for initially clearing up green water (ya still need to correct whatever caused the bloom to begin with, but that's another story...)

Anyway, here's a link

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Pardon my ignorance, but what is a diatom filter?
could someone post a link so that I may see and/or read about it?

Thank you
highjinx

And another:




NowherMan6 attached this image:

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And now the after:



NowherMan6 attached this image:

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And another:



NowherMan6 attached this image:

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Sorry, here's one before pic:



NowherMan6 attached this image:

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