wooden_reefer
New member
I have two Vertex D1, one works and one doesn't.
This past weekend I again, after a decade, tried to get one old diatom filter to work; the motor shaft had stuck for many years.
It suddenly occured to me that this is 2010; it is very easy to use an external pump that is powerful enough.
It then occurs to me further that one can use just the diatom bag and an external pump for a DIY diatom filter. The diatom bag has a hard plastic head that is about 1.95" in OD.
It then further occurs to me that you may well don't need even a diatom filter bag. Likely one can use a standard water filter housing with a course pre-filter as the "bag".
This will likely work: use the coursest pre-filter as the filter bag, 30 micron or larger, designed for direct tap water without RO membrane, with design flowrate of over 300 gph. The diatom with slow the flow to about half or 1/3. You may need to replace the one or two metal screws of the filter housing with high-grade SS screws for saltwater application. I think it will work very well.
The diatom filter will filter out ich, to simulate the dilution effect of the ocean wrt ich. It does not eradicate ich and has to used before heavy infestation.
This past weekend I again, after a decade, tried to get one old diatom filter to work; the motor shaft had stuck for many years.
It suddenly occured to me that this is 2010; it is very easy to use an external pump that is powerful enough.
It then occurs to me further that one can use just the diatom bag and an external pump for a DIY diatom filter. The diatom bag has a hard plastic head that is about 1.95" in OD.
It then further occurs to me that you may well don't need even a diatom filter bag. Likely one can use a standard water filter housing with a course pre-filter as the "bag".
This will likely work: use the coursest pre-filter as the filter bag, 30 micron or larger, designed for direct tap water without RO membrane, with design flowrate of over 300 gph. The diatom with slow the flow to about half or 1/3. You may need to replace the one or two metal screws of the filter housing with high-grade SS screws for saltwater application. I think it will work very well.
The diatom filter will filter out ich, to simulate the dilution effect of the ocean wrt ich. It does not eradicate ich and has to used before heavy infestation.
Last edited: