Water Changes

I used to have a build up too of junk, but with the new BB tank I havn't had a problem. I do have algae in the sump/refugium were the sand bed is but none in the tank. I do however a have just a little where a cyclone happens in the middle of the tank from the water movement but it seems to be a hot spot for the crabs and snails, like an all you can eat buffet :)
 
I HATE fluvals lol.. Tried one and gave it away.. Eheim is 10x easier to use.. I really do think Canisters work well for getting rid of Detritus.. A water change I only suck out maybe 25 gallons with a Canister running 300 gph it process so much more water in just and hour or two.. I also have filter socks but I almost never use them.. They are alot harder to clean.
 
Yes, an Eheim canister is super (I love my Eheim Pro II 2026 on my FW planted tank), but it is more expensive, too. I hear that Rena FilStar and Hydor Prime canister filters are very good alternatives.

Tomoko
 
I have 6 Fluvals and other than one that gives me a little trouble restarting, i would choose them over my hydor any day. Not much experience with Rena except they seem "overrated". Literally, they say their waterflowwill do a much larger tank at same gph. My experiences with eheim are that they are a great filter but more fragile than most others. As for vacuuming a tank, get a Magnum 250 as it is easier to maneuver since it hangs on the tank as you clean. If you need a big tank canister, the new Fluval FX5 is outstanding. 927 gph.........enough said. The pump is on the bottom so no pumping anything at all.
 
Interesting. My information on FilStar and Hydor came from the planted tank community and they are a couple of years old. Fluval seems to have made some improvements on their canisters in the past year or so.

I disagree about Eheim filters being more fragile than others, though. My Eheim Pro II is 7 years old and I never had an issue. It's built far better and sturdier than a Fluval that I borrowed from John Newby two years ago. My bother in Japan has two large Eheim canister filters on his 6 feet long Discus tank that are 20 years old and he has had no problem with them, either. They don't even show their age at all. They are very durable and extremely reliable in my opinion. The only thing I had to do was to replace a gasket early this year. An Eheim rep was surprised that my gasket lasted as long as it did (I was told that I should replace it a bit more frequently.)

Tomoko
 
so instead of doing (some) water changes, just vacuum the tank and filter the water...dumping the filtered vacuum water back into the tank?

hmm...so if you dont use many trace minerals (like me) and you just want cleaner sand...then i should...?
 
I think the recommended is water changes with sand cleaning at the same time or maybe rotating weeks. I have a mag 350 and can get a quick connect and use it, I was just wondering if I am going to suck up all the sand. One way to find out. I will order me a quick disconnect and tell you soon enough. Thanks for all the great info, also Tomoko that guy who has the over 35 year old tank on here I think he uses that Diatom filter or at least he did. Anyone who hasn't read it I will try to find you a link. The tank literally has wine bottles and old chains in it. Such a site to see and he is a tinkering type always trying something. Such as an algae raceway made to sit on top of his tank neat to see.
 
A home made algae turf scrubber! Yes, I've read the thread and other discussions that he was involved in. It's fun to read his thoughts and ideas behind it. I thought that he had a simple home page of his own, too.

Tomoko
 
I recall old timers used to use diatom filters to polish tank water (fw and sw), too. A diatom filter does "polish" water including green water (by trapping phytoplankton.)
Click to expand...

Who you calling an "Old Timer" you Wippersnapper

:bum:
I don't know how you guys keep a tank without a diatom filter.
There is some nonsence around that it will eliminate all of your pods, I say to that "HA"

My pods are trained to keep away from the thing. I stir everything up every few months and suck out all the C___

But of course I don't have one of them new fangled DSBs either.
I have good old dolomite, made from crushed up dinosaur bones.
Of course it goes well with those wine bottles and chains.
:lol:

By the way, thats not just my avitar, it's an actual picture of me
 
Hey Paul glad you stopped in, since we have you here. Maybe you wouldn't mind explaining the whole diatom filter and how one might set one up and how you actually use it.
 
I am on my fifth or sixth diatom filter. They are a little awkward to use. It is a large jar that sits on the floor with two hoses coming from it. I put it on the floor and prop up the intake hose, actually I hold it loosly in a vise. I put a funnel into the hose and I add about a cup of diatom powder that I mixed with fresh or salt water. Then you have to finish filling up the jar right up to the end of the hoses. You need a way to insert one hose into the other. It usually comes with some sort of "U" tube that you can use. Start the filter and it should circulate the water and powder through itself. When the jar looks clear, all the powder is stuck to the bag inside and you can start using the filter. To do that, hold the "U" tube under water without turning off the filter and disconnect the two hoses so the water from the tank is going into the filter and exiting from the discharge hose. It sounds complicated because it is. I clamp the intake hose to the side of the tank and put a strainer on it. The filter exhaust hose is used to stir up the detritus in the tank. I usually put a restriction on the exhaust hose to make it into a power washer. I use ont of those small plastic things that you get in a florist that they use to put carnations in and I drill through the end of it. It looks like a small funnel but it makes a very strong powerwasher.
I couldn't have a tank as old as mine is without a diatom.
Paul
 
The filter uses diatom powder which is the skeletons of diatoms. It removes particles as small as one micron. That is smaller than a bacteria. It willl easily remove ich but can not be relied upon to cure anything. It can be used to clear water to transfer from one tank to another or on NSW.
After the filter is used, the powder is discarded by backwashing the filter down the drain.
 
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