A DE filter is not intended to be used a a substitute for a conventional multistage filter...if that’s what you’re proposing. It is used specifically to remove parasites, such as Ich, thereby, allowing you to eliminate medicating your tank, in certain situations.I am in the process of designing my sump in a 29gallon high aquarium. I purchased a used Ocean Clear canister with micron filter to put on the return line to the tank. After a new gasket and new lid the stupid thing still leaks like a sieve!!! I am going to toss the ocean clear and I am seriously considering trying this filter instead!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Hayward-EC40A...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1314210489&sr=1-1
The dimensions are 16" wide and 26.5" high. It should fit in the stand I am building without a problem. Considering the effectiveness of my 43 square inch Diatom filter I think the 2880 square inches of this filter should be plenty and run for quite a while before clogging. The handle is for dislodging the DE without having to open the canister. In reading through the literature they say you can reuse the DE powder multiple times by turning off the pump, dislodging the DE then allowing the DE (and dirt) to re-accumulate on the screens. This filter is only $219 including shipping. It seems almost too good to be true as an aquarium filter!
Monster Diatomaceous Earth (DE) filter!
- Thread starter Oughtsix
- Start date
Actually the EC40 works very well as a full time 24 x 365 DE filter. I would never again run a tank without a full time DE filter. Always having perfectly clear water is very addicting. In the several years since I started this thread I have never had any kind of disease outbreak in a tank with a full time DE filter on it.
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Just circled back to this thread...sigh...still very depressing to a Canuck. I keep searching periodically for one of these; the price I am seeing is now over $800! Filter only! And even then, most of the sellers online won't ship to Canuckistan.
My 360 has been running for almost 2 years now with its DIY wet/dry trickle tower + sump system, and it is working like a charm...but I still have the bypass plumbing sitting there, installed, ready to add a diatom filter at a moment's notice. It's taunting me...
The diatom would be the final stage of filtration, with only clean filtered water being pumped through it. I would probably be going for months between pumping the handle at all.
I want one!
My 360 has been running for almost 2 years now with its DIY wet/dry trickle tower + sump system, and it is working like a charm...but I still have the bypass plumbing sitting there, installed, ready to add a diatom filter at a moment's notice. It's taunting me...
The diatom would be the final stage of filtration, with only clean filtered water being pumped through it. I would probably be going for months between pumping the handle at all.I want one!
$800 seems VERY expensive. Make sure you are looking for the correct filter, there are 2 versions of the EC40. One version comes with a pump and runs about $800. A second version is identical without a pump and runs about $350. https://www.amazon.com/Hayward-W3EC...t=&hvlocphy=9033176&hvtargid=pla-876280356637
https://www.ebay.com/itm/281913779982?hash=item41a35ee70e:g:qPIAAOSwZ8ZW5vb9
Hopefully you can find something comparable in CA!
The pump that comes with these are for multi thousands of gallons pools and are WAY to big for an aquarium so I would definitely recommend the version without a pump and using your sump pump.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/281913779982?hash=item41a35ee70e:g:qPIAAOSwZ8ZW5vb9
Hopefully you can find something comparable in CA!
The pump that comes with these are for multi thousands of gallons pools and are WAY to big for an aquarium so I would definitely recommend the version without a pump and using your sump pump.
I have been running my 180g planted dirt bottom gravel capped tank for about 5 months now. The EC40 is, of course, a central element of the filtration system.
On initial startup of the tank the EC40 was the only mechanical filtration I had and the initial charge of DE lasted about 3 months before it had to be changed (knocking it off and recoating the filter screens was no longer effective for more than a day). I drained, disconnected and moved the EC40 out side. When I removed the top of the filter what I found was MUD! All the dirt floating in the water column of a freshly started dirt bottom 180g tank was caught by the DE. On the plus side when I initially turned the filter on the water cleared up in a couple of hours to crystal clear... which is pretty incredibly since I have a mix of potting soil, fine volcanic soil, activated charcoal (as a buffer), red clay and several other nutrient enhancers... and like I said this was without any prefilter.
After the water change I have been pretty lazy (working on other aspects of the tank) and I still do not have any pre-filtering. For the last two months I have been recharging (knock off the DE from the tubes and allowing it to recoat) every two weeks or so.
I still love the EC40 and would not want to run a tank without one. OK, we have 3 other tanks that run HOB, canister or built in filters and they all take tons more maintenance than the 180g with the EC40... but those are my daughters pea puffer, Axolotl and goldfish tanks so she gets to do the work! Well a lot of the work on her tanks at least.
(Before starting up the tank.)
On initial startup of the tank the EC40 was the only mechanical filtration I had and the initial charge of DE lasted about 3 months before it had to be changed (knocking it off and recoating the filter screens was no longer effective for more than a day). I drained, disconnected and moved the EC40 out side. When I removed the top of the filter what I found was MUD! All the dirt floating in the water column of a freshly started dirt bottom 180g tank was caught by the DE. On the plus side when I initially turned the filter on the water cleared up in a couple of hours to crystal clear... which is pretty incredibly since I have a mix of potting soil, fine volcanic soil, activated charcoal (as a buffer), red clay and several other nutrient enhancers... and like I said this was without any prefilter.
After the water change I have been pretty lazy (working on other aspects of the tank) and I still do not have any pre-filtering. For the last two months I have been recharging (knock off the DE from the tubes and allowing it to recoat) every two weeks or so.
I still love the EC40 and would not want to run a tank without one. OK, we have 3 other tanks that run HOB, canister or built in filters and they all take tons more maintenance than the 180g with the EC40... but those are my daughters pea puffer, Axolotl and goldfish tanks so she gets to do the work! Well a lot of the work on her tanks at least.
(Before starting up the tank.)
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Yes, the $800 was Canuckistani dollars, for the filter only with no pump, from one of the rare retailers up here who sells this product. Most of the American retailers don't ship up here for one reason or another.
My tank's DIY stand is just a wee bit too small to fit the EC40 underneath and still leave room to operate the handle and/or access the sump ; but I actually moved my beer fridge to make room for an eventual EC40 next to the tank. That is how serious I am about getting one!
My tank's DIY stand is just a wee bit too small to fit the EC40 underneath and still leave room to operate the handle and/or access the sump ; but I actually moved my beer fridge to make room for an eventual EC40 next to the tank. That is how serious I am about getting one!
I cleaned the old DE out of the EC40 and refilled it with a fresh charge today. It looks like I got 3 months out of the old charge. Pretty good, I am happy with that for having no other mechanical filtration. I will add some pre-filtering eventually which should extend the time between having to clean out and recharge the EC40.
I was haveing problems with water clarity and was told on this forum to try a DE filter. Some background I have a 600 gallon mix cichlid tank with well over 200 fish. When I had a normal sump with filter socks they would clog up two 7 inch in 1-3 hours what ever micron size from 100-300.
I was able to find a used hayward pro grid 48sqft DE filter for a decent price and just finished plumbing it up. Now all I need to do is wait for the new grids to come in and I will beable to turn it on. Here are some pictures of the set up. What kind of DE is everyone using I saw food grade of the one from the pool store? How long do you guys run the filter a day? I was going to start it our at 24/7 but when it got clear drop it down to maybe 4_6 hours a day. I do Not want to pay's to run another pump that size all day. I Went with This DE filter because I am able to backwash this one and clean it out. How do u guys add the DE u take the input and output out of the tank and put them in a container then add the DE? I think that's what I'm gonna try and do.i hope this works because I am about to just give up if it don't and maybe shut the tank down. What's the point of having a tank if you can enjoy it
I was able to find a used hayward pro grid 48sqft DE filter for a decent price and just finished plumbing it up. Now all I need to do is wait for the new grids to come in and I will beable to turn it on. Here are some pictures of the set up. What kind of DE is everyone using I saw food grade of the one from the pool store? How long do you guys run the filter a day? I was going to start it our at 24/7 but when it got clear drop it down to maybe 4_6 hours a day. I do Not want to pay's to run another pump that size all day. I Went with This DE filter because I am able to backwash this one and clean it out. How do u guys add the DE u take the input and output out of the tank and put them in a container then add the DE? I think that's what I'm gonna try and do.i hope this works because I am about to just give up if it don't and maybe shut the tank down. What's the point of having a tank if you can enjoy it
Three months without any prefiltration is phenomenal IMHO! Did changing your DE involve opening or taking apart the filter, or is it simply a backflush-type of operation? Dang...I want one of these things!
Wow...you do like PVC and plumbing, don't you? The old Vortex DE filters were easy to charge/re-charge by doing exactly as you stated, i.e. put intake and output tubes into a small container of water and then add the DE to that, let it coat the bag/screen and then return the two tubes to the tank being cleaned. Your nice set-up could be augmented with a set of valves and a bypass to allow you to do the same thing without doing anything other than re-directing the flow as required to charge the DE.
Also, if you don't want to run a separate pump, why not divert all or part of the flow from one of your existing pumps through the DE filter, plumbing it inline with and downstream of your existing filtration? No extra pump, just more effective filtration 24/7 with the one you already have.
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I use a filter floss bag liner inside 200 micron nylon mesh, air lift with multiple inflows, pushing waste out with a minimal detention time. Then I have no substrate also, 450 Gph thur a 75 gallon with 40 Mostly full grown African cichilds.
