Which Diatom to go with ?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Mine used to get really hot (too hot to hold) too but mine and the newer ones have a thermal resistor or at least they are thermally protected so they will shut off if they get close to a certain temp. Mine never shut off, or at least never when I was around.

I would plumb it after any canister that has a higher flow rate than the diatom filter. I am just thinking this may be better than having the pump on the diatom filters try to pull the water faster through the impeller which would be causing a restriction...possibly.

Use a T or a True Wye fitting and don't daisy chain the filter. From my experience, I would have mine on a timer to run for 6 hours, and then shut off

These pumps of a semi open impeller was its more efficient than straight bladed impellers on most canister filters. The Fx5 has a closed impeller, the best type :) I say this because it would be very inefficient to have a canister filter try to pull water through the diatom filters if it was daisy chained before it. Gata think how powerful the impeller has to be to pull water through that powder especially after it starts to clog.

I think the eye of the impeller is roughly 1.5"-2" (trying to visualize) in diameter verses 1" or less on most canister filters including the fx5.

BTW, if and when you do get one, buy some pool diatom powder from the store. About 30 times cheaper and its the same stuff. Just make sure its pure and does not have any added chemicals.
 
right on , I had not heard of it being used for pools. Score. I think I read somewhere the D1 was supposed to be run for 3 hours. I think it was in the doctor fosters catalog. It used to get warm in 3 hours... a bit concerning which is why I was thinking the vortex may be the way to go a lot of people run them continuously.
 
They are both vortex filters..... They both use the same type of motor so continuous operation may not be a good thing. I was in doubt before that the motor could not run continuously, now I know....
 
I see ill have to figure something out. Maybe ill just run it at night or something. The D1 and vortex Xl have that much in common?
 
I still don't understand why you want to run it so often?

they are only useful to polish the water.

with normal maintenance, you aren't going to notice a difference. your tanks are going to be sparkling clear without the filter.

I never used to use mine. it sat there because with normal weekly water changes and proper feeding, my old tanks were always crystal clear..

eg:

IMG_1482.JPG
 
I see. I run purigen and UV on the tanks anyways and the water is already super clear as it is. And I do 50% WC 1-2 times a week I don't think ill need to run it much at all. Ill just buy the D1 off my buddy probably wont need to run it much at all. Thanks 12 volt.
 
I would never run these filters 24/7. They are not designed for continuous use and will overheat and drastically shorten the filters life span. If you want to run it overnight then just remember to clean it out every morning. The more waste that's on the pleated material the more the pump is going to have to struggle to move the water and hence heat up more. Even with the thermal protection, if you continuously to force it to shutdown one day it just won't start up again.
 
If I got one of these filters does that mean I can clean my tank/do waterchanges as often as I want with no cloudy water afterwards?
 
vaine111;3585257; said:
If I got one of these filters does that mean I can clean my tank/do waterchanges as often as I want with no cloudy water afterwards?
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Yeah,they polish the water by forcing it through very fine powder,removing small particles that will cloud the water.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong,I've never used one,but I'm pretty sure that's how they work.
 
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