Diatom filter for treating external parasites?

[laga77]

My question is if you were to spend 150.00? Would a diatom filter or a uv steralizer be better. I'm no too worried about the polishing part, just the parasitical part of it. Thanks!!

Well, speaking from experience, two years ago when I had ich in a display tank. I used my UV in line after the diatom. This was when I just set up a new tank and was in the process of stocking it. But if it is one or the other I would would go with the diatom. UV does work against parasites, but not the way most people think. Hobby grade units are not strong enough to kill or sterilize completely, but they do enough damage to the organisms so they cannot reproduce. When run and maintained properly.

 

[MickeyCT]

I had been running a deep sand bed and recently changed it out for a shallow bed with coarser sand. My guess is the disruption this caused, including the rearranging of all the rock work, etc. precipitated this outbreak. Or it came in on some coral frags I acquired mid October at a frag swap weekend. I didn't add any of the water from the bags, but I didn't dip the coral either so it is possible that ich was present in some water droplets. I guess I got too complacent and lazy and fate stepped in to teach me a lesson. I saw one or two spots on them some weeks ago and kept telling myself it was nothing, then in the last week it became really clear. Only the two hippo tangs are showing symptoms, other fish (flame angel, mated clowns, chromis, kole tang, foxface) all seem fine. I know it's very possible they are affected too and just aren't showing the spots.

The Nu-clear filters seems to be larger and I can rig up a way to plumb it from an existing pump so I'm leaning that way. The model 533 is supposedly for tanks up to 90 gallons. Should I buy an extension making it 180 (makes the canister twice as tall and two filters) or run two in tandem. Or is just the one okay for this purpose? I'm not really clear on how much DE powder to use, nor how to actually use it with these filters. Hopefully someone can point me to some instructions.

Thanks guys.

 

[MickeyCT]

I went back over the notes I took when I read this thread. Would I be better off with the XL Vortex and the Bear Valley Mag Drive pump modification rather than trying to use the Nu-clear filter?

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I didn't read the whole thread..what's a good diatom filter for larger tanks? 200+?

 

[dragon99]

Those Vortex filters sounds like absolute garbage. I'd go with the nu-clear and chose a pump to get the flow you need for your tank.

Another thought I've had, why wouldn't a 1 micron sediment filter work? The same one used for RO water should work to clear the tank right?

 

[scardall]

@omykiss001 Nice! Is there any brass looking metal on the impeller? I'm guessing not, meaning this retrofit pump makes the DE filter reef safe.

http://www.bearvalleyaquatics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=169
http://www.bearvalleyaquatics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_5_7&products_id=185

 

[hart24601]

Here is some UV info, I posted this before just for my keeping on a discus site as I run a turbo twist between the tanks. I wasn't looking for just parasites, but general pathogens. It's interesting the UV amounts different places apply to their water.
The below article says for pathogenic bacteria up to 300 J/m2 are needed and Aussies have a 400 J/m2 regulation. I know, not parasites!


Coralife says the turbo twist 12x kills parasites at 290gph at 45,000 uw-sec/cm2 which is 450 J/M2 (it took me way to long to do that conversion for just dropping 0's). I run only 180gph (probably 150 or less after head loss) giving at least 500 J/m2 and more like 600J/m2 which should kill all bacteria and most general pathogens that I have seen tested. Another article says 80 J/m2 kills (or at least reduces infectivity) Giardia, a protozoan. Finally Cryptosporidium oocysts were killed at much lower UV rates.


http://www.ingentaconnect.com/conten...00008/art00001
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...43135400002074
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...43135400003997

 

[laga77]

Those Vortex filters sounds like absolute garbage. I'd go with the nu-clear and chose a pump to get the flow you need for your tank.

Another thought I've had, why wouldn't a 1 micron sediment filter work? The same one used for RO water should work to clear the tank right?

Vortex filters are far form junk. They do a wonderful job. A 1 micron filter sock will clog up very quickly and then the water will spill over the top thus becoming useless. The diatom filter uses pressure to force the water through the media, until it becomes clogged, and no spillage.

 

[dragon99]

No not a sock, the kind used for RO filtration in a 10in pressure rated housing. I think the problem might be that it would also clog pretty quickly.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ge-rosave-z-depth-sediment-filter.html
plus
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-chloramines-upgrade-kit.html
plus a pressure rated pump to push water through the canister.

I'm not saying the Vortex won't do it's job. BUT: if you have to rebuild the thing from parts to keep it running, well... junk. If you have to buy a retrofit pump from another company... junk. It's a flawed design that's never been updated. Probably because it does work, and there's no competition.

 

[laga77]

Mine is still like new after 5 years and I use it a couple of times a year. Last time I used it I ran it for three weeks straight. Only stopping to clean the DE. Keep the motor oiled and rinse the salt off and there should be no problems.

 

[MickeyCT]

I now have the Nu-clear filter and was hoping to hook it up this weekend but I haven't figured out how to get the DE powder to coat the filter. Any suggestions?

There's not enough room to just sift it down the sides, and the filter doesn't have it's own pump so I can't just set it up on a circuit. I went with the Nu-clear because my display is about 230-250 gallons total and I thought the bigger filter would be better, plus I can add the extension if I need to.

I have a small closed loop running to my chiller which is on all year round though obviously the chiller is not running right now. I was just going to divert the water to this filter for several hours a day for a couple of weeks as part of an ich management/disease management strategy and polish the water at the same time. Do I even need the DE powder given that the filter is 25 micron?

 

[4FordFamily]

I didn't read the whole thread..what's a good diatom filter for larger tanks? 200+?

Man I gotta tell ya, introducing another unproven method to try to avoid proper qt for parasites is not a good idea you're going to cause yourself a lot of stress and money spent. You do whatever you want but don't fight what needs to be done as it will just prolong your immense stress and irritation.

 

[Brew12]

Man I gotta tell ya, introducing another unproven method to try to avoid proper qt for parasites is not a good idea you're going to cause yourself a lot of stress and money spent. You do whatever you want but don't fight what needs to be done as it will just prolong your immense stress and irritation.

I don't know.. I drink either a beer or margarita in front of my tank every evening to prevent ich. So far it is working, almost 4 months in and have yet to see ich or velvet. Seems to be a very successful if unproven method to me.

Might have something to do with all my fish having been treated with copper in a QT before going into the DT, but I am pretty sure it's the margarita.

 

[4FordFamily]

I don't know.. I drink either a beer or margarita in front of my tank every evening to prevent ich. So far it is working, almost 4 months in and have yet to see ich or velvet. Seems to be a very successful if unproven method to me.

Might have something to do with all my fish having been treated with copper in a QT before going into the DT, but I am pretty sure it's the margarita.

It's probably the good will it brings you, it makes your fish happy which improves their immune system

 

[Breakthecycle2]

Man I gotta tell ya, introducing another unproven method to try to avoid proper qt for parasites is not a good idea you're going to cause yourself a lot of stress and money spent. You do whatever you want but don't fight what needs to be done as it will just prolong your immense stress and irritation.

I wasn't implying I wanted to replace QT, which I would not, just an extra piece of preventive measure.

 

[Paul B]

I don't know.. I drink either a beer or margarita in front of my tank every evening to prevent ich. So far it is working, almost 4 months in and have yet to see ich or velvet. Seems to be a very successful if unproven method to me.

Might have something to do with all my fish having been treated with copper in a QT before going into the DT, but I am pretty sure it's the margarita.

I normally drink a Grand Marnier in front of my tank and I have 4 or 5 diatom filters. I don't have a quarantine tank, if I did, I would fill it with ice for my Grand Marnier. I use the diatom maybe once a year just for fun because I don't have to worry about parasites. I like to use the diatom filter because it is fun to watch it rust and I love the smell of burning oil.
I have been lucky for 45 years, but I know any day my tank will crash because of parasites because I heard that it can only work for 46 years.

 

[Brew12]

I normally drink a Grand Marnier in front of my tank and I have 4 or 5 diatom filters. I don't have a quarantine tank, if I did, I would fill it with ice for my Grand Marnier. I use the diatom maybe once a year just for fun because I don't have to worry about parasites. I like to use the diatom filter because it is fun to watch it rust and I love the smell of burning oil.
I have been lucky for 45 years, but I know any day my tank will crash because of parasites because I heard that it can only work for 46 years.

I think the fact you put the empty Grand Marnier bottles in your tank will buy you at least a few more years of good will!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I normally drink a Grand Marnier in front of my tank and I have 4 or 5 diatom filters. I don't have a quarantine tank, if I did, I would fill it with ice for my Grand Marnier. I use the diatom maybe once a year just for fun because I don't have to worry about parasites. I like to use the diatom filter because it is fun to watch it rust and I love the smell of burning oil.
I have been lucky for 45 years, but I know any day my tank will crash because of parasites because I heard that it can only work for 46 years.

Are Diatom filters generally only designed to run short term and not long term. I had thought so.

 

[Brew12]

Are Diatom filters generally only designed to run short term and not long term. I had thought so.

It's application specific. The dirtier the source you are filtering the shorter it can run. We have applications that run almost continuously but have plenty of pre-filtration to minimize the rate it clogs.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's application specific. The dirtier the source you are filtering the shorter it can run. We have applications that run almost continuously but have plenty of pre-filtration to minimize the rate it clogs.

understood. Tank application specific.