# DIY Diatom filter



## Magoo

Anyone ever attempted a DIY diatom filter? I'm just wondering if I should spend the $ on a real one, or if I could rig something else up that would work just as well or close to it. *c/p*


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## mec102778

Not sure what a Diatom Filter is like. But depending I don't see why you couldn't, for the most part everything has a DIY version.


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## automatic-hydromatic

Diatom filter? I'm not sure I've ever seen one? I mean you have UV sterilizers that can prevent or kill off green water, but I'm not sure about diatoms.


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## mec102778

Honestly it looks like just a canister filter just different media. I don't see why your couldn't make should be pretty simple just follow something close to what they are showing from the manufactures. Truthfully I think you'd get more benefit from a sump or possibly a refugium.


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## jrman83

They are supposed to really clean your water good, and the current one on the market is sort of weird in that it is not run constantly. You run for a few hours and then remove I believe.


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## Scuff

Diatom filters and I have a...sordid history. Diatom filters work well when used the way they're meant to be used, which is as a temporary polishing filter. They'll become hopelessly clogged in short order if used on an aquarium for more than a few hours.

Essentially they work thusly: the filter contains a very fine mesh bag, inside of which is an amount of what's called 'diatomaceous earth'. This is a very soft, fine powder, made up of the silicon skeletons of diatoms, an algae with a hard shell. Think the shell left behind after a snail dies, except around 75 microns in width (roughly the width of a strand of hair off the top of your head).

Water is passed through this bag, which fills and creates a swirling cloud of this diatomaceous earth. The little pockets and holes in the diatom skeletons trap fine particulate matter that would normally pass right through typical filter materials. The cleaned water passes through the mesh bag (which keeps the diatomaceous earth from spreading into the tank), and back out into the aquarium proper, polished and clear as the day is long.

When I was still doing aquarium maintenance, I'd use diatom filters after cleaning to help polish the water up (I was maintaining aquariums in businesses, and they couldn't be cloudy even for a short period of time). Diatom filters are also used in industrial applications where a distinct lack of particulate matter is desired, such as beer and spirits.

I don't typically recommend the use of diatom filters in home applications, as they're not really necessary. Any cloudiness you may have will either settle on its own, or is the result of something else that needs to be rectified instead of glossing it over with a diatom filter. Also, diatomaceous earth is nasty stuff if you inhale it; its absorbent properties will wreak havoc on your lungs, and the cheaper stuff has higher amounts of crystalline silicon in it, which will tear the lining of your lungs and throat up as well. It's also, as you can imagine, not a good thing to get into your aquarium itself, as it's nearly impossible to get out afterward.

Don't attempt to make a DIY diatom filter unless you have the proper knowledge to do so. It's potentially dangerous at worst, and messy at best.


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## dcullen

Magoo said:


> Anyone ever attempted a DIY diatom filter? I'm just wondering if I should spend the $ on a real one, or if I could rig something else up that would work just as well or close to it. *c/p*


I don't think I've seen any DIY versions. The diatom power filters very small particles but it requires a fairly large pressure differential to work well. The commercial ones have a fine mesh filter (as a cartridge or filter bag) onto which the diatom powder is caked. The nicer models have a recirculation valve to keep the powder out of the tank while the filter cake is building up. 

IS DIY possible? Sure. Best starting point is probably a whole house filter cartridge and a strong powerhead or pump. Use a 5 micron or so pleated cartridge. Either setup plumbing to recirculate the water/powder mix or use the old "put both hoses into a pitcher until the output is clear" method. You could probably find a used vortex for less $$

The purpose of diatom filters are to polish the water of very small particles, making it super clear. The magnum cartridge filters can come close to this level with just the micron filter cartridge or use it with diatom powder for extra polishing. 

PRO's:
Polishes water to exceptional clarity (great when your having company over)
Can remove the algae that cause green water
Can remove some parasites such as Ick
Diatom powder from pool supply store is cheap 
Filter can be cleaned and recharged many, many time

CON's:
Removal of all particulates may be removing a food source for your fish.
Filter clogs up fairly quickly
Diatom powder can end up in the tank during the caking stage.
Requires a strong pump to be effective
Diatom powder is abrasive to Impellers. Not much of an issue with the Vortex models, more so with magnums.

Personally, I have a Magnum 250 HOT that I use for occasional polishing (with diatom powder if I'm having company)


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## Scuff

dcullen said:


> dcullen's post


Gotta type faster, man!*w3


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