I'm getting a diatom filter

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Green water has not returned since I ran the filter that one time. :mrgreen: Nitrates have returned to 5ppm, and phosphates are holding steady at barely 0.5 ppm. What I consider normal algae (green spot and green hair) have returned after a complete absence during the green water period. This whole experience has really impressed upon me how one little thing (NO3/PO4 ratio) can completely upend the microflora balance in an aquarium!

I started dosing my planted tanks with Flourish Comprehensive and Flourish Potassium. As soon as I can locate some KNO3 at work, I will also dose my nitrate levels up to 10 - 25 ppm.

I changed out the substrate on two of my smaller tanks and I ran the diatom filter to quickly remove any debris that got stirred up. It worked great! This really is a nice piece of equipment to have around.
 
Those are really nice filters....I bought one in 1979, but sold it when I moved in 1986...been meaning to pick up another for years...I will get around to it one of these days. Funny thing is, aside from the 'jar' now being plastic, the filters have not changed a whit in 30 years.
 
:D Yep. I can't imagine Vortex improving the motor and housing much. If you keep the motor well oiled it should last forever.
 
I only wish that the ring used to screw the housing to the bottle was made of something other than plastic. This part is probably the filter's Achilles heel, and I've been very careful not to cross-thread or overtighten.

I started using the filter on all my tanks every two weeks - what a difference in water clarity!

My recently set-up 29 gal is currently going through the normal growing pains of a brown algae explosion. I've been using the diatom filter to remove the brown gunk from the water column after I wipe it off the glass. The irony of using diatoms to remove diatoms is not lost on me, BTW. :wink:
 
Sounds great QTOFFER!!! :mrgreen:
Im surprised the ring isnt rubber... last time I had my hands on one (not mine) I thought it was.. hmm..
 
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