WARNING - watch out for the white powder....

[AquariumFreak]

Well gang, think I did my first boo-boo.

I noticed that my HOT Magnum started to run slow so I decided to change and clean out the micron filter with the diatom powder.

Turned off the filter, removed the lid, cleaned the filter, put it back in and turned on the power and the next thing I noticed it the white diatom powder going all through out my tank even though I did not add any this time.

Tank looks good still but I have this white powder all over the place. Any ideas on how I should clean it up?


Jeff

You did'nt totally disconnect the filter from the tank and clean it?

[AquariumFreak]

No... I was being lazy and have learned my lesson

[medge00]

well, first try to vacuum it up I guess. It will take you a while, but you don't want it in there really....

[AquariumFreak]

Done most of the vacuming already... I though it wouldn't cause any harm? Do I have to make sure to get it all out???

[medge00]

you know, i don't have enough experience with this to know for sure...

[fish_doc]

DIATOM FILTERS are used for polish cleaning the aquarium, usually once a week. They use powder diatomceous earth to filter out particles too small to be trapped by media used in conventional operating filters, "polishing" your water. In a reef tank, you should avoid using the powder, as this can cause algae problems and diatomaceous powder may suffocate corals and invertebrates. Instead of using the powder in the reef tank, you can use a micron mesh bag over the filter's cartridge to filter out the fine particles.

I have also heard the powder is dangerous for humans if inhaled. With this in mind I wouldnt think it would be that safe for fish either.

[betowess]

I have read that it won't hurt the fish if it gets in the tank. Don't sweat it Jeff, it will settle on the bottom and you probably already got the lion's share out. But you might want to re read CC's post on "green water cure"... it has info about how to load in DE into a filter the easy way. The same thread can be found (by Jay Luto) in the Aquabotanic forum which is another great forum. HTH Bob

[madasafish]

Fish_doc, Vortex swears that the diatom filter powder is not dangerous to fish.

Aquariumfreak, I learned this the hard way, too, with my D-1 diatom filter. And you can imagine how that looked on my black gravel (at the time)! The design on these and the magnums is not perfect; some, if not a lot, of the powder does often get into the tank when you start up the filter.

SOLUTION!!! This can be avoided by starting up the filter with the in- and out-flows in a filled jug or bowl. This way, whatever powder comes into the bowl is easily sucked back up by the inflow tube. When the filter is running smoothly, and the powder is all on the outside of the diatom bag or grid in the filter, carefully lower the jug or bowl into the tank, making sure that no air gets sucked into the filter. Submerge the jug/bowl completely so that the water mixes with the tank water, and then take the jug/bowl out and leave the inflow and outflow in the tank. Works every time.

Here's an illustration

[fish_doc]

Vortex swears that the diatom filter powder is not dangerous to fish

Quite honestly, what do you expect them to say, It is one of their own products. It is hard to sell something you say is harmful.

[madasafish]

That sounds like an attack, fish_doc.

It's possible that they're incorrect, but I did this *many* times before figuring out the pitcher method, and my fish were not harmed at all.

Let me say that the way that our lungs and they way fishes' gills work are fundamentally different. As such, a product that damages our lungs could be much less detrimental to the lamellae of fish gills. I'm not an expert on this (yet), but I am studying to be an ichthyologist. Let me get back to you in 7 years

[Mr Burns]

Originally Posted by fish_doc

It is hard to sell something you say is harmful.

oh, right. i've never heard of cigarettes.....

ditto madasa. people have used diatom filters in freshwater tanks with great success for many years. my aunt has used a diatom for at least a decade and never observed a DE-related problem with her fish. if i remember correctly, DE is a carcinogen if inhaled. at the same time though, no fine dust is going to be safe if inhaled. that's why people wear masks when sanding drywall compound/plaster.... no es bueno

i'm going to be using a HOT magnum as a diatom filter. if i die or start losing fish, i'll let you know.

[betowess]

Ahhh, now we finally know the meaning behind the "mad" in our good madasa.8) What kind of fish are you going to specialize in madasafish?

[madasafish]

Loricariids, probably (plecos). Or sister taxa to those, such as Astroblepids. Haven't decided, really... but I know I don't want to do cichlids. Everyone seems to work with them!! I'd also be interested in working with rainbowfish...

And, btw, thanks for getting that my handle's "Mad as a fish" not "Madasa Fish."

[Mr Burns]

d'oh..i would have never gotten that

[fish_doc]

In response to madasafish and Mr Burns. I appologize if you felt this as an attack but this is a forum and people ask questions to get both sides of the story. I feel what I stated to be true just as you believe your statements. It is up to the one asking the question to find what they feel is truth by reading the answers we all give. As I look through the post it was you who first attacked my post by stating

Fish_doc, Vortex swears that the diatom filter powder is not dangerous to fish.

I just made a simple comment back as to how you make sales through advertising.

As for the cigarette statement if you listen to they do not advertise that they are bad for you. Even though the ads are paid by their funds it is only by court order and they are managed by a third party they are not the creators of the ads.

But back to the topic and your other statements,

I am aware that our lungs work differently than gills. On the other hand I am also aware of how other chemicals like the chlorine in our water affects fish more than us. But just because it is safe for us at the levels we use in our water does not mean we can drink a gallon of chlorine.

My point was that when working with things that do not belong in a tank you need to be extra careful to keep them out of the tank. pH, Nitrate, Nitrite, and Ammonia kits are used in the aquarium hobby but I would not risk putting those chemicals in my tank.

A simple reminder - Transmission fluid is fine when used correctly but keep it out of your gas tank.

As everyone has figured out, fish are much more temperamental to environmental changes than us humans. Filling their habitat with chemicals and other unnatural things cannot be good wether it is done on purpose or not. In most cases the clarity of the water is for our enjoyment not the fishes, also in most cases freshwater fish live in a normally cloudy environment due to algae, silt, and other natural things.

Feel free to respond as you wish but this is the end of this specific thread for me.

[betowess]

Jeez Doc, its been long held that DE is not harmful to fish. Vortex has been selling this superior product for a long time, maybe 30 years? Of course your right that every effort should be made to keep powder out of the tank. It originally comes from natural diatom skeletons which are one of the most common organisms on earth.

The loading method Madasafish suggests is the best way to keep DE out of the tank. Our advisor Corvuscorax had a great post on "Green water cure" using a Magnum 350 with DE that he copied from Jay Luto of Aquabotanics which was a sticky for a long time at the top of the forum. I searched for it but couldn't find it . Maybe they could re post it.

[Mr Burns]

Here's the Mag350 article:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=13431

the other day i found an article that was helpful for using a MagHOT for multiple tanks. the DE would settle in the filter once the motor was shut off, so the author came up with a rather simple solution. a length of hose connected to the outflow, then to the inflow of filter to create a continuous loop while you switch to another tank. that's just for transporting though. the loading methods by Mad-as-a-fish Corvuscorax seem to be the easiest and safest.

[madasafish]

Doc, I really wasn't starting a fight here. Didn't you see the " " at the end of my last post? I'm not offended by your post... Please don't take anything I say on these forums as a threat or insult. I'm here to enjoy myself, and that doesn't include picking fights with others.