Diatomaceous earth is also used as a filter medium. Use use a paper filter and the filter sucks in the DE and coats the paper of the filter. This lets you filter down to the micron level.
Diatom filters, anyone?
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Ridgeway
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Seems slightly odd that many people claim issues due to too high silicates and yet here you guys are filtering through a media that is at least 80% pure silicate. I don't doubt that it's a great mechanical filtration media but I wonder what effect it has of water chemistry ?
Anyone have any answers on that ?
It's also funny that the issues some people claim are typically diatom related and here fossilised diatoms are being used, now there's a back at diatoms !!! great stuff
Anyone have any answers on that ?
It's also funny that the issues some people claim are typically diatom related and here fossilised diatoms are being used, now there's a back at diatoms !!! great stuff
DE is used for water filtering all the time. The point about silicates is that they are not in solution. These are the skeletons of diatoms the shell. Diatoms consume silicate. 
Ubergroover
Engineer by day, Musician/golfer/reefer by night
This is a bit watered down however gets the point across. Their shape and charge make it a natural filter. Where I work we treat water for release after use, and we use it all the time.
https://www.mommypotamus.com/diatomaceous-earth-uses/
https://www.mommypotamus.com/diatomaceous-earth-uses/
I have one of the old vortex diatom filters and I also have owned the marineland filter just not together. On both units the only time mine would put out bubbles is if it still had air in the line (like not primed all the way) or foam media in filter became dirty which slowed down the filtration. Hope this helps
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It's the food grade DE that is causing the issue, it's too fine to use. You need pool grade DE for it to work properly.
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