DIY Diatom Filter for under $100.00

[Paul B]

Yes, it will preserve the cartridge but you can certainly use the 5 micron or even one micron without the powder and it will be many times easier. But this is still just a test.

I may order the one micron cartridge as a test just because I can.

Like President Kennedy said. We don't want to go to the moon because it's easy, we are going because it's hard.

 

[fishbulb]

I love diatom filters. I still use my diatomagic from Whisper. It is on its last filter bag. I must be the last guy on earth still running the thing. I also still use my Marineland Magnum 350 canister with diatomaceous earth. It's a shame no one still makes a good diatom filter anymore.

 

[MickeyCT]

I see 1 and 5 micron filters on Amazon for less than $6 per so I may just go that route and totally skip the diatom powder since that makes the whole thing much more complicated. Seems like I could put something together to test with just getting the housing, filter and pump to try out at least as long as I have plenty of tubing. I'll have to rig up something to keep one end in the tank without me needing to hold it while I use the other end to either blow things off or suck things up. Hmmm

 

[Paul B]

Mickey, I use those spring clamps.

A member on another forum (I am not sure if I can put his name here) suggested that I start it like this and I am totally grateful for the idea because it is much easier than how I normally use diatoms. Especially this new model. This is how we did it in the 60s but I totally forgot about it. At my age I forget a lot of things.
I stirred up the gravel in my tank and noticing how fast it clears the water completely.

You just hang a container inside the tank with the top above the water and fill it with tank water.
Fill the filter by putting it on the floor and using a funnel pour tank water into the inlet hose. It doesn't fill completely for some reason if you just siphon the water into it but it will fill most of the way. Fill it completely as to much air and it won't start.

Run it in that container in your tank and add some diatom powder, maybe a cup or a little less. When the water in that container gets clear, remove the container while keeping the hoses in your tank.

So far the filter is working perfectly and is getting filled with detritus while cleaning my tank.

Now I just need to build a square container that will hang in my tank just above the water as that pitcher I am using in the picture is very unweildly and could easily turn over in the tank spilling powder out in my tank.

Now I just need to replace that metal "Cup" under the canister because it will rust badly and change the melimne shelving material I used as a base and I will call this project completed.

 

[GARRIGA]

This can be used as a DE filter as well. Used to be under $60 but now closer to $100.

 

[Paul B]

This can be used as a DE filter as well. Used to be under $60 but now closer to $100.

Yes it can, but you can't easily connect hoses to it to powerwash the rock or sand.

 

[bblumberg]

It does have an air bleed on top. The air bleed makes it much easier to empty the thing when it is finished. But there are still some miner things to work out.

There is a screw inside that holds that bleeder valve in and it will rust badly so I need to replace that with stainless steel. All the screws that hold the device to the mounting, whatever I decide to build it out of will also be stainless steel. But for now, I am still in the testing and tweeking stage.

I am also having huge back, disk problems and have a problem standing, sitting, breathing, eating etc so I am working slower. I see a huge back surgery in my near future, Remember my wife has MS and can't do much so I have to do just about everything and my filter work suffers.

I get up at 4:30 or 5:00 to start my day so I can get everything done that is simple for most people.

Oh, I never considered that the screws inside the filter housings would be other than stainless steel. Thanks for that tip - I will check my many filter housings for rusty screws! Sorry to hear about your back and other surgical issues. We are like old cars, needing worn out parts replaced all the time. I already have 2 artificial hips and a spine that is also headed for surgery in the not so distant future.

 

[MickeyCT]

I actually have two of the Marineland polishing filters. Haven't figured out an easy way to use the powder yet. I do have the food grade but have since learned that's no good so I have to get some pool grade but don't want a huge supply of it in case it's too much of a pain. From what I've learned it's hard to transfer the unit to the tank and keep the powder in place. Plus the pleated filters are much more expensive than the 10"x2.5" typical size. I haven't found the right size anywhere so I'll need to buy the Marineland ones. If someone has a source please link to it here. I currently have 4 of those pleated filters and they are hard to clean. Interesting that the top and bottom rings on one of them are all discolored, soft and "funny" from a bleach solution but not the others.

Paul - those spring clamps are a good idea but not sure I can make them work on a eurobraced tank like mine. I'll have to go browsing in hardware. My hubby hates when I do that because he knows a "project" is coming.

 

[Paul B]

Oh, I never considered that the screws inside the filter housings would be other than stainless steel.

Bblumberg, I did test that screw and it is stainless steel.
My back is also headed for surgery and very soon I fear. I already had 33 surgeries and they don't bother me. I enjoy the sleep. My problem now is my wife's MS got much worse and she can't do much of anything. Taking stuff out of the fridge or oven is very hard for her and she drops more than moves.

She can't survive if I am laid up with back surgery so I have to figure out what I am going to do. This time of the year many of our friends go to Florida for the winter so there isn't anyone here to help her and if she falls, like she does once a week or so, I won't be able to get her up.

Mickey, I also have those spring clips in plastic but I don't care about rust in my tank so I use any kind of clamp.
I also use these and they will fit on anything.

 

[GARRIGA]

Yes it can, but you can't easily connect hoses to it to powerwash the rock or sand.

Sure you can. The output is 1/2" which silicone tubing can be aimed anywhere. Could also just aim the unit as I did yesterday on a deep clean converting one failed experiment back to a just a tank with fish for the grandson. The direction nozzle can be removed.

 

[Paul B]

OK cool. Then you can just use that. I never saw one of those.

I just like building things.

 

[Paul B]

I just turned off the filter and removed it. The water is so clear that I didn't think the pumps were on. I love diatom filters.

 

[fishybizzness]

Mickey, I use those spring clamps.

A member on another forum (I am not sure if I can put his name here) suggested that I start it like this and I am totally grateful for the idea because it is much easier than how I normally use diatoms. Especially this new model. This is how we did it in the 60s but I totally forgot about it. At my age I forget a lot of things.
I stirred up the gravel in my tank and noticing how fast it clears the water completely.

You just hang a container inside the tank with the top above the water and fill it with tank water.
Fill the filter by putting it on the floor and using a funnel pour tank water into the inlet hose. It doesn't fill completely for some reason if you just siphon the water into it but it will fill most of the way. Fill it completely as to much air and it won't start.

Run it in that container in your tank and add some diatom powder, maybe a cup or a little less. When the water in that container gets clear, remove the container while keeping the hoses in your tank.

So far the filter is working perfectly and is getting filled with detritus while cleaning my tank.

Now I just need to build a square container that will hang in my tank just above the water as that pitcher I am using in the picture is very unweildly and could easily turn over in the tank spilling powder out in my tank.

Now I just need to replace that metal "Cup" under the canister because it will rust badly and change the melimne shelving material I used as a base and I will call this project completed.

Hey Paul, great job! A good container for

inside the tank would be a specimen container like they use in pet stores that hang on the side of tanks. I bought 2 of them on Amazon and I use them for all kinds of stuff. They make them in several sizes and they have a lip on them that sits perfectly on the rim of a tank!

 

[Paul B]

Fishybizzness, yes thats it. Of course we all had a few of them but now they are all gone because I turned them into other things over the years. I am going to my favorite LFS today and hopefully he still has a few. If not, I will just build one. It can't be to small. I would like it to be at least 4" X 5" or a little larger.

The small ones will not fit on the lip of my tank.

 

[dennis romano]

Fishybizzness, yes thats it. Of course we all had a few of them but now they are all gone because I turned them into other things over the years. I am going to my favorite LFS today and hopefully he still has a few. If not, I will just build one. It can't be to small. I would like it to be at least 4" X 5" or a little larger.

The small ones will not fit on the lip of my tank.

Back in the day, I used an old hang on back filter box from a filter like the Supreme Aquaking or Superking.

 

[Paul B]

Back in the day, I used an old hang on back filter box from a filter like the Supreme Aquaking or Superking.

I think we all did but those are long gone and turned into other things

 

[Paul B]

I may build another one of these diatom filters but half the size that uses one micron filter element with no powder. The smaller pump is almost the same price and pumps 250GPH instead of 500GPH. I already have the half size filter housing and am looking for something to build but it will still cost me almost one hundred bucks to build.

But it's a fun project.

 

[GARRIGA]

I may build another one of these diatom filters but half the size that uses one micron filter element with no powder. The smaller pump is almost the same price and pumps 250GPH instead of 500GPH. I already have the half size filter housing and am looking for something to build but it will still cost me almost one hundred bucks to build.

But it's a fun project.

Going one micron would be simplest approach. Might last longer if preceded by 5, 20 and 40 micron filters. What I'm going to build. Perhaps run it with ozone every couple of months as a form of polishing away the nasties I don't want. Might also use flocculant to help trap finer than 1 micron. Put it all on wheels. This way I can take it outside and reverse the flow to backwash it. Let it run until it clogs or the wife screams at me for having some Back to the Future crap in the living room

 

[MickeyCT]

I still think I'm going to try this with the 10" filters. The Marineland pleated filter replacements are just too expensive to replace everytime they are used and they don't clean easily. I've already wrecked two of them with bleach. Just not sure if I'll use 1 micron or 5 micron. Maybe both. Still searching my stash (aka my fish junk shelves) for a container I can use to claim on to my eurobraced tank so I can try with the powder too. I've always hated that eurobracing as it always looks filthy and it really makes it hard to temporarily attached anything. I may just need to look at clamps like Paul showed earlier.

 

[vahegan]

I may build another one of these diatom filters but half the size that uses one micron filter element with no powder. The smaller pump is almost the same price and pumps 250GPH instead of 500GPH. I already have the half size filter housing and am looking for something to build but it will still cost me almost one hundred bucks to build.

But it's a fun project.

When I had a dyno outbreak, I took a 5 micron sediment cartridge and pushed the intake of 650 GPH pump (I used Jebao DC pump, I find them good value for money) through the top, then used a plastic bottle cap to plug the bottom. This was similar to internal filters that are used in freshwater. I had it run in the tank during the night, then took the cartridge out, peeled the dirty top layer and soaked in freshwater until next night (dynos get free swimming at nights). I was able to get rid of the staff in a week or so. The most difficult part was to get rid of the air bubbles trapped in the cartridge, as the walls for 5 um are pretty dense and thick, soaking is not enough. The pump starts, then auto shuts-off when it feels the air, and I had to power cycle it multiple times until it worked. Should be much easier with the pleated cartridges, but I couldn't find them in my country.