"Rick" wrote in message
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"Michi Henning" wrote in message
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"Shagster" wrote in message
No, you can't run diatoms 24x7. The filter media get clogged very quickly,
typically within a few hours. Diatom filters are used as occasional water
polishing filters, not as permanent filters.

Great post Michi up to this point. You can leave a diatom filter running
24-7 in fact my new Vortex XL recommends it. In answer to the original
posters question I left my running for 3 days, 24-7 however the water was
crystal clear after a few hours and I'm not sure I accomplished much more by
running it longer. The older Vortex models I don't think were recommended
for continuous operation.

Ah, I learn something new every day. However, I really wonder how well this
would work. The diatom filter is so fine that it even traps the most minute
particles and, once you have reached the absorption limit, I think all the
filter would do is to release as many particles as it holds back. I know that
if you use a diatom filter on a bad case of green water, the media get
clogged with an hour or two. I guess for a tank without large amounts
of particulate matter, you could keep the filter running 24x7, but I would
still expect to have to replace media quite often, maybe once a week?

Cheers,

Michi.

--
Michi Henning Ph: +61 4 1118-2700
ZeroC, Inc. http://www.zeroc.com