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Old 19-01-2006, 07:53 AM posted to rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants
Koi-lo
 
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Default How many hrs of light per day?


"Steve Michie" wrote in message
...

"Koi-lo" wrote in message
...

You need to find the problem behind this algae. Something is FEEDING it.


yeah, I think its an inablility of my plants to compete for the nutrients
?

Mine will when the surface of the powder is covered with crapola from the
water change. It'll do several tanks then I change the powder.


what do u do with the filter in-between tanks ??


While it's doing tank #1 I'm doing a gravel vac and water change on tank #2,
then I move the Vortex to tank #2 while I start on tank #3..... until it's
time to quit for the day. I have a lot of tanks.

if u store it dry - ur powder would be down the drain after u backflush it
?


I flush the powder and crud down the drain - yes. I just backflush it until
I'm finished for the day, then open it, rinse the bag and store it dry if I
wont be using it for a few weeks. Just back flushing can leave it smelling
nasty.

if u store it wet - you'd grow stinky mulm ???


Yes. I've stopped storing it wet. When I'd turn it on after a few weeks
the smell was sickening, and that was after backflusing it with real hot
water.

That doesn't sound right. There may be a small hole in the bag,


If there was a hole in the bag - wouldnt i just recirculate DE powder when
charging ??


Not necessarily. That's how I learned about holes in the bag. The water
wasn't "polishing" and the thing would run a few hours. I finally took it
apart and really examined the bag - and found a small hole in a seam. I
restitched it by hand and was back in business. The second time this
happened the hole was near the top where the plastic neck joins the bag and
couldn't be repaired. The bag was just disintegrating. For some reason the
powder wasn't being recirculated like the solids in the water - or maybe it
was a mix of crud and powder. That was about 15 years ago........

it's not
seated right, or not enough powder.


I used 1.5 cups when doing my second charge - manual recommends at least 1
cup for the D1.


HOLY MOLEY!!! I never used that much in my D1. All you need is a nice
coating on the bag. It looks like they're trying to sell more DE.

Your tank should be CLEAR after no more
than a few hours at most.


when u say clear - do u mean when looking sideways thru the tank (4 foot
of water) crystal clear ?


YES! Crystal clear. And you can add some activated charcoal in the bottle
with the powder. It'll remove any yellowish coloration still in your water.
Toss it when finished. I haven't bothered with the charcoal in years.....

mine looks pretty good from the front, but when looking thru 4 foot of
water from the side - its cloudy - i can see thru to the other end - but
it aint crystal clear by a long shot.


Then there's something wrong somewhere. Can it be the DE itself somehow
escaping the filter? It shouldn't be the least bit cloudy after 1 to 2
hours. Can you try using only 1/2 to 3/4s cup of DE next time? Check that
the bag has no open seams, no holes and plastic neck seats snugly in the
well. Your filter isn't doing it's job for some reason.

A good bag, well seated and with enough powder
will clog after several hours in a tank that's a real mess with green
water and other floating "stuff." By then the tank should have crystal
clear water.


Are there types of algae that are less than 1 micron ?
The vortext is only rated to filter down to a micron or so...


I don't know how tiny algae can be but my DE filter removes EVERYTHING and
leave the water gin clear.

$450 for the D1
$550 for the XL
$200 for an Eheim 2213

How much for an Eheim over there ?????

They run $200 to $250 here in the USA. Where are you located?


Im in Australia.
I got my Eheim Classic 2213 for under AU$200
The Vortex D1 cost me AU$450


I can't believe they cost that much there. That's outrageous.

go figure... must be volume of sales related.... ???


I can't imagine..... shipping can't account for that much of a markup.
They're about $20 to $25 (USA) wholesale.

--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
Aquariums: http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastada...ium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
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