I just got my Vortex XL diatom filter to clear up the green water in my 60 gallon tank, and after running it for several hours, the filter has not cleared the green water at all. I put in 3 cups of diatomaceous earth (as recommended in the manual), and the filter bag looks evenly coated, but for whatever reason, it's not filtering out the green water! I've tried to recharge it a couple times, but it makes no difference. Has anyone had experience with this problem, and know what the problem could be? I'm really stumped!
Vortex XL diatom performs micro filtration. However, green water is algae in the tank and is best removed via a Ultra Violet filter. Attach one at the output of your Vortex filter before the water enters the tank and you will have the best of both worlds.
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
pardon me if i am worng but i thought green water is made up of unicellular algae? issn't it bigger than diatoms? so theoretically should be able to filter out?
Is there any algae in the filter at all after all those hours of filtering?Originally Posted by renayams
BC
if there is no leak in the seal/proper assembly, the outer layer of the bag should be completely coated with algae by now. (heck, in 2-3 hours).
There is a very little bit of algae after the several hours. I am using diatomaceous earth that I got in bulk from a pool supply store. Is there any difference between the diatomaceous earth marketed in aquarium supply stores and pool supply stores?Is there any algae in the filter at all after all those hours of filtering?
I'm pretty sure it's been properly assembled. For the XL, there's really only a couple pieces to attach (o-ring, o-ring retainer, turbulence tube, filter bag). I checked the connections, everything seems to be seated properly. By seal, do you mean the lid/jar/o-ring, or do you mean the filter bag connection?if there is no leak in the seal/proper assembly, the outer layer of the bag should be completely coated with algae by now. (heck, in 2-3 hours).
There's no difference in the diatomaceous earth. I went the cheap route and went to Orchard Supply Hardware and went into the garden department where I picked up some diatomaceous earth for the pool. Works well enough.
I also use the Vortex for the same reason, greenwater or polishing it up after a waterchange or before a shooting session. Depending on how much GW you have, it might take awhile, but you should be noticing more than just a sprinkle of green on the outer bag of the filter.
Check to verify that the seal on the lid/jar and the filter bag connection is connected; the filter might just be recirculating the water if the filter bag connection isn't properly installed.
Eric
usually, when I polish water, I use about 300-500ml of the powder (I use a measuring cup).
the powder must coat the outer layer of the filter bag evenly.
anyway, my galleries are down, so I'll upload a pix to flickr later on.
Well, I had been resisting doing this, but I finally bought some flocculant (Seachem Clarity) and dosed it into the tank while running the Vortex filter. FINALLY, the filter began to filter out the algae, and after another dose of the flocculant and several hours later, the tank is crystal clear, and the filter is a nice green! After several weeks of staring at pea soup, I had forgotten what my plants and fish looked like. I guess the algae had been too small to be filtered out by the diatom filter. I suppose for different tanks, there are different species of algae that show up as "green water." Thanks for all the suggestions.
Glad to hear that it's finally resolved.
Do show if a picture of your tank if you have one. We'll like that!
Cheers,
I have dwarf cichlids in my tanks! Do you?
Here's the before picture:
Scary green water...
Here's the after picture:
The plants are looking kinda scraggly, but to quote Eddie Murphy in the movie Trading Places: "I can see, I can see!"
Add more bio-media to the filter and if the filter is undersized for this tank, add another one or get a big enough one. 3-10x turnover seems to be a good range. Focus on growing the plants well and you should not see greenwater again (some ammonia presence trigger it previously).
Regards
Peter Gwee
Yeah, the green water seems to have been triggered when I uprooted my Rotala indica/rotundifolia and trimmed it back heavily. The rotala is the fastest growing and provides the most plant mass to my tank. I like to replant the tops, since they're nicer looking, but that means I'm always uprooting the bottom half. It grows like a weed, so I have a tendency to prune it back drastically just so I'm not always constantly pruning it. I always do a 50% water change after mucking around the tank, but it doesn't seem to be enough.
I think I have sufficient filtering (if one can ever have enough). I have both an Eheim 2215 and AquaClear 70/300 running, each of which are rated higher than my tank size (60 gallons). But I will probably consider replacing some of the mechanical filtration with more biological filtration media.
Here are the changes I will probably implement to try to avoid green water:
--Try to prune back the plants less severely
--Do a 70-75% water change instead of 50% if I'm uprooting/pruning plants.
--After the water change, add a dose of bacteria starter (hey, it can't hurt)
--Think of replacing some of the mechanical filtration media with more biological filtration media.
Another thing I've been thinking about is to get the Eheim sludge extractor so I can really vaccuum up all the debris. The debris always seems to collect faster than I vaccuum up during my weekly water changes. I'll probably wait, though, till I get the UBYAG (Urge To Buy Yet Another Gadget).
Any other tips/suggestions would be welcome.
Yippie!! Reptiles and Fishies!
you dont have to uproot the rotalas.. just trim them shorter.. they will spilt and send branches out which leads to more plants..
The Eheim 2215 might be a tad weak for your 60 gallon imo. Filters do clog over time and that might well be too little for your tank. Its always better to oversize things than to undersize one. The another issue might be your plants ain't growing well enough (the spike in ammonia should not happen in a well running tank since the plants would suck it up rapidly leaving nothing or at most very little to the bacteria).
Consider a 2250 instead imo...
Regards
Peter Gwee
Yeah, that 2250 does look nice, though for $200, I might wait and drop hints for my next birthday. Have you used the 2250 before? If so, how do you like it?
i think the before and after pictures attest to the diatom working...
and yes... "I can see!! I can see!!"
celticfish
It is a good day to die!!!
I finally uploaded an avatar and Cupid is dead!!!
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