[CichlidWhisperer]

I have a 48 1/2 inch tank with a Fluval 305 and a Biowheel. I do 25% water changes weekly. There is no doubt in my mind that the water is extremely clean, but it does not have that sharp crystal clear look to it. I am thinking it might be because I have a coral substrate causing dust.

In any case I am wondering about adding a water polisher to my filter. What are water polishers, what do they do (I know polish the water, but exactly how), and are they a safe and a good idea?

Thanks

 

[remarkosmoc]

The best way to polish the water is mechanically. There are some DIY filters on this site or if you get any of the magnum filters you can buy a micron cartridge that is reusable. I generally don't use any of the water clearing chemicals.

 

[alicem]

You can try using filter floss in your filter. The white floss stuff similar to what is on filter cartidges.

A less expensive version might be quilt batting, found in the sewing department in places like Wally World, etc.

Something I've tried lately is pond medium. It is blue on one side, white on the other. I've cut it to size and placed in my filter.

Which ever you choose, place a layer or two in your filter and it will catch the finer particles and "polish" the water.

Toss the filter floss or quilt batting when you service your filter.
Rinse the pond medium in a pail of tank water and reuse it.

 

[CichlidWhisperer]

Thanks, I will try the pond medium for now.

I looked into the Magnum filter and was wondering can I add one in addition to my fluval 305? Can you over filter???

 

[remarkosmoc]

I would think that a magnum or H.O.T. magnum would be fine in addition to the 305. You can't really over filter, but you can have too much current, which I don't think would be a problem in your tank, especially if you put one filter on each side of the 4 foot tank.

Another thing to keep in mind with polishing filter media is that they get dirty very quickly and need cleaned. I have one HOT magnum with the micron cartridge and I use it as necessary on my three tanks moving it around to whatever tank needs it. If the water starts to look a little hazy or green I polish it for 3 days it is crystal clear. If you want it hooked up all the time, you will need two cartridges, one for being in the tank and the other for being cleaned. The magnum cartridges get cleaned by soaking in bleach water and drying out and of course you want to make sure it is throughly rinsed and dried before using; which is the reason for having a second cartridge. Also with off and on use (probably 20 days/month) the cartridges last me about a year.

 

[BrianNFlint]

I added the quilt batting to my filtration system a couple years ago and over night i noticed a HUGE difference! I will always have this in my filtration system now.. And the best part is you can get a bag of the stuff at wal-mart for about 2 dollars and its lasted me over 2 years now! :thumb:

 

[Lesley]

Is it natural fibre, or something like nylon?

 

[Joea]

A diatom filter will give you the clear water you're looking for. They can be a bit of a pain to run however.

 

[f u z z]

I just bought a Magnum 350 today. LOOOOOOVE it. The water was visably different in an hour. We shall see how it comes allong within the next day or two.

 

[Reel North]

I just changed out my "floss" in my Eheim 2028 and in 15 minutes it is better already!!

Thanks for the tip

 

[CichlidWhisperer]

I did the same thing.. Went out and bought a Magnum 350... OMG, it makes all the difference!

How long can i leave it running and how often can I run it? I understand if I leave it on all the time it will strip the water?

 

[amcline]

i havehad a magnum350 for a while, with the carbon canister in it and floss you run it full time, when needed pull the carbon can and floss, rinse in tank water, install the polishing filter (after rising/drying from cleaning or new) and then i always put the floss back in,
it will only run fora few days to a week before the poilish filter clogs and slows the flow, then you need to switch back, get a sealed DEDICATEdcleaning jugor somthing to add water and 10-20% bleach and let the poilishing filter soak over night or for a couple days, then really rise it out and let dry, then rise again with Tap water just before the next use,

*** only "Had" to use mine like once in a few months, but *** used it on some other tanks for overnight cleanings...

i would love to have a second magnum, one for full time and one for poilishing multiple tanks, butthe cost is high for such a luxury.
been trying to figure out a simple way to mount a polishing filter to a powerhead for those quick cleanings,

to be honest its a pain to tear down the magnum from under/behind a tank to use on other tanks, cleaning/changing the filter tho isnt bad if you install the quick connects inline.
just dont forget to turn them off before disconecting!
(havent done that Yet, but waiting for it to happen,lol.)

 

[Toby_H]

I feel Magnum filters get a bum rap…

I’ve had 3 Mag 350s each for 4 to 5 years… I’ve not had to replace any broken parts… I rarely clean them which adds wear and tear to the motors, although I see no difference in the performance of the motor once it is cleaned… Their small media area isn’t very good for super bio-filtration, but as a polisher they are wonderful…

I put the Blue media bag over the micron cartridge and leave it for months. Yes the flow becomes heavily restricted, but you are assured all the water coming out has been filtered as well as it can be (mechanically). Amcline gave a great description of how to reuse micron cartridges.

For a model to be bounced from tank to tank the Magnum HOT (Hang On Tank) version is wonderful. I have a couple of these which also push water through UV lights that I can move from tank to tank. This has been an amazing addition to my filtration as I feel I am truly getting the absolute best in mechanical filtration (polishing plus ‘clarifying’).

I don’t want to pull the topic away from polishing, but just to mention, I can assure 100% that when used properly UV lights do make the water far more crystal clear than any form of polishing alone can do…

 

[sben763]

I have 2 HOT Magnums one is over 12 years old and still runs great the other is a year old. but I now have bigger tanks and they dont do the job so I purchased a votex has twice the filter size as the Hot or the 350 and with the recharge valve you dont have to tear it down to recharge or clean. I use DE powder for a crystal water. I am now building a quick polisher out of a swimming pool DE fiter I should be able to clean my 150 in 2 hours