# Product review:diatomagic



## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I have a Whisper Diatomagic diatomic filter and I love it!

It is quick to set up and super easy to use. Very easy to move from aquarium to aquarium. 

I have used it in my 75 and I have used it in my 10. The only drawback when using it in a smaller aquarium, is the turbulance created by the filter. It is pretty strong, but it is effective.

I believe fishbulb experienced a jump in his pH while using the Diatomagic filter because the filter does seem to oxgenate the water as it runs. Nothing dangerous, but the action of the filter and the agitation of the water created by the unit does cause a small jump in my pH also.

Great piece of equipment.

Mike


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## Georgiadawgger (Apr 23, 2004)

Great review of a product that it seems as though not many people have (was that a coherent sentence?). 

I personally have a Vortex Freedom and it is unbelievable. (earlier posts). As far as backflushing...takes less than 5 minutes to shake it up a few times and let the water flow. As far as charging it...takes less than 2 minutes once you know what you're doing. As far as filtering ability...granted I haven't seen other diatom filters in work...this one could handle my 46g bowfront, my GF's 29g and my 10g plant prop tank with one cup of diatom powder. Of course by the end al tanks were crystal clear and the powder was a crap brown color. Just my 2 cents. 

In any case I think we can agree that if you can invest in it, get one since you will be quite surprised at how dirty your water is even when it "appears" crystal clear.


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## jart (Jan 17, 2003)

seems to me this is one of the more thorough hands-on product reviews on a not often seen (by me, anyway) product i've read in some time. thanks.


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## Fishbulb (Apr 12, 2004)

I can also add ( now that it's been a few days and i have disconnected the filter) that the clean up was a cinch. I likes the way that the vortex has back flushing to push the powder out of the filter bag. The diatomagic does not really have that option. However I find the diatomagic easier to clean. Because it is so easy to remove the cartridge from the unit you can simply rinse it off directly. I found a bit cumbersome to do this with the vortex because slipping the filter pad in and out of the bell was more difficult. My water is still crystal clear. Great product, i would recommend anyone looking into diatom filters to give this one a try. I also think it's a better option than UV for clearing out green water because diatom filters (in general, this one of the vortex) will do a great job at it but also have a wide range of other applications. I was originally deciding between this or a UV light (i also had green water problems earlier on) and i'm glad I went with a diatom filter instead.
Fish BUlb


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## rkundla (Mar 25, 2004)

Fish Bulb,

That was a great review of the Diatomagic. I just recently bought one to clear up a green water issue and it worked well. You are right that it is very noise, not as much the pump as the sound of the water rushing though the device and being pumped back into the tank. The Diatomagic creates a lot of splash and I found if I took part of a plastic bag and tied it around the output, I could rid myself of the splashing and reduce the noise to wife-approved acceptable levels. :icon_bigg 

I originally put in a new UV sterilizer (Coralife TurboTwist 3x) in an attempt to kill off the existing green water and as a proactive way to kill off any new algae due to any future nutrient imbalances/direct sunlight incidents. The UV wasn't getting rid of the green water fast enough for me, so I made the investment in the Diatomagic and it was worth every penny.

Ron


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## Fishbulb (Apr 12, 2004)

Thanks for the tip with the plastic bag. i will definetly try that. ANother great thing about the diatomagic filter is that it also does a superb job as a surface skimmer, thus getting everything sparkling including the surface scum. If anyone is looking into these filters and is turned off by the high cost of the filter powder, realize that you can pick up diatomaceous earth at home depot at a fraction of the cost. I think the price they charge for this Whisper DE is absurd.

Fb


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Great tip on the use of the plastic bag! You drape the bag into the water?


Mike


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## rkundla (Mar 25, 2004)

My attempt at reducing the noise from the Diatomagic used a cut-up plastic bag from the aquatic store. Cut it from the open end as far as you need it to be for your tank, then wrap part of the open end around the output arm behind the nozzle so you have space to use some tape (electrical, duct, masking, etc...) to hold the bag around the neck. 

Wrap any loose ends so you turn the bag into a plastic 'hose' and tape it together. This allows the water from the output to flare out to the sides and spill down instead of shooting directly into the tank.

The con to all of this is that if you need to swing the arm back into the tank, the plastic hinders the operation of the trap door since the water isn't falling directly on the door or it has too little force to keep the door shut. When you are ready to remove the Diatomagic from your tank, remove the tape and unravel the bag. Volia!

Ron


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## Alain Pascal (Dec 15, 2005)

*diatom*

hi all,

...just found this old post and was wondering if you can help me find one of those filter new or used.
I cannot seem to find a store that sell it???
thank you for any help...
ps email= [email protected]
Alain


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

I don't think they make that filter any more. No demand. 
Any reason why you want that one?


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## Alain Pascal (Dec 15, 2005)

*diatom*

seems like a good little unit and easier to use than the Vortex.
Do you know if they replaced it with a better model?
or I would be interested in a used one.
cheers,
a


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

I have a HOT magnum with a micron cartridge that I sometimes use with DE. A bit easier than a vortex to prime IME, not quite as easy as the diatomagic, but they are bigger than the diatomagic.


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## DiabloCanine (Aug 26, 2005)

This model was discontinued a while ago. The only thing available is the replacement bag. It does eat bags quite often if you do not silicone the bag neck. It works great on <30 gallon tanks and is easy to clean; do not know why they discountinued it, I use a vortex on big tanks......DC


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