choosing a filter cartridge for aquarium use

[sunrise]

Has one been curious about what size micron filtration your water filter? Would this filter out algae? Green algae is about 1 to 5 microns in size while alive and >10 microns and larger after death. The algae clump together after dieing Also if one has a spa or pool filter that uses a cartridge filter, one could check to see if a replacement filter has a lower micron rating (more filtration) than the current one.

This website shows how to measure the filter, filter specifications and what filter media is used 3 oz, 4 oz and 6 oz

http://www.unicelfilters.com/pdf/2006_Unicel_Replacement_Guide.pdf

This website gives the micron filtration of the 3 oz, 4 oz and 6 oz polyester filter material. I think the polyester material is measured in ounce per sq-yd. basically;

3 oz -- 30-40 micron filtration
4 oz -- 15-20 micron
6 oz -- 5-10 micron

http://cartridgesonly.com/media.aspx

I would guess that a UV light would be used to kill the algae and a 6 oz polyester filter of 5-10 micron filtration would filter out the dead algae.

Are there any other benifits to using a 5-10 micron filter?
Any comments?

sunrise

[fshfrk]

I use 100 micron socks and they need to be cleaned every 3-4 day's. I also use 200 micron socks and they can go 7-8 days before they need to be washed. i bought some material I call felt at Hobby Lobby and use it in a dump filter in the pond on the porch. It's white polyester. i don't know the once weight but it can go for 3-4 weeks before I wash it. One thing about this type of filtration in my sumps is I never have to clean the sump. I do not get that mulm junk in the sump. It stay's crystal clear. hope this helps.

[cichlid1409]

the smaller the "holes" in your filter pad/sock the more often you will have to change/clean it. like john said at 100-200 micron you can go days to a week before cleaning so smaller than that will most likely become a pain, but is the extra cleaning worth it to you?

john and I use socks which are reusable and have extra on hand so when they become dirty you just swap 'em out and throw the dirty ones in the washing machine with a capful of bleach. I dont see pads being that easy but IDK.

GPH and # of pads/socks will also determine how fast you have to clean the pads/socks. with my pump @ 1800 gph after head height and 2 - 200 um socks they last about 4 days.

john how many socks do you have and whats your GPH?

If you are just trying to kill free floating algae a UV sterilizer rated for the correct size aquarium should do the job just fine on its own without the need for micron pads/socks.

[fshfrk]

210 gal tank with 2-100 micron socks at 1200 gph

210gal tank with 4-200 micron socks at 1800 gph

300gal pond with hoblob poly pad at 1200 gph

[sunrise]

The only reason why I did research on the spa filter was because the water color became a lot clearer over night. I thought that the water tannins may be filtered out clearing the water color. I had no idea that the spa filter had 6 oz polyester filter media in it. So I am running about 7 GPM (410 GPH) through a 50 sq-ft area filter with a 5 to 10 micron rating on a 100 gallon stock tank. I will see how long it takes before a filter cleaning. The filter cartridge is reusable after cleaning though. I might try the filter on a tank full of green algae water to see what happens.

On a side note the water supply to my house is filtered to 5 microns with a double sump (two 10" filters stacked 12 GPM flow) with a plain filter without carbon. I only have to change the filter once a year. I do not have to by bottled water and the toilets, sinks and shower stay cleaner longer also!

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/search.shtml?searchQuery=ap102t+cuno&op=search&Ntt=ap102t+cuno&N=0&sst=subset

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1P753?Pid=search

Just remember that filtering out clorine in your whole house water filter will lead to bacterial growth in your household water pipes leading to health problems.
That reminds me that I need to change the filter next month. Here is a picture of my whole house filter


sunrise