(EGMono) wrote:

I was at my local pet store and I was poking about when I noticed that the
H.O.T. Magnum by Hagen had written on the box that it was a "dual mode" filter,
either as a continuous use filter, or as a micron filter "water polisher". Does
anyone own this filter, how well does it polish and can someone elaborate on
what water polishing is and why I would want it?

I have one, which I bought for water polishing, though now that my
plants have started growing well I no longer use it.

Water polishing means simply that even very small particles are
removed. You may not even be able to see them but they can still cloud
the water. The H.O.T. does this via a "micron filter" cartridge, which
traps these tiny particles.

It does do a good job of polishing the water, but it isn't an instant
process - the flow from this filter is strong, and it churns up a lot
of debris from the surface of the gravel, briefly making the water
even messier. But given some time (an hour or so) it does a fine job.

Another use for the H.O.T. is to connect it to a siphon tube (included
in the 'pro' kit) and really deep clean your gravel. The water passes
through the micron filter, is cleaned of all debris, and returned to
the tank - since you're not actually removing water, you can do a
really thorough job of cleaning the gravel.

Last time I brought this use up, there was a lot of debate as to if it
was a good idea or not. A quick search of Google Groups should turn up
the thread so you can review the arguments for yourself.


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www.ericschreiber.com