FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do you know it is working?
You can tell the POLY-FILTER is working by observing its
color gradually changing from an off-white to a brown color after prolonged
exposure to contaminants in your aquarium. Cut POLY-FILTER in half when dark
brown in color. If cut cross-section is also dark brown replace with new
one. Another method is to check ammonia levels in your aquarium before
installing the POLY-FILTER and periodically thereafter. A third method
is to add medication and subsequently check its concentration in the
aquarium water after approximately 48 hours.
When should you replace your Poly-Filter?
When the POLY-FILTER turns DARK in color, it is still
operating effectively and does not have to be replaced. However, when it
begins to turn brownish in color, it should be removed, discarded and
immediately replaced with a new POLY-FILTER.
In those situations where the POLY-FILTER has been subjected to heavy waste
product loads for prolonged periods; i.e. ammonia levels ranging from
0.50-1.50 parts per million or higher, and the aquarium water continues to
appear yellowish-green in color or cloudy in appearance, then the filter is
no longer effective and should be discarded and replaced immediately with a
new POLY-FILTER.
For optimum performance, where (in my
tank) should a Poly-Filter be placed?
Place the Poly-Filter® resale size: 4" x 8" into any filter
system after prefilter material. The Poly-Filter may be cut to fit any size
filter compartment. Larger filter systems i.e. wet-dry or canisters may have
a chemical medium section to which Poly-Filters may be stacked in series
which improves absorbent/adsorbant performance. Instead of adding
Poly-Filter Discs to cylinder that has too large a diameter - try cutting
Poly-Filter 12" x 12" sheets into discs then add the extra Poly-Filter
cutoff pieces.
Can the Poly-Filter® be used to
dechlorinate water or break chloroamines apart?
NO! You must use chemical dechlorination before adding water
to the tank. Chloroamines require either Sodium thiosulfate or other
chemicals to split the chlorine-ammonia bond apart. Once the bond is split
the excess ammonia will be converted into Nitrite (NO2-) and then Nitrate
(NO3-) through Nitrifying bacteria.
Will Poly-Filter® sorb ammonia, nitrite
and nitrate out of fresh and marine water?
The Poly-Filter® sorbs ammonia and organic nitrogen
compounds produced by fishes, invertebrates, sharks/rays, turtles and
amphibians. The Poly-Filter® sorbs ammonia (NH3) > 0.10mg/L which only
occurs above 7.5pH range. Below 7.0 pH mainly ammonium ions (NH4+) are
produced which are nontoxic and nonsorbable by Poly-Filter®. Poly-Filter®
can help prevent nitrite (NO2-) ions from reaching toxic levels through
several methods. Poly-Filter® may sorb some nitrate (NO3-) ions in
freshwater. In natural or synthetic seawater nitrate (NO3-) ions cannot be
retained by any chemical filtration media due to sulfate ions leaching
action. Anytime the sulfate ions exceed 40 mg/L this nitrate leaching back
out of filter media is observed. Poly-Filter® sorbs many organic wastes that
are converted into nitrates thereby lowering nitrate formation.
Can Poly-Filter® actually remove all
traces of any Copper Medication/Treatment? Will Intervetrabrates survive, in
a tank, that Poly-Filter® has removed the Copper?
Answer: Yes to both questions. In fact 8 sq. inches or ¼ of a Poly-Filter®
will sorb 285.60 - 288.00 mg of Copper ions. Poly-Filter® sorbs any type of
copper both chelated and nonchelated forms. We have treated quarantine tanks
with copper-formalin for 14 months adding weekly (0.15 - 0.25mg/L
concentration) then used Poly-Filter® (without a water change) to remove the
copper down to trace element level (0.040 mg/L) and then added
Invertebrates. Method of Analysis: Atomic Absorption EPA Methods 7210 & &
7211.
Does Poly-Filter® remove other Fish
Medications/Treatments?
Yes, Poly-Filter® will remove all soluble medications. Some
medications are sorbed faster than others, Poly-Bio-Marine, Inc.® recommends
running Poly-Filter® 3-4 days minimum after stopping treatment. Never
remedicate while sorbing old Medication! A Few organic dyes complexed with
salts may take longer sorbing than other medications. Always remember, some
medications are only partially soluble in fresh or marine water --- these
medications can take longer for Poly-Filter® to sorb out of the aquaria.
How does an Aquarium Hobbyist regenerate
Poly-Filter® for reuse in an aquarium?
Poly-Filter® is not an ion-exchange resin, therefore it does
not exchange ions or anything else back into freshwater, saline, natural or
synthetic seawater aquaria. Due to the complex nature of the metabolic waste
products sorbed into poly-Filter® ----- there is no safe method of cleaning
a Poly-Filter®. You may rinse Poly-Filter® in Distilled Water (USP Grade) to
help remove organic particulate matter. Never rinse Poly-Filter® with bleach
or chlorinated water - chlorine reacts with sorbed organic matter producing
toxic volatile organic chemicals.
My Aquarium Dealer sold me a Poly-Filter®
because of a possible "Toxic Water Problem" and the used Poly-Filter® turned
an unusual color. Could the Poly-Filter® be analyzed and the toxin or
pollutant named?
Yes. Poly-Filter® solves toxic water conditions. However, we strongly
suggest that very few people want to spend the thousands of dollars required
for sophisticated Toxicological testing.
What does a Poly-Filter® remove from an
Aquarium?
Poly-Filter® sorbs excess organics such as amino acids,
proteins, lipoproteins, dissolved organic matter, all forms of phosphates,
tannins & humic acids and related complexes. Poly-Filter® also sorbs
volatile organic chemical such as chloroform, bromoform, benzene, phenols
and organophosphate insecticides/pesticides. All metabolic wastes are sorbed
by Poly-Filter®.
Does Poly-Filter® remove "Trace Elements"
from freshwater or marinewater?
NO!! In synthetic seawater the American Society of Testing &
Materials states "Barium, Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Lead, Silver are the only
added trace elements occurring in substitute ocean water" Standard D 1141.
ASTM further states "Trace element occurring naturally in concentrations
below 0.005 mg/L are not included". In other words naturally occurring
impurities are not considered. The sodium chloride adds iron at 0.255 -
0.398 mg/L concentration to synthetic seawater mixes. Ref. Morton Salt's
Purex Analysis. Many of the other listed trace elements concentrations are
below the part-per-billion detection range via Atomic Absorption w/Graphite
Furnace. Simply, those other 40_ trace elements presence can't be detected
or proven under modern EPA Methods of Analysis. Poly-Bio-Marine, Inc.®
published a study showing Poly-Filter's® effect upon Copper , Zinc, Iron,
Lead, Mercury, Cadmium + Trihalomethanes Sept. 97 FAMA
How can other Companies selling chemical
filtration media imply their products perform equal to a Poly-Filter® in
freshwater or marine aquarium?
Simply, because hobbyists don't demand Independent
Laboratory Testing performed under EPA Standards and Methods of Analysis.
Secondly, other companies add disclaimers to their packages i.e. "only for
use on ornamental fish" to avoid FDA & USEPA Regulations. Third, hobbyists
don't understand the relationship between quantity of other filtration media
versus flow rate and Van der Waal's forces effects. Van der Waal's forces
require 1 cubic foot (7.6 gallons) of filter medium per 3-5 gallons per
minute of water flow. Poly-Bio-Marine, Inc.® U.S. Patented a new method by
which Poly-Filter® avoids Van der Waal's forces effect.
Will Poly-Filter® remove Phosphates in a
Fish or Reef Tank?
Yes, Poly-Filter® will sorb Ortho phosphate + Hydrolyzable
phosphates + Organic-bound phosphates producing an ultimate Total Phosphorus
level of 0.100 mg/L the limit of detection for visual color reactions. No,
Poly-Filter® is unique in its function as U.S. Patented sorbent media.
Basically, Poly-Filter® sorbs a percentage of the total phosphates per
passage through the media. Other Phosphate removal media flocculate and
precipitate Ortho phosphate+Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Barium and /or
Alkalinity. This means those products actually remove valuable synthetic
salt components. Poly-Filter® actually sorbs both PO 4 (ortho phosphate) +
Hydrolyzable phosphates without removing Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium,
Barium, Alkalinity or trace elements. The other Phosphate removers either
alter seawater chemistry or produce leachable i.e. (Red) Iron Filter leaches
ammonia and heavy metals. Activated Alumina leaches aluminum while sorbing
bicarbonates and trace metals.
Can Poly-Filter (r) sorb Silicates ?
The answer to this question is complex because there are a number of other
types of silicate that will enter solution in a reef tank ,due to actions of
microrganisms producing diatom growth. Reef keepers ask about silicate and
monosilicic acid (H4SiO4) which are dissolved silicates that are
molybdate-reactive ,which means any aquarist can test for their presence
using a color-reaction test method. Monomeric silicates are also dissolved
and test postive for silicates. These various silicates all produce diatom
growth in reef tanks.
Poly-Filter does not sorb these dissolved noncharged forms of silicate.
Next are the more complex forms of nondissolved silicates i.e. collodial
silicates and polymeric silicates , which do not react with aquarist's
colorimetric test kits. These collodial and olymeric silicates are not well
adsorbed by anion exchange resins or other charged media . Low pressure, R/O
can remove these forms of silicates but the cost is very expensive for the
customer . The build -up of precipitated , complexed silicates produces
rapid R/O membrane failure unless the membranes are pressure acid-flushed
weekly followed by double distilled water pressure rinses. Obviously, this
cannot be easily or safely performed by the average reef hobbyists. This
leaves the reef aquarist in a serious dilemma ---- another source of
silicates that cannot be detected by simple test kits nor removed from
incoming tapwater. Could collodial and polymeric silicates be a source of
the mysterious occasional reef tank diatom blooms ? These nondetectable (by
aquarists) forms of silica degrade in reef tanks into simple dissolved
silicates feeding diatom growth. Poly-Filter can sorb polymeric silicates .
Collodial silicates exist in a flux state with a percentage of the particles
sticking to each other and organic compounds or complex inorganic compounds
which helps form the complex polymeric silicates. As the collodial silicates
are converted over to polymeric silicates they are sorbed by Poly-Filter.
Kold Ster-il (r) Sorbs Silicates Poly-Bio-Marine,Inc. sells a special form
of filter medium that adsorbs phosphates and silicates for $10.00 retail per
16oz. charge. This filter medium is placed into our 0.20 micron filter bag
(located in series) after 12 discs of specially prepared Poly-Filter .
Synergistically these media remove all forms of silicate and phosphate from
tapwater. These filter media are followed by a 0.50 micron solid carbon core
filled with a molecular sieve compound that adsorbs additional heavy metals.
This U.S. Patented form of water filtration is sold under the trademarked
name ---- Kold Ster-il (r) The Kold Ster-il (r) system is available in two
models and with additional filter media for nitrate adsorption and other
special sorption requirements. Kold Ster-il (r) system sorbs tapwater 's
contaminates including : chlorine, chloramines, bad odors,tastes, volatile
organic chemicals, dissolved organics, heavy metals, pesticides,
particulates, alga,fungi,diatoms, parasites, E.Coli , phosphates and
silicates but allows the hardness and alkalinity to remain in the filtered
tapwater. This type of water is ideal for reef tanks, marine aquaria,
brackish aquaria ,most freshwater aquaria, koi ponds, herpetological and
other zoological displays. Please visit other areas of our website for more
Kold Ster-il (r) information.
References :
1) A.S.T.M. Volume 11.01 Standard D 859 Standard Test Method for Silica in
Water.
2) Howery, K The Testng of Poly-Bio-Marine,Inc.'s Filter Media and System
under US EPA Standards and Analysis Methods Performed in State & Federal
Toxicology Laboratory, FAMA Feb. 97.
3) IIer, R.K. The Chemistry of Silica, John Wiley and Sons, NY,NY 1979
4) Jenkins, D., Snoeyink, V.L. Water Chemistry,John Wiley and Sons, NY,NY
1980