Diatomite Micron Filter & Water Polishing?

[Polardbear]

OK, my new freebie tank came with an old Magnum 330 canister filter. It has 2 options one is a basket that holds carbon, and the other option is a diatomite micron filter. What is the purpose of the diatomite micron filter? The manual makes a reference to water polishing and I gathered from what I read that you only use the diatomite micron filter occasionally. Can someone explain to me what is meant by the term "water polishing", what the benefits are, how often it should be done and anything else I need to know about it.

 

[jflowers]

Cant tell you anything about the filter as I have never had one of those. But, the term water polishing is used to describe removing small particles from the water, using something like polyester pads.

Jon

 

[Undawada]

from dictionary.com

di·at·o·mite ( P ) Pronunciation Key (d-t-mt)
n.
A fine, powdered diatomaceous earth used in industry as a filler, a filtering agent, an absorbent, a clarifier, and an insulator. Also called kieselguhr.

Micron is a very very small unit of measurement. Particles of dust are measured in microns. I assume diatomite micron filter will filter very small debris from your water using diatomite powder.