diff --git a/include/HDF_IO.hh b/include/HDF_IO.hh
index 7597e10..16946d8 100755
--- a/include/HDF_IO.hh
+++ b/include/HDF_IO.hh
@@ -887,17 +887,30 @@ inline void HDFWriteDatasetVector( const std::string Filename, const std::string
 }
 
 template< typename T >
-inline void HDFCreateEmptyDataset( const std::string Filename, const std::string ObjName, const size_t num_particles)
+inline void HDFCreateEmptyDataset( const std::string Filename, const std::string ObjName, const size_t num_particles, const bool filter = false)
 {
 
   hid_t
     HDF_FileID,
     HDF_DatasetID,
     HDF_DataspaceID,
-    HDF_Type;
+    HDF_Type,
+    HDF_Prop;
 
   hsize_t HDF_Dims;
 
+  HDF_Prop                = H5Pcreate(H5P_DATASET_CREATE);
+
+  if (filter)
+    {
+      // 1MB chunking
+      hsize_t HDF_Dims[1] = {1024 * 1024 / sizeof(T)};
+      H5Pset_chunk(HDF_Prop, 1, HDF_Dims);
+
+      // md5 checksum
+      H5Pset_fletcher32(HDF_Prop);
+    }
+
   HDF_FileID = H5Fopen( Filename.c_str(), H5F_ACC_RDWR, H5P_DEFAULT );
 
   HDF_Type                = GetDataType<T>();
@@ -905,25 +918,39 @@ inline void HDFCreateEmptyDataset( const std::string Filename, const std::string
   HDF_Dims                = (hsize_t) (num_particles);
   HDF_DataspaceID         = H5Screate_simple(1, &HDF_Dims, NULL);
   HDF_DatasetID           = H5Dcreate( HDF_FileID, ObjName.c_str(), HDF_Type,
-                                       HDF_DataspaceID, H5P_DEFAULT );
+                                       HDF_DataspaceID, HDF_Prop );
   H5Dclose( HDF_DatasetID );
   H5Sclose( HDF_DataspaceID );
+  H5Pclose( HDF_Prop );
 
   H5Fclose( HDF_FileID );
 }
 
 template< typename T >
-inline void HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector( const std::string Filename, const std::string ObjName, const size_t num_particles)
+inline void HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector( const std::string Filename, const std::string ObjName, const size_t num_particles, const bool filter = false)
 {
 
     hid_t
     HDF_FileID,
     HDF_DatasetID,
     HDF_DataspaceID,
-    HDF_Type;
+    HDF_Type,
+    HDF_Prop;
 
   hsize_t HDF_Dims[2];
 
+  HDF_Prop                = H5Pcreate(H5P_DATASET_CREATE);
+
+  if (filter)
+    {
+      // 1MB chunking
+      hsize_t HDF_Dims[2] = {1024 * 1024 / sizeof(T), 3};
+      H5Pset_chunk(HDF_Prop, 2, HDF_Dims);
+
+      // md5 checksum
+      H5Pset_fletcher32(HDF_Prop);
+    }
+
   HDF_FileID = H5Fopen( Filename.c_str(), H5F_ACC_RDWR, H5P_DEFAULT );
 
   HDF_Type                = GetDataType<T>();
@@ -933,11 +960,12 @@ inline void HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector( const std::string Filename, const std::
   
   HDF_DataspaceID         = H5Screate_simple(2, HDF_Dims, NULL);
   HDF_DatasetID           = H5Dcreate( HDF_FileID, ObjName.c_str(), HDF_Type,
-                                       HDF_DataspaceID, H5P_DEFAULT );
+                                       HDF_DataspaceID, HDF_Prop );
   H5Dclose( HDF_DatasetID );
   H5Sclose( HDF_DataspaceID );
+  H5Pclose( HDF_Prop );
+
   H5Fclose( HDF_FileID );
-  
 }
 
 template< typename T >
diff --git a/src/plugins/output_swift.cc b/src/plugins/output_swift.cc
index 9f4baa8..a3b61a2 100644
--- a/src/plugins/output_swift.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/output_swift.cc
@@ -262,30 +262,30 @@ public:
 
       if (this->has_64bit_reals())
       {
-	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Coordinates"), global_num_particles);
-	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Velocities"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Coordinates"), global_num_particles, true);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Velocities"), global_num_particles, true);
       }
       else
       {
-	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Coordinates"), global_num_particles);
-	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Velocities"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Coordinates"), global_num_particles, true);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDatasetVector<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Velocities"), global_num_particles, true);
       }
 
       if (this->has_64bit_ids())
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<uint64_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/ParticleIDs"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<uint64_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/ParticleIDs"), global_num_particles, true);
       else
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<uint32_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/ParticleIDs"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<uint32_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/ParticleIDs"), global_num_particles, true);
 
       if (this->has_64bit_reals())
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Masses"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<double>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Masses"), global_num_particles, true);
       else
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Masses"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<float>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/Masses"), global_num_particles, true);
 
       if( bdobaryons_ && s == cosmo_species::baryon) {
 
 	// note: despite this being a constant array we still need to handle it in a distributed way
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<write_real_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/InternalEnergy"), global_num_particles);
-	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<write_real_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/SmoothingLength"), global_num_particles);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<write_real_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/InternalEnergy"), global_num_particles, true);
+	HDFCreateEmptyDataset<write_real_t>(fname_, std::string("PartType") + std::to_string(sid) + std::string("/SmoothingLength"), global_num_particles, true);
       }
 
       music::ilog << "Created empty arrays for PartType" << std::to_string(sid) << " into file " << fname_ << "." << std::endl;