Experienced SPS keepers, are you using GFO's?
- Thread starter Greg Hiller
- Start date
chadfarmer
Premium Member
Yes, I use Rowaphos
Yes, I use Phosban
but i used zeo also
but i the phosban i buy the big container and split with friend is half price that the smaller containers
Yes, I use Phosban
but i used zeo also
but i the phosban i buy the big container and split with friend is half price that the smaller containers
REEF-DADDY
New member
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8465080#post8465080 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kip
i submerge tridacnatrateban 24/7/365
me too ,mine is 14"!
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8464834#post8464834 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jy544
I need some to get arsenic out of my well water also. Do you have the link?
For those wanting the link, I obtained it from www.usfilter.com
I believe they were changing their name, but I don't remember the new company name. The old link may still work. It is now a subsidiary of Siemens Co.
The media I bought was GEH101. It is a 35lb bucket of damp media, similar to Rowa or Phoslock.
It is "NOT for use in aquaria".
They may not ask what you want it for but if they do don't say for your tank.
Allen
GFO media will definitely remove other ions from the water. I know it removes silicate and arsenic in addition to phosphate. The media is used in industry to bind arsenic in wastewater before discharge into sewer systems. I'm sure there are other ions it will also bind, such as perhaps some other heavy metals? Frankly, that may not be a bad thing at all.
Allen
glassbox-design
New member
They sell granular Ferric Hydroxide, or GFH. But GFH also has a registered trademark sign next to it. is GFO really GFH -> FeOH ?
e+f
e+f
Greg Hiller
New member
Thanks all for your participation. Good poll.
I never had used it, until I got a buildup so bad my tank glass would film-over with algae in 4 hours. I started running phosban, and what I wipe off stays off, the corals have expanded, and, whether coincidence or not, because I've been messing with it, the skimmer is going great guns. I've fought alk a bit, because I was running a lot [big problem] but nothing dosing the topoff water can't handle.
It's made a big difference in my tank, and I'll be a user from now on.
It's made a big difference in my tank, and I'll be a user from now on.
Fliger
New member
Yeah the reduced film on the glass is the best. When my GFO's "fill" I start to notice more film and harder to clean film. When I change media there is an immediate change. And yes it does drop alk, I only use about 5 heaping TBSP for my tank and it can drop it almost a full point. I mix it with the carbon in an FR509 and it works great. Really important to flush it out with RODI, IMO.
I really think that is the best way to quickly assess nutrient status. I find that I can usually go about 4 days before the glass gets filmed-up enough that I need to clean it. If it needs scraping in 3 days I need to cut back feeding , adjust the skimmer or replace the media. If it goes 5 days or more it usually means I've been busy and haven't been feeding enough.
The key to using this method is that it is an "internal standard" only. That is, it is very useful for assessing the status of your own tank, but can't really be used to compare tanks. One person may clean the glass at the first sign of any film and another may not feel the glass needs cleaning until he can no longer see through it. If both say they clean their glass every 3 days, the nutrient levels in the second tank are very high but quite low in the first.
Allen
DaddyJax
New member
It usually takes 3-4 days before I notice any film on my glass as well and I dont use it. I feed twice a day and have between 30-40 fish in my two tanks that are tied up together. I am running BB but I also have a corner dedicated to macro algae. I have a good stock of a wide variety of snails and hermits. I just dont see the need for it. It is like taking antibiotics everyday imo.
Fliger
New member
There are lots of ways to accomplish the same goal. Putting an ocean in your living room is an inexact science at best. Using a protein skimmer or running carbon isn't any different than utilizing GFO's. But I do DEFINITELY think they they're not quite as important in a well run barebottom tank, with lots of flow and macro. That's what I have but since I travel quite a bit I don't get to syphon out detritus as frequently as I'd like so the GFO's help if that stuff breaks down during my busier times.
Serioussnaps
New member
it sucks out alk...but only initially..like the first 24 hours...i did alot of tests with this and luckily i could tinker with it as i had no corals in the tank because it is a new project
you should always put the pump that pumps the water out of your reactor in RO/DI water and let it pump through the GFO until the water that comes out is completely clear(i have a bucket dedicated to this and the inside of the white bucket looks completely red).....alot of people dont rinse the media and then complain about coral losses....that isnt the GFO that is just their fault
When you change a GFO...the ph will drop somewhat at the outset....but not too much. IME the alk and ph drop is direct relationship with how much GFO you use. Recommended is 1 gram per gallon of water....i have a total of about 60 g's after live rock and i used 150 grams in a reactor.....ph plummeted...alk went down slightly(i had to add reef builder for the first time in a long time)...this last go round i only used 75 grams(so about the recommended) alk dropped by .2 and ph only went down by .05.....so this is why people like randy say introduce it slowly
Since using a GFO i can feed whatever i want when i want. No algae growth whatsoever. I also add chemi pure carbon in with the GFO in my reactor.
Also very imporant to change it every few weeks...if you slack you will put a new GFO in your tank and then boom...shock to your corals...that is why alot of people see "crashes" they associate with use of GFO's but really it is just their slack husbandry.
GFO undoubtedly remove silicates and i would assume other things as well but nothing important to the health of your livestock. I like the silicate removal as i never see diatom growth in my tank after using a GFO.
IMO no refugium with macro growth or any other "natural export" can even come near the use of a GFO in a reactor in terms of removing phosphates....that is why i use it for me the "natural" removal methods were just sub par for my liking.
you should always put the pump that pumps the water out of your reactor in RO/DI water and let it pump through the GFO until the water that comes out is completely clear(i have a bucket dedicated to this and the inside of the white bucket looks completely red).....alot of people dont rinse the media and then complain about coral losses....that isnt the GFO that is just their fault
When you change a GFO...the ph will drop somewhat at the outset....but not too much. IME the alk and ph drop is direct relationship with how much GFO you use. Recommended is 1 gram per gallon of water....i have a total of about 60 g's after live rock and i used 150 grams in a reactor.....ph plummeted...alk went down slightly(i had to add reef builder for the first time in a long time)...this last go round i only used 75 grams(so about the recommended) alk dropped by .2 and ph only went down by .05.....so this is why people like randy say introduce it slowly
Since using a GFO i can feed whatever i want when i want. No algae growth whatsoever. I also add chemi pure carbon in with the GFO in my reactor.
Also very imporant to change it every few weeks...if you slack you will put a new GFO in your tank and then boom...shock to your corals...that is why alot of people see "crashes" they associate with use of GFO's but really it is just their slack husbandry.
GFO undoubtedly remove silicates and i would assume other things as well but nothing important to the health of your livestock. I like the silicate removal as i never see diatom growth in my tank after using a GFO.
IMO no refugium with macro growth or any other "natural export" can even come near the use of a GFO in a reactor in terms of removing phosphates....that is why i use it for me the "natural" removal methods were just sub par for my liking.
Greg Hiller
New member
>Also very imporant to change it every few weeks...if you slack you will put a new GFO in your tank and then boom...shock to your corals...that is why alot of people see "crashes" they associate with use of GFO's but really it is just their slack husbandry.<
I'm planning on mixing it with some carbon (to reduce the clumping of the GFO) and putting it in a Phosban reactor. I'm probably going to pack it tight and not try to operate it as a fluidized bed as the GFO I'll be using seems to be a little more friable than Phosban. I'll actually probably have two reactors in series, #1 and #2. When I think #1 is exhausted, or nearly so, #2 will become #1, and the old #1 will be recharged with new substrate and become #2. I'm going to be pretty conservative about how much I use, but my skimmer, and other nutrient control systems are not keeping up to my satisfaction (the algae on the glass is bad in about 3 days) on my 400 gallon system.
I'm planning on mixing it with some carbon (to reduce the clumping of the GFO) and putting it in a Phosban reactor. I'm probably going to pack it tight and not try to operate it as a fluidized bed as the GFO I'll be using seems to be a little more friable than Phosban. I'll actually probably have two reactors in series, #1 and #2. When I think #1 is exhausted, or nearly so, #2 will become #1, and the old #1 will be recharged with new substrate and become #2. I'm going to be pretty conservative about how much I use, but my skimmer, and other nutrient control systems are not keeping up to my satisfaction (the algae on the glass is bad in about 3 days) on my 400 gallon system.
Kip
New member
conservative is good... start with a small amount and work your way up (i pretty much followed berger's advice on this when i started using rowa) .... i started with a few teaspoons and now run 15 teas changing it out monthly.
i think it would be good to have a filter sock, etc on the outlet of your filter. even after rinsing mine, some media always escapes the foam filters in the chamber and make it into the sump. a filter sock will collect this for ya and keep the return pump from sucking in GFO dust and shooting it all over your corals. (not a good thing at all)
i think it would be good to have a filter sock, etc on the outlet of your filter. even after rinsing mine, some media always escapes the foam filters in the chamber and make it into the sump. a filter sock will collect this for ya and keep the return pump from sucking in GFO dust and shooting it all over your corals. (not a good thing at all)
Similar threads
