GFO, maybe i shouldnt have used it

[KAiNE]

Well, I added some GFO about a month ago. I really cant say why, I have/had no detectable PO4 but thought maybe I still had some tied up in places. I did not have an algae issue, so as i am typing this i ask myself again, what were you thinking!! I was harvesting a ton of the stuff weekly.

Anyway, I noticed after about a week that my chaeto wasn't growing like it used to and in another 2 weeks I lost 95% of my cheato to what i am guessing a PO4 deficiency. So now i have a small nitrate problem, testing around 5ppm (was 0).

So, how would you go about getting it growing again and yet keep nitrates down too?

 

[KAiNE]

I guess the moral to the story is - "if it aint broke, dont fix it!!"

 

[CKreef]

GFO????

 

[KAiNE]

Granular Ferric Oxide/Hydroxide

Phosban or ROwaphos

 

[CKreef]

gotcha

 

[TitansFan]

5ppm of nitrate? You poor, poor thing
I guess its back to the old method .. physical export. A couple of larger water changes. Just curious though.. the chaeto not growing wouldn't that be a good thing? Obviously what it feeds on is not in your tank. Wait sorry.. wiping a tear away again about the 5ppm nitrate.. How do you sleep at night? If that is your only problem then uhm... I wish I could keep that in my FOWLR.

 

[rcmike]

Just be glad you didn't loose some corals. I tried some once and got some rtn on my acros the next day. There have been several reports of it harming sps.

 

[TitansFan]

I run ROwaphos myself. I havn't had issues with it yet knock on wood. Like you saw with my tank though I have mostly softies espcially since you took most the last of my hard corals off my hands.

 

[rcmike]

I think most of the bad problems happen when you first start using it. I don't know if it is just the sudden change or what causes the problems.

 

[KAiNE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8989217#post8989217 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TitansFan
5ppm of nitrate? You poor, poor thing
I guess its back to the old method .. physical export. A couple of larger water changes. Just curious though.. the chaeto not growing wouldn't that be a good thing? Obviously what it feeds on is not in your tank. Wait sorry.. wiping a tear away again about the 5ppm nitrate.. How do you sleep at night? If that is your only problem then uhm... I wish I could keep that in my FOWLR.

Yea... I know... 5ppm....lol... pathetic huh...sitting here whining about 5ppm, it even sounds funny to me. I just have a feeling its going to get higher than that if i dont stay on top of it.

The cheato not growing would be good except for the rising nitrates. I has been growing at a steady rate over the last year so I am wondering where all that excess nutrient will go now that its gone. I feed rather heavily so I have cut that back.
I did a 24% water change yesterday (50g) and have been nursing my little scrap of chaeto back ( i hope). I just dont want things to get outa control because once they do, its far more work to get them back, IME.

Why cant you keep chaeto in your FOWLR tank?

 

[KAiNE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8989533#post8989533 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rcmike
I think most of the bad problems happen when you first start using it. I don't know if it is just the sudden change or what causes the problems.

Yea... no loses yet.
I think the sudden removal of what little PO4 I had just starved it or shocked it, I am prolly lucky i havent lost any coral.

 

[ocd_mariner]

Kaine, how much gfo did you use to start out with?

I just started running it recently with 1/4 of what was recomended in the directions and have favorable results. Ill increase that over the next few weeks. Also, I just pruned some chaeto yesterday, if you need some more, let me know.

 

[KAiNE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8989848#post8989848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ocd_mariner
Kaine, how much gfo did you use to start out with?

I just started running it recently with 1/4 of what was recomended in the directions and have favorable results. Ill increase that over the next few weeks. Also, I just pruned some chaeto yesterday, if you need some more, let me know.

Started out with 100ml of Rowaphos. Then 3 weeks later added another. I pulled them both about 4-5 days later when i realized what was going on. My water volume is 210g.
I also rinsed mine, no way i was going to release as much fines as that stuff puts out.

I'll let you know on the chaeto, no sense in killing anymore yet.
I'll let ya know, thanks!