Let The Polls Begin!!! Who uses what to battle PO4!!?

[Islander84]

Alright lets see whos using what and whats working for battling PO4...! GFO...RowaPhos....Refugium only...A T S...Bio pellets.....or multiple products..

Please post your success , brand and method of product you are using. Thanks for your participation.

 

[Gyr]

GFO in BRS reactor is my main PO4 control strategy.

I do also use an over-size skimmer. PO4 has been undetectable since starting the GFO. I am currently dabling with MB7/vodka dosing for past 3 months, but will likely stop that soon as I've seen no benificial result in my tank.

 

[Reef Bass]

+1 for gfo in brs reactor.

 

[Islander84]

+1 i am also running the gfo(pellet)....cool what kind of gfo are you guys running...the granule,, pelletized,,or high capacity

 

[poolkeeper1]

Eco-Bak + Excellent Skimmer = No Po4 This method has been working for me for Quite some time now, Over a year and no regrets.
You must get your Phosphate levels very low to start with the use of GFO or another Brand until the EB take over when the Pellets are fully Colonized with the Proper strains of Bacteria to consume any Po4 produced from Feeding/Fish Wastes Etc. JMHO
Bill

 

[SDguy]

Other. Plain ol' vodka.

 

[Islander84]

Nice of you to chime in there Bill! that should be helpful to some guys wanting to run the biopellets. See you at the meeting!

 

[mcoomer]

I like to use a baseball bat with broken glass shards rubbed into the end of it. When that doesn't work I fall back to regular water changes and GFO.

Mike

 

[psteeleb]

I'm surprised you don't list the most natural and proven methods
-DSB,
- macro algae, and
-a higher system density of live rock to provide safe harbor for bacteria and other bio diverse critters to consume and breakdown the Po4

I had a 300g+ system that had a heavy bio load and never had a Po4 or No3 issue.

I now run a 110g and heavy feed daily (pellets, cyclopsezes and mysis) and never have had a p04 or No3 issue.

The way I see it there are really 3 methods with several sub methods

1) Natural - provide enough bio diversity in the form of space and diversity to consume excess Po4 (live rock, sand and macro algae)

2) Supplement bacteria cultures that otherwise can't reach enough population to consume Po4 (carbon dosing and bio pellets)

3) Mechanical removal (GFO and others)

 

[NatureNerd]

I'm surprised you don't list the most natural and proven methods
-DSB,
- macro algae, and
-a higher system density of live rock to provide safe harbor for bacteria and other bio diverse critters to consume and breakdown the Po4

+1

My method has always been the same as described by psteeleb. Works for me.

 

[MammothReefer]

gfo and rowa are the same thing..

I use GFO, and then I was using Biopellets I've been offline for a few months I just got a new reactor I need to plumb in and i will be putting them back online.

 

[Ostentum]

Prodibio. Bioptim and Biodigest. Once I took the gfo out the sps started looking better and growing faster.

 

[glennr1978]

gfo. for me bio-pellets work great for knocking out nitrates but they don't do squat for phosphates.

 

[rkaires]

Start3 and Zeobak.

 

[unbelievable]

I voted other. I use vinegar.

 

[hk855]

Biopellets at about 1/4 recommended dose to keep nitrates down and lanthanum chloride to keep phosphates in ppb. I would run more pellets but I have only a few fish and don't want to strip all the nutrients.

 

[surfjeepzx]

Vinegar

 

[israel.kendall]

When I first started my reef I used cyanobacteria exclusively, now its some various macros and gfo.

 

[thebanker]

That's funny israel.

I use ROWA or other GFO, macro algae, bio pellets, and pest algaes to bind my PO4.

 

[dixiedog]

"Other". I'm using PhosGuard right now.