Who here is using GFO and how?

aerius007

aerius007

New member
I was wondering how many of us are using GFO and what method is being used (bag, reactor, canister, etc.). I have had a bit of a Diatom bloom in my tank and I was thinking maybe it could have been avoided with GFO.

I'm not sure why the bloom happened but a few weeks ago I bought 6 green chromis and now everyone of them is dead. I didnt see what happened to the first five and never found them. I had one left and noticed he was rapidly declining yesterday so he was removed from the tank. Considering no other fish has died or even had any kind of problem I'm assuming that the chromis were bad before they reached my tank. I'm not sure if the five missing chromis caused a spike and were the cause of the bloom or not and no I havent tested for Phosphate (i dont have a kit for that but obviously should get one).

I do have a Magnum 350 that I use every so often with diamtoms and carbon (not at the same time). Can this be used for GFO, maybe with a ball valve to slow down the current? And finally, where the heck can I get some GFO around here? I use drsfostersmith.com a lot and also see some on Ebay.

Thanks, Zach.

sorry for the typos, no time to proof.
 
I run it in a reactor all the time. You can also run it in a bag, but not near as efficient that way.

I would not try to choke back the flow on your Magnum at all. The o ring seal is not intended to handle that kind of backpressure and would leak almost immediately,You can pick up the Phosban Reactor, or any of the knockoffs fairly inexpensively.

As for media, you can get it at Salty Critter or Aquatic Technology, or online from Foster and Smith.

I use the private label stuff from Foster and Smith and also from bulkreefsupply.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4136+13963&pcatid=13963


http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/index.html



HTH
 
Diatoms are primarily fueled by silicates...

If you're not using RO/DI water, or if your filters are old, that could be fueling your outbreak.

GFO is used for aggressive phosphate reduction. If you do run GFO or carbon. A reactor similiar to the TLF phosban reactor would be the best way since it forces water through the media.
 
Half I the water I use a ultrapure from clearwater and the other half is ro from the machine outside of giant eagle and I don't think it's di. I did just I install a new rodi system yesterday in my basement.

I think I'm having a diatom outbreak, brown fast growing algae?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13879193#post13879193 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aerius007
Half I the water I use a ultrapure from clearwater and the other half is ro from the machine outside of giant eagle and I don't think it's di. I did just I install a new rodi system yesterday in my basement.

I think I'm having a diatom outbreak, brown fast growing algae?
Click to expand...
I'm fairly certain the Giant Eagle water is just RO water. Diatoms are usually most noticeable on the sand, and will look like brown dust. If your water is to blame, the outbreaks will usually coincide with water changes.

You're correct, GFO stands for Granular Ferric Oxide
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13883647#post13883647 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty8
If your water is to blame, the outbreaks will usually coincide with water changes.
Click to expand...


Also, from topping off. I had this problem for a while in my barebottom 250 gallon system. It would cover the sides and bottom. I wasn't able to eradicate it completely until I switched the DI resin in my RO/DI to one that targets silicates. The one I use is made by Spectrapure and is a mixed bed. I believe Kent Marine and others also make them. I ad to leave my lights off for 5 days or so while doing some large scale water changes with a good quality salt mix.
Just wondering, what type of sand are you using in your system?

By the way, if you're looking for something a little more heavy duty than the Phosban reactor, try one of these. They are difficult to find in the States, but are probably the best media reactor I have seen. I got mine on a trip to Toronto.

https://wwws.aquaterrashop.de/meerwasser-neu/product_info.php/manufacturers_id/51/products_id/2683
 
That's a cool looking reactor. Wish I could get a close up... looks like another potential DIY project :lol:
 
Hey! They stole the design for my Kalk Reactor! :)

Looks like a TLF on roids.

I run GFO in a TLF reactor but use part of the bleedoff from my return to feed it instead of an mj. I get the GFO at the Salty Critter.
 
Dead fish could certainly contribute to a po4 spike. All living and previously living things have p04 in them. Keeping them down is very important. You already have some corals in your tank so chances are your po4 isnt or at least wasnt too high. Get a test kit and check it. Silicates are generaly what causes diatoms to bloom but po4 remover will remove silicates also. Chromis are generaly pretty hardy fish. I didnt see anything in your pictures that would bother them. Did they all die at once or over a period of time? How did they look when you got them and when they died? How are the rest of them at the store where you got them doing?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13884515#post13884515 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aquatictec
Did they all die at once or over a period of time? How did they look when you got them and when they died? How are the rest of them at the store where you got them doing?
Click to expand...

They died within the course of two weeks, I didnt see any of my other fish bothering them. The ones at the store were ok but I was able to hand pick the ones I wanted which all looked fine. What makes me think they were bad was that no other fish in my tank is showing any negative signs at all. Those fish are a flame angel, target mandarin, watchman goby, clown goby, clown and a sixline wrasse. All my inverts are doing good too.
 
Thanks for the tip sohal, I think that is probably what I will end up going with. It seems that my magnum isnt the best thing to use for this. What pump are you using? It seems to me that the smaller the better, less chance of grinding the GFO?
 
The box for the phos. pump just went out to the trash and it doesn't say on the pump what it is. Its a small one though. I have a in line valve for flow control also. The pump was recommended by the boys at Salty Critter so I bought it right then. You want enough flow enough for the media to tumble.
 
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