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ReefdUp 
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 Posted: October 15 2011 at 9:11am |
I hate hate hate hate hate GFO in filter bags. I've tried it various time in various tanks hoping to not buy a reactor, but it's just not worth it. GFO tends to clump up over time, so it's difficult to get the right amount of flow through the bag. If the flow is too much, it'll grind up the GFO, and the powder is known to kill fish (which is why you should rinse GFO thoroughly before use.) Keep an eye out for used reactors...but if you want to go new, I love my Bulk Reef Supply reactor and my NextReef MR1 reactor. The Two Little Fishies reactor was just cheap...it works, but I had one break...and I'm hoping my second doesn't go the same way. How much GFO to run will depend on your water volume (there's a calculator on the BRS site). Dose half that the first time, then go up to 3/4 or full dose the next time. If you're still having problems, slowly increase from there.
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www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
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jcoulter17
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 9:52am |
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I just order GFO and do I still need to dose half the first time if my po4 read 0? I have a lot of algae in the tank so my algae is consuming the PO4 and giving me a false reading. If I do a full dose will it still hurt my SPS? I would think it would just hurt the algae.
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badfinger
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 11:17am |
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They say its so you don't shock your corals, from having phosphates in the tank to having none
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ReefdUp
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 3:50pm |
 jcoulter17 wrote:
I just order GFO and do I still need to dose half the first time if my po4 read 0? I have a lot of algae in the tank so my algae is consuming the PO4 and giving me a false reading. If I do a full dose will it still hurt my SPS? I would think it would just hurt the algae.
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To make a long story short, yes, you still need to dose half the first time, no matter what. And, you should still dose even if your test kit reads 0 (enter long discussion on organic vs inorganic phosphates and our ability to measure them with off-the-shelf tests.....). IMO, the common inexpensive phosphate tests are a bunch of junk. Your eyeball is better calibrated to notice if you have a phosphate problem by looking at your tank than those tests are actually measuring the phosphates. There are some decent tests out there, but they're $$$.
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www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
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jcoulter17
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 4:29pm |
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Whats the decent tests?
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ReefdUp
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 9:53pm |
A friend back home had one of these a while back. I don't know if anything better is out lately: Supposedly they actually test for the organic phosphates as well as the inorganic...and it's the only test I know of that does that's readily available to hobbyist (not lab equipment, etc). There's a Hanna meter that is about $100 more, but I don't know any particulars on it. It uses the same testing method, so it may be comparable to the Hach meter. If you want to get down in the weeds, I recommend the Advanced Aquarists articles: I've also had a few friends (in the UK) who had what appeared to be phosphate issues, and they used the "Organics" test by Coral-Shop. Their tanks were low in phosphates according to the standard phosphate tests, but came up high with the "organics test". I'm not sure if "organics" actually measures the organic & inorganic phosphates. However, with standard procedure for removing organic phosphates, they were able to get their tanks back under control. Only bad news is, is that I haven't been able to find that test kit in the states. Anyway, Salifert makes an "organics" test kit as well, but it's supposed to be junk. Sorry for the random babble.
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www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
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jcoulter17
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 10:39pm |
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Thanks Nikki
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Jeffatpm
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Posted: October 15 2011 at 10:40pm |
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Reef'd up - thank you so much for sharing the advances aquarist Article!!!!!! I've been looking for an article to explain all the info about phosphates for a long time and that one finally cleared it up, thanks for the info !!!!
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210 Reef with loads of LEDS
Large Fishey Room
Located Near Jordan Landing in West Jordan.
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ReefdUp
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Posted: October 16 2011 at 8:08am |
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Ahh, AA (well...the aquarium kind...) is my go-to place. :)
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www.reefdup.com
Diving since 2009, reefkeeping since 2007, & fishkeeping since 1987
200g, 75g, & 15g Systems
PADI Advanced Open Water
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