How long does gfo last

This is your aquarium. Continue Reading Those of you that are concerned with using granular ferric oxide with carbon — don't be. These materials are designed to enhance one another when you use them correctly. While I try to take care in doing everything with my reef aquarium that is recommended, I will admit quietly that I have cut corners. While you can daisy chain your GFO reactor and carbon reactor together, you are also able to place these materials into a single reactor.

This does get a little confusing when you know that your carbon needs to be changed every two weeks while your GFO is recommended to be changed every four to six weeks. With the sponge that is include when you purchase your reactor, you are able to separate the carbon from the GFO in your reactor. Watch out though, because this can be a messy process.

Not monitoring the phosphate levels regularly can lead to some major setbacks that you are trying to avoid. Too much GFO decreases the phosphate substantially, causing the alkalinity in you water to drop, monitor your Alkalinity when you start using GFO. For those of you that pride yourself on having beautiful chaeto in your refugium, too much GFO kill this as well. If you do notice that your chaeto is dying off, don't allow it to continue.

Simply remove the dead chaeto, which will promote a healthier phosphate level as well. All-in-all you will be very happy that you invested the time to learn more about the granular ferric oxide media and other maintenance solutions discussed here. If you would like to learn more, please feel free to continue following ReefHacks so you can enjoy the experience of a healthy and beautiful reef aquarium that will thrive.

Check also this interesting article. We highlight the different issues common to saltwater and reef aquarium hobbyists, review the gear needed to help you decide if the latest product from your favorite brand is worth it or find alternatives and help you with other questions that you might have on the way to your successful reef tank.

Contact Us Open Wholesale Account. Media Reactors: Worth the Investment. How much gfo to use? When Cyano is Lurking. As I was walking in nature, I glazed at the beauty of sun-soaked trees. Sent from my mobile. I switched from granular to BRS pellets in my reactors. One thing to note is that I had to way incease the flow to get the same effect from the pellets, they need to be really tumbling to get that the same phophate reduction. Something about having less surface area.

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User Name. Remember Me? Mark Forums Read. Find More Posts by Nexenn. Find More Posts by john Quote: Originally Posted by john well like your going to get from everyone else- it all depends on your system and how much your running. Visit lordofthereef's homepage!

Find More Posts by luther Each tank is different and unique in terms of the ideal phosphate level. We find that most tanks ranging from 0 to 3 years old should be maintaining a lower phosphate level between 0. More mature aquariums that have been established for 2 - 3 years or more with large mature coral colonies can often run with higher levels of phosphate input without issue.

While phosphorous is required for fish, corals, and beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive in your reef tank, it should not be allowed to stack up in the aquarium water as a byproduct.

Managing phosphates is all about balance and stability, finding the right level that works for your particular tank, and not allowing the levels to constantly rise. You don't want to starve your tank of phosphate altogether, but you also cannot let rise out of control.

Elevated phosphate levels often indicate an elevated nutrient level altogether. This means nitrate is likely on the rise as well and you should be mindful of your bioload. Nutrients like this can contribute to the growth of nuisance algae and various other pests cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, etc. Science also tells us that phosphates can inhibite calcification among corals, meaning it will limit their growth at higher concentrations.

Conversely, if your tank is stripped of phosphate altogether, you can encounter bacterial imbalances and starve your corals and other critical organisms of necessary phosphorous. Additives and media can also contribute, but the amount will often be negligible compared to what your food is bringing in. Managing filtration that helps remove leftover food and fish waste is your primary focus for phosphate control, should that not suffice, Bulk Reef Supply GFO filter media is our favorite tool.

GFO will not solve an algae outbreak by itself. If an algae outbreak is apparent, attack it head-on with a multi-prong defense specific to the type of algae you're dealing with. Call it a redundant system. It would also mean I wouldn't be wasting a bunch of carbon and GFO by running it non stop. I guess it's just the cheap bastard inside of me. Extend the ROX life weeks rather than the recommended. Or it's the engineer inside me that doesn't like the inefficiencies whether it be worth pennies or dollars.

You could also just use less of it if you want to save money. Let your parameters dictate the amount of media you use. The problem I'd see with the timer is that 1 If you're cycling a pump on and off there is no certainty it comes on when it's supposed to unless you're watching it every time and 2 in between cycles you'll create an anoxic water volume inside the reactor that will then get dumped into the tank. Personally I would just use a very conservative amount of media and run water through it very slowly.

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