Phosphate Question......

[Timbits]

When i first started my reef aquarium, i had a serious outbreak of every algae possible especially grape caulerpa, bryopsis, and dinos. i wasn't running any phosphate remover at the time, tested my phosphate and it was at 5!!! yes 5. i quickly grabbed some phosguard and have been using it till this day. Fast forward months later and i have no algae in sight so its been working great for me. Haven't tested my phosphate for a while but i know it is a lot lower but i dont think its at 0.

used up the last of my phosguard and i found that i need to change it pretty often so im thinking of trying Rowaphos as being more cost effective and better quality i think.

my questions is...

1. im worried that if i switch to rowaphos, i hear it can rapidly decrease phosphate too fast and can bleach/kill corals.
should i just stick with phosguard? i have no algae in the tank and sps is growing like crazy.

2. i plan to put the rowaphos in a media bag to keep it simple. on the website it says Don't rinse it, the water may cloud for a bit but will disappear and nothing will be affected.
should i still rinse it? seems like the water will turn black doesnt sound too good.

3. should i start with less than the recommended amount? i would say i have roughly 40 gallons, how much should i start with?

Thanks for all the help guys! pretty new with the phosphate stuff...... :redface:

[Myka]

GFO is definitely much more cost effective than PhosGuard. What are you using to test phosphate? I would suggest you test it again to find out what you are at. I wouldn't use GFO is phophate is at 5 ppm, GFO will definitely shock the system. I would use GFO only on tanks already below 1 ppm.

If you use GFO start with just a small amount...like 1/4 the PhosGuard you're using.

[FragIt Dan]

IMO, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it'. How much GFO you should use, flow rate and frequency of changing it will depend completely on your system; things like RODI vs tapwater, feeding regime, skimmer efficacy etc. will be different for everyone and dictate what your needs will be. The only way to determine how much to use is to start with the basic amount suggested by the product guidelines and watch what happens. You may want to test your PO4 now with something like a Hannah colorimeter to see what levels your tank is currently happy with. I often see the number 0.03ppm quoted as a desired target, but if your tank is happy and measures different, I would target for your current value. Adjust volume of GFO and flow rate to keep it there. This might require testing your PO4 every day or two for a couple of weeks to get things dialled in. Perhaps a good low range PO4 tester would be a good thing to borrow or buy for this period. If your corals start losing their colour, it may be an indication of too low of a phosphate level. As for rinsing, I always rinse all media with RODI water until it rinses clear.
Dan


Dan

[Enigma]

I use ROWAphos and I run new salt water (nsw) through the reactor before I actually hook it back into the system when I replace it (the equivalent of rinsing with nsw, IMO). There are a LOT of smaller particles that find there way into the display with new ROWAphos. I actually think all of those particles may be what killed my elegance.

[Timbits]

Thanks for the reply guys, i'll be sure to test my phosphate to see where my levels are at before i start using GFO.

in regards to rinsing, would i be exhausting the media too much if i rinse it under the tap?? its going to be in a media bag. seems easier and more efficient under running water than if i use RODI, i would just dip the media bag in a container of RODI water.

and with the corals losing their colour, will all corals lose their colour?? or mostly just SPS?

i have mostly LPS and softies and just a few SPS corals.