gfo alternatives

[gregzz4]

Brett, I stopped using GFO back in the spring of - I think - 2016, and haven't looked back.
No GFO, no carbon. I dosed some liquid NO3 and PO4 for a month or so to balance stuff, then stopped using reactors for both.

Using GFO is like adding iron to your system - algae fuel.

I currently, and for the last 3 years, use nothing to combat nutrients.
I keep liquid NO3 and PO4 on hand just in case, but have used neither since Spring 2016.
My tank is a bit low on nutrients as I don't have enough fish, but my corals are doing OK.

Current params are;
Alk 8.3
Ca 420
Mag 1350
K 400
NO3 0 could be higher
PO4 0.013 could be higher

I really need more fish to feed my corals

[DKoKoMan]

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Brett, I stopped using GFO back in the spring of - I think - 2016, and haven't looked back.
No GFO, no carbon. I dosed some liquid NO3 and PO4 for a month or so to balance stuff, then stopped dosing both.

Using GFO is like adding iron to your system - algae fuel.

I wonder if this is contributing to the brown dust algae on my sand and glass...interesting.

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by DKoKoMan

I wonder if this is contributing to the brown dust algae on my sand and glass...interesting.

I still get algae on my sand and glass. But I no longer have issues with my rocks, nor do I have hair algae

[Frogger]

There is always a more natural way of controlling nutrients using an ATS or chaeto in the sump.

Tim Tessier (on Canreef) sells Fozdown which is lanthanum chloride. He is a strong advocate of its use.

I have used each and every method I have mentioned above. I do not like adding chemicals or using GFO and I couldn't grow chaeto to save my life. My ATS works like a charm. I had to reduce the hours I run it to reduce the amount of nutrients it is removing from my tank.

[Razor Ramon]

Sounds like you have a very pure water source and a very good salt mix !👍👍

[FishyFishy!]

Brett, if you want to try Fozdown, I have a brand new bottle that I never used because my filter sock holes didn't fit the 10 micron socks that I bought. I use Fauna Marine Ultra Phos 0.04 now, so you can have my Fozdown if you want to try it out.

Wai's usually carries Fozdown.

[lastlight]

How are you running the ultra phosphate 0.04? There are so many products now! How does its price compare to gfo? I certainly need to use something I'm at a whopping 0.24 at the moment but I barely have any coral yet.

[Frogger]

Originally Posted by lastlight

How are you running the ultra phosphate 0.04? I certainly need to use something I'm at a whopping 0.24 at the moment but I barely have any coral yet.

What are your nitrates at? Sometimes if your nitrates are low you will get a high reading on phosphates.

My phosphates were way up there when I first started my tank 3 years ago. I couldn't even control the phosphates with GFO and Fozdown. But my nitrates were undetectable even with the Red Sea Pro nitrate test kit. I started adding nitrates and my phosphates dropped right down and my corals coloured up.

Apparently nitrates were the limiting factor and once my tank had nitrates the inhabitants in the tank were able to use the phosphates and the phosphates dropped quickly to near 0.

If you have moderate to high nitrates dis-regard everything I said.