GFO (PhosBan) - Just How Good Is It?

[ganjero]

will it work to put the media in an aqua clear powered filter?

[JetCat USA]

Yes if you put it in a media bag, it's not as efficient as the reactor though.

[ganjero]

Well, I have an aquaclear running carbon right now, and I was wondering if it's necessary that I buy the reactor, or if I can just add the media in the filter.

[doadster]

reactor dosnt come with pump ......what size pump provides right flow?...........oh yea nice thread.

[JokerGirl]

Started running the GFO around June - was heavily infested with a mean brown hair algae



Here is my tank tonight



It's been a very lengthy process and required going through the tank weekly pulling any dying algae off. I also lost my acro and goniopora pendulus in the process.

[vickreyreef]

how often did you have to change the media in your fight? I feel like I am shoveling sand against the tide.....I have been changing the GFO almost every two weeks as the phosphates start to sky rocket again, my guess is as it comes out of the sand bed and rocks....so have been doing weekly water changes and manually removing...I am slowly starting to gain on it but man is it a ton of work......

[melev]

If you have higher levels in the first place, it takes a long time to beat them down into submission. My tank was 3.0 in 2005, and it took all of 6 months and a variety of products to bring them down to 0, no less on Dec 31, 2005 near midnight. (Not that that matters, but it felt good to me! )

If your PO4 levels are over 2.0, it will leach back out of the rock and sand for a while but eventually you'll get it out of the system.

[Mavrk]

Originally posted by doadster
reactor dosnt come with pump ......what size pump provides right flow?...........oh yea nice thread.

I like the minijet 404 or 606. The reactors come with a ball valve so you can tone it down if you need to. Don't forget about the 1/2" tubing for the feed and return lines.

[bigtex52]

The Minijet 404 is plenty of pump for the TLF 150. Running 150gr of media, I still have to throttle it back about 30% to get a slow simmering boil. Plus, at $12 and change, the price is right.

[JokerGirl]

I've changed my media twice in the 6 months or so that I've been fighting this battle. I'm about to change it out again this week. I didn't use a test kit or meter though. When the death of the algae started to slow down is when I would change it out.

It certainly took a long time to get it to this point. Now if only I could get rid of the bit of bubble algae that's sprouted up. The cyano is also a new thing for me.

[LockeOak]

I have a question... I'm setting up a new 50G+20G sump BB tank, and this thread has convinced me to try a GFO reactor. I'm using almost entirely dry rock from marcorocks, as soon as I get it aquascaped the way I like it and buy an overflow I'll put water in the tank and start the cycle.

In this scenario, would it be useful to run the GFO reactor from the very beginning (while the rock is cycling), or can I hold off on buying it until the tank becomes established? Budgets are tight, so unfortunately I can't buy all of the tank components at once I will be running a chaeto refugium and remote DSB as well.

[melev]

There is no reason to run a phosphate removing reactor during the cycle. I would add it once you have livestock in the tank.

[Serioussnaps]

Originally posted by LockeOak
I have a question... I'm setting up a new 50G+20G sump BB tank, and this thread has convinced me to try a GFO reactor. I'm using almost entirely dry rock from marcorocks, as soon as I get it aquascaped the way I like it and buy an overflow I'll put water in the tank and start the cycle.

In this scenario, would it be useful to run the GFO reactor from the very beginning (while the rock is cycling), or can I hold off on buying it until the tank becomes established? Budgets are tight, so unfortunately I can't buy all of the tank components at once I will be running a chaeto refugium and remote DSB as well.

I would be running skimmer full tilt and would possibly start using GFO after the cycle but before adding any livestock.

[beanoil]

From reading this thread, I understand that it's acceptable but not as efficient to run Phospure etc. in a bag in the sump. My question is whether or not it's worth going to the expense and effort to set up a reactor for a smaller tank (58g plus sump). I mean, you're only talking about a couple of tablespoonfuls of media.

Thanks,
Grant

[melev]

It is more effective because water will flow through the media. And the reactors work in small tanks all the way up to big ones, so you can use it as you upgrade.

[melev]

It is more effective because water will flow through the media. And the reactors work in small tanks all the way up to big ones, so you can use it as you upgrade.

[reefing102]

in my opinion it is worth the hassel to set it up on a small tank. my 26 is loaded with phosphates and changing the media is nothing to me. But that also depends on placement and ease of access

[asmodeus]

A Amazing thread man, well done. Here is a question for ya. I have a TLF reactor coming tomorrow and I have a mixed reef lots of lps,softies 4 clams 1 acro colony and a smal green acro. I have
kole tang -5"
purple tang 5"
2 clowns -2"
algae blenny-3"
royal gramma 2"
foxface 5"
Lamerrick angel-3"
6 small green chromis
2 linkia's
orange, red, leopard brittle star
assorted snails
I feed OSi with prime reef flakes and mysis every 3-4 days and blood worms i soak tem in Selcon.

I run ozone about 100Mg from 5am til 11am on a timer. the tank is a 120 gal with a 75 gal sump about 1/2 full about 150 lbs of assorted rock. i have red turf aglae looks like spider webs all over the rocks ,but i hdo have lots of purple coraline. I dose 1 tsp of pickling lime for 2 gal of RO/DI water. the skimmer is a ATI BM250. I do have some green turf aglae in the tank pices here and there. how much Phosban should use on the start up with the Tlf reactor. here is a picture of some of the turf and what I ahve in my tank...

HTH

[miwoodar]

Jet Cat - thanks for the details and pics in this thread. I just added GFO to my tank a few days ago.

[gary faulkner]

Ever since I started using GFO my chaeto will not grow at all.

Well not compared to how it used to grow.

I've also noticed lots less bubble algae but it is not completely gone yet.

Do you think the bubble algae will ever be history or will I have this stuff forever?

TIA

[conorwynne]

Bubble algae forever I am afraid.
I ended up getting an emerald crab to tackle them.

Works well too -- although it seems more interested in this wierd red tuft algae.

Regards
Conor.

[mysterybox]

just up my alley, so I'm tagging along.....

[King-Kong]

Originally posted by asmodeus
...I run ozone about 100Mg from 5am til 11am on a timer. the tank is a 120 gal with a 75 gal sump about 1/2 full about 150 lbs of assorted rock. i have red turf aglae looks like spider webs all over the rocks ,but i hdo have lots of purple coraline. I dose 1 tsp of pickling lime for 2 gal of RO/DI water. the skimmer is a ATI BM250. I do have some green turf aglae in the tank pices here and there. how much Phosban should use on the start up with the Tlf reactor. here is a picture of some of the turf and what I ahve in my tank...
.....

I dont think youll ever be rid of the red turf. I have it as well. It will continue to grow in low nutrient / high flow / high light circumstances. Your best bet is to get something that will just keep it short.

I run GFO in my BB and the red turf and bubble dont care at all. They are very effective at sucking up P. I think this is one of the reasons people work on being sure some of that stuff is just never introduced into their rocks, or cook them for such long periods. I never cooked mine, but to be honest with you, dont care. It's a bit of turf here and there that's ridiculous flat to the rock, so it doesnt bug me.

I've seen more algae on any given reef that I have dived on than what's in my tank.

[mysterybox]

what keeps that crap trimmed in a 55 without adding any fish in my 55?

Originally posted by King-Kong
I dont think youll ever be rid of the red turf. I have it as well. It will continue to grow in low nutrient / high flow / high light circumstances. Your best bet is to get something that will just keep it short.

I run GFO in my BB and the red turf and bubble dont care at all. They are very effective at sucking up P. I think this is one of the reasons people work on being sure some of that stuff is just never introduced into their rocks, or cook them for such long periods. I never cooked mine, but to be honest with you, dont care. It's a bit of turf here and there that's ridiculous flat to the rock, so it doesnt bug me.

I've seen more algae on any given reef that I have dived on than what's in my tank.

[King-Kong]

My tang and rabbitfish eat it.. snail wise? I read "true mexican turbos", but I have no experience.. I know my snails ignore it.