gfo question

[lars]

is there any reason why i should use a pellet type form of phosphate remover over gfo? are there any things to watch out for while useing gfo. my tank is 5 years plus old with the display being sps and a plumbed in cube with lps. no problems as far as algea (except some hated bubble algea). corals grow fine and i'm pleased with the colors. i'm just trying it because i seem to be the only one who doesn't run either in my local reef club. thanks for any replys. here's a pic just because i know ya'll enjoy them.

 

[swannyson7]

By the looks of your system and the fact that you don’t have any algae problems other than valonia (on a side note...some people have had luck with emerald & mythrix crabs), I wouldn’t be too eager to change your routine. If you’re not overfeeding in an established tank, the bacteria population (and macro if you’re running a fuge) should be able to keep your nutrients low enough without a problem. Not sure what your livestock list is, but I only see the two wrasses & tang so i'm assuming your bioload is pretty low. I'd say that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you do decide to run GFO, your best bet is putting it in an upflow reactor and be careful doing so. If you add too much too quickly, the sudden drop in PO4 could cause bleaching or tissue recession in your corals. I’d stick with GFO over other phosphate removal medias because it’s tried and true. Some of the other medias can leach phosphates back into the water column once they’re exhausted, while GFO won’t. The only downside I’ve ever heard about GFO is that it’s iron based and can promote pinched mantle in clams. That being said, I have a few clams in mysystem while running Rowaphos and haven’t had any problems.

 

[skinz78]

Your tank is a beauty! It looks like you have some real nice clams in there too, you should post some pic's of them in the show off thread?

With that note, since you have clams I don't recommend running GFO as it is known to trigger pinched mantle disease in some clams. I use Phosban by Seachem, it is aluminum based and it doesn't bother the clams at all.

 

[lars]

thanks yall for the compliments. now i'm thinking of just leaving it alone. i would really hate to disrupt something. my cheap phosphate test shows 0 so for now i'll be content. thanks