I’ve been dumb with GFO.

laezur · Mar 30, 2023

Hey guys.

Yesterday while doing maintenance I remembered my GFO has been in there a while so I swapped it out for a new batch which now seems like a bad idea because today I’ve been hit with the beginning of a dino bloom.

I didn’t have any dino’s before, just some algae on the rocks. Would I be able to try and counteract this by removing the GFO or is it too late?

I used nyos phosi-ex

Saltyreef · Mar 30, 2023

laezur said:
Hey guys.

Yesterday while doing maintenance I remembered my GFO has been in there a while so I swapped it out for a new batch which now seems like a bad idea because today I’ve been hit with the beginning of a dino bloom.

I didn’t have any dino’s before, just some algae on the rocks. Would I be able to try and counteract this by removing the GFO or is it too late?

I used nyos phosi-ex

Yes remove the GFO if your phosphates are now undetectable.

laezur · Mar 30, 2023

Saltyreef said:
Yes remove the GFO if your phosphates are now undetectable.

Awesome, done! Thanks. Hopefully doesn’t take too long to bounce back

Pistondog · Mar 30, 2023

laezur said:
Hey guys.

Yesterday while doing maintenance I remembered my GFO has been in there a while so I swapped it out for a new batch which now seems like a bad idea because today I’ve been hit with the beginning of a dino bloom.

I didn’t have any dino’s before, just some algae on the rocks. Would I be able to try and counteract this by removing the GFO or is it too late?

I used nyos phosi-ex

Are you testing po4?
Remove the gfo and the rock and substrate will release bound po4 if its been recently detectable.

laezur · Mar 30, 2023

Pistondog said:
Are you testing po4?
Remove the gfo and the rock and substrate will release bound po4 if its been recently detectable.

No I’ve been going by eye for the better part of a year now and just think I disturbed the balance by changing GFO too soon or overdosing potentially

Pistondog · Mar 30, 2023

No need to use gfo without knowing you have high po4, by testing
Test so you dont bottom out.

Saltyreef · Mar 30, 2023

laezur said:
No I’ve been going by eye for the better part of a year now and just think I disturbed the balance by changing GFO too soon or overdosing potentially

Just to be clear....you are incorperating GFO into your tank while not even knowing your actual phosphate level?

gbroadbridge · Mar 30, 2023

laezur said:
Hey guys.

Yesterday while doing maintenance I remembered my GFO has been in there a while so I swapped it out for a new batch which now seems like a bad idea because today I’ve been hit with the beginning of a dino bloom.

I didn’t have any dino’s before, just some algae on the rocks. Would I be able to try and counteract this by removing the GFO or is it too late?

I used nyos phosi-ex

You would not be hit with a Dino bloom in one day.

What was your Phosphate reading before you changed the GFO?

laezur · Mar 30, 2023

Saltyreef said:
Just to be clear....you are incorperating GFO into your tank while not even knowing your actual phosphate level?

Yes correct hence why I said I was being dumb, I saw an increase in nuisance algae such as turf algae and so started using some GFO I had laying around to combat without putting much thought into it, which appears to be have caused some form of bloom and now I’m asking for guidance on how to balance again.

aSaltyKlown · Mar 30, 2023

I'd start with testing n03 and P04 and go from there. If you are low on p04 I'd start feeding more for a day or two and retest.

MischiefReef · Mar 30, 2023

laezur said:
Yes correct hence why I said I was being dumb, I saw an increase in nuisance algae such as turf algae and so started using some GFO I had laying around to combat without putting much thought into it, which appears to be have caused some form of bloom and now I’m asking for guidance on how to balance again.

If you have been running GFO for some time already I would be cautious about removing it entirely too. Last thing you’d want is for your tank to be bouncing from one extreme to another. Maybe reduce the amount of GFO you are running. And keep your feeding regimen the same for now. As others have stated it would be wise to get a reading on your PO4 asap.
Did you do any manual removal of the nuisance algae before swapping out the GFO? Could be that with a decent amount of nuisance algae in your tank + new GFO you stripped your system bare of nutrients. However, one night does seem like a pretty rapid progression for that from my experience.