GFO and Carbon 24/7 ???

[Sylvester]

So, I've built a brand new 120 gallon,and I'm wondering if I should be running GFO and Carbon in a reactor all the time.

I'm building a refugium and using miracle mud along with cheato.

I'm also running the usual skinner setup.

Please help

 

[dwest]

So, I've built a brand new 120 gallon,and I'm wondering if I should be running GFO and Carbon in a reactor all the time.

I'm building a refugium and using miracle mud along with cheato.

I'm also running the usual skinner setup.

Please help

I would not run GFO unless you need to much later on. You risk dinos if you strip phosphates. I use granular activated carbon in a reactor continuously. Many use it intermittently or not at all.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I would not run GFO unless you need to much later on. You risk dinos if you strip phosphates. I use granular activated carbon in a reactor continuously. Many use it intermittently or not at all.

Yes only run the GFO if needed.

 

[Sylvester]

So I guess I'll just load the reactor and use if phosphates are out of whack.

 

[mtraylor]

You have a brand new setup and as others are stating....you dont know at this moment what you need to run as far as reactors etc. Running Carbon 24/7 is not an issue. I wouldn't touch GFO at all in a new setup. It will only cause you issues. Once you get an established reef, if your phosphates are running high, then you can start to use it.

Me personally I run GFO and Carbon 24/7. This is because I need the GFO, and I like the effects of using carbon.

 

[Sylvester]

You have a brand new setup and as others are stating....you dont know at this moment what you need to run as far as reactors etc. Running Carbon 24/7 is not an issue. I wouldn't touch GFO at all in a new setup. It will only cause you issues. Once you get an established reef, if your phosphates are running high, then you can start to use it.

Me personally I run GFO and Carbon 24/7. This is because I need the GFO, and I like the effects of using carbon.

Good to know. I'm not gonna run anything till this tank establishes itself.
I guess I just wanted a veterans opinion for the future.
I'll keep an eye on things later and I'll see what happens.

Thank you

 

[mtraylor]

Yeah no problem. The carbon in a reactor works very well. I use carbon Rox 0.8 and replace about once a month. It will keep your water clear and smelling nice and keep coral warfare down. In a new setup it will keep the water nice and clear as well and keep some of the smells down. Will probably need to change out a bit more in the beginning but you will benefit from the clarity.

 

[SPR1968]

Hi Sylvester you’ve got some great advice already on this.

When I started my reef it’s very easy to read all these things on reactors etc etc., but basically as already said don’t add anything until you need it and until you understand exactly how it works, how much and how to measure what it’s does.

Everything is slowly slowly with a reef and just remember a basic principle, you are a keeper of water, and that pretty much it. Keep your parameters stable and at the correct levels and you should do well. And don’t chase numbers to try and get to perfection, just keep everything stable.

I have a ‘mature’ reef and run GFO in a reactor and carbon in a bag 24/7, because that’s what my reef needs. It’s not always recommend to run them together because of particle sizes etc.

Oh and welcome to R2R as well, and if you need to know anything just ask! And we love pictures as well! Lol

 

[Subsea]

So, I've built a brand new 120 gallon,and I'm wondering if I should be running GFO and Carbon in a reactor all the time.

I'm building a refugium and using miracle mud along with cheato.

I'm also running the usual skinner setup.

Please help

Welcome to the reef addiction. I have been doing it for 47 years and still get excited as I understand and see more.

You have been given good advice about not removing phosphate as it is a necessary nutrient for organic compounds to grow. Mature tank biochemistry is differrent than new tank biochemistry.

In the big picture, diverse bacteria are the microbial overlords that perform biochemistry to maintain our ecosystems. Bacteria along with diverse micro fauna & fana provide food webs that process inorganic nutrients into organic biomass. In the long run, I would suggest you design your tank to maximize gas exchange as carbon dioxide is a major contributor of carbon to a reef tank. Nitrogen gas in the air has a process to enter into the nutrient pool using bacteria in a process called “nitrogen fixation”. Nitrate molecule is reduced by facultative bacteria into nitrogen gas and exits water at air water interface in a process called de-nitrification. So, with good gas exchange, you could grow a reef. That is how it happens in the ocean.

To emphasise the importance of carbon, nitrogen & phosphorus in the marine enviroment:

160:16:1
is the ratio of carbon:nitrogenhosphorus in phytoplankton (micro algae) and is commonly called the Redfield Ratio.

560:30:1
is the ratio of carbon:nitrogen: phosphorus in most macro algae (seaweeds).

@Sylvester
I am curious as to why you choose to use miracle mud?

 

[Sylvester]

Welcome to the reef addiction. I have been doing it for 47 years and still get excited as I understand and see more.

You have been given good advice about not removing phosphate as it is a necessary nutrient for organic compounds to grow. Mature tank biochemistry is differrent than new tank biochemistry. In the big picture, diverse bacteria are the microbial overlords that perform biochemistry to maintain our ecosystems. Bacteria along with diverse micro fauna & fana provide food webs that process inorganic nutrients into organic biomass. In the long run, I would suggest you design your tank to maximize gas exchange as carbon dioxide is a major contributor of carbon to a reef tank. Nitrogen gas in the air has a process to enter into the nutrient pool using bacteria in a process called “nitrogen fixation”. Nitrate molecule is reduced by facultative bacteria into nitrogen gas and exits water at air water interface in a process called de-nitrification. So, with good gas exchange, you could grow a reef. That is how it happens in the ocean.

To emphasise the importance of carbon, nitrogen & phosphorus in the marine enviroment:

160:16:1
is the ratio of carbon:nitrogenhosphorus in phytoplankton (micro algae) and is commonly called the Redfield Ratio.

560:30:1
is the ratio of carbon:nitrogen: phosphorus in most macro algae (seaweeds).

@Sylvester
I am curious as to why you choose to use miracle mud?

Wow, that is a lot of useful information. Tha j you for taking the time to write that.

I've had a lot of success with my first 75 gallon reef and I'm just stepping up the game because like everyone here, it's a serious addiction. Ha ha ha

I've used miracle mud in my old sunol and it did wonders for me. I still stuck to the 2 week water changes but my parameters were very stable without a doser. I dosed once a week and that was it.

I take it that the mud must of did its thing along with the cheato, so as I've said " if it works don't fix it " .

With all of your informative information I'm gonna just leave the GFO and carbon on stand by till I see there is a need for it.

I ran carbon in a net in my old tank and I love the clarity of the water, and so this time around I'm going with a reactor.

 

[Sylvester]

Hi Sylvester you’ve got some great advice already on this.

When I started my reef it’s very easy to read all these things on reactors etc etc., but basically as already said don’t add anything until you need it and until you understand exactly how it works, how much and how to measure what it’s does.

Everything is slowly slowly with a reef and just remember a basic principle, you are a keeper of water, and that pretty much it. Keep your parameters stable and at the correct levels and you should do well. And don’t chase numbers to try and get to perfection, just keep everything stable.

I have a ‘mature’ reef and run GFO in a reactor and carbon in a bag 24/7, because that’s what my reef needs. It’s not always recommend to run them together because of particle sizes etc.

Oh and welcome to R2R as well, and if you need to know anything just ask! And we love pictures as well! Lol

Thank you for the response and I promise to post some more updated pics. Here is a quick one I took.

 

[mtraylor]

Your setup looks awesome!

 

[Sylvester]

Your setup looks awesome!

Thank you so much

 

[Rctreece]

nice did you build your cabinet?

 

[Sylvester]

nice did you build your cabinet?

Thanks. Yes, I built it myself.

 

[MadTownFess]

You have a brand new setup and as others are stating....you dont know at this moment what you need to run as far as reactors etc. Running Carbon 24/7 is not an issue. I wouldn't touch GFO at all in a new setup. It will only cause you issues. Once you get an established reef, if your phosphates are running high, then you can start to use it.

Me personally I run GFO and Carbon 24/7. This is because I need the GFO, and I like the effects of using carbon.

I feel like I have heard on a BRS video that running GFO to start a new tank is actually helpful, because it helps control all the "new tank syndrome" many see....but in the long run they wouldn't run GFO unless you are trying to lower phosphate.