Hey everyone I'm still kinda new to saltwater and I do not run and carbon or gfo I've heard it's good/recomend I was wondering if someone could explain how I would set this up in my sump and also how it will impact my tank the more info the better! Thanks
GFO and carbon
- Thread starter Austin R
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
I would only run GFO and/or carbon if I had a specific reason to. Only run GFO if you need to lower your PO4. Only run carbon if you suspect a contaminant or need to remove a known substance.
If you do run them you want the carbon to be tighly packed. If it vibrates, it can release particulate that is thought to cause HLLE in fish. GFO should be loosely packed so it can tumble to increase its effectiveness.
When I need to use them I put them in mesh bags. For the carbon I secure it very tightly, for GFO I leave it very loose but I don't get good tumbling action. You really need a reactor to take full advantage of GFO.
If you do run them you want the carbon to be tighly packed. If it vibrates, it can release particulate that is thought to cause HLLE in fish. GFO should be loosely packed so it can tumble to increase its effectiveness.
When I need to use them I put them in mesh bags. For the carbon I secure it very tightly, for GFO I leave it very loose but I don't get good tumbling action. You really need a reactor to take full advantage of GFO.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
They will both help with organics. The issue is that not all organics are bad. The first time I used GFO I killed every coral in my tank (fortunately, it was only around 10 small frags). I removed all the phosphate from my system and starved them. That is why I encourage you to only use GFO if your testing shows high phosphates.
I use the Flipper. Expensive, but works very well.
Actually activated carbon can be used as a general expert method. There is no reason that carbon can not be used in reasonable amounts on a continuous basis. Carbon can do a lot and is safe to use when used correctly.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Agreed. I hope I haven't given the impression that I am against running carbon or GFO. I only advise against running them unless you are doing so for a specific reason. Having high levels of DOC's that are unable to be removed by skimmers is a great reason to run carbon on a continuous basis.
jaws789832
Active Member
I run carbon 24/7 and gfo as needed in reactors. I purchased the duel reactor from brs but if I had to do it again I would have got 2 singles and then just put a T with a valve off the pump to be able to run either reactor individually.
Before going into details of why you should use activated carbon and GFO in your system you need to understand the need of it. So ask yourself by looking at your tank how these things can affect my tank in a positive way? Generally they both help in controlling dissolved organics in your water column. While GFO controls the PO4 activated carbon just work on any kind of DOC or dissolved organic carbon. When using both they control your tank nutrient level and activated carbon polishes the water by removing those DOC or so called yellowing agent. But the question is why do you want them? If your nutrient levels are pretty high or the water is not clear or you are suffering from a lot of algae then yes go ahead put a bit and check how that improve your system. Some people use activated carbon periodically while some uses continuously. It all depends on your need and taste.
Ok thanks!
GFO is intended to remove phosphate in your system. Phosphate is an inorganic compound.
You are correct, having zero phosphate (PO4) is bad and can kill coral. However if you have bad algae problems GFO can be used to help curb that if used properly.
BRS ROX 0.8 carbon is the very best. Good all around carbon for many reasons, filters more, higher capacity, harder, rinses faster, less fines, and more.
I use BRS ROX carbon and mix some GFO with it, in a 2:1 or 3:1 carbon/GFO mix. This seems to work much better than running a reactor for GFO and one for carbon in series. I use the first reactor of the BRS Dual as a prefilter with filter floss to remove particles that would quickly clog the carbon GFO and the second is filled with the mix of carbon/GFO
Brew12
Electrical Gru
As an FYI, phosphate is found in aquariums in both inorganic and organic forms. GFO will remove both.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php
Here is the applicable section, but the article by RHF is well worth a read for anyone considering using GFO.
"Granular ferric oxide is also known to bind organic materials. In addition to many studies on the binding of man-made chemicals and natural organics from freshwater (such as humic acids), it has also been demonstrated that dissolved organic phosphate is readily removed from seawater by binding it to iron hydroxide."
