GFO big problem I created

[oldfishman]

I was experiencing a problem with green hair algae. It was recommend that I use GFO to help rid the algae. I did that by adding the GFO in a bag in my filter. When the algae was gone I removed the bag of GFO or so I thought. I noticed some of my corals shrinking but could not find the cause. Some corals remained well. HERE is my problem I didn't remove the GFO I removed my Chem Pure Blue by mistake. I discovered it this morning while doing monthly detailed maintenance. How much trouble am I in and how do I fix it if possible. I have now removed the GFO and replaced the Chem Pure Blue.

 

[LIreefguy]

Removing chemipure blue alone isny enough to cause corals to start closing


What are your numbers ?

 

[408Dartfish]

I’m thinking worse case scenario is you stripped the nutrients out of the tank with the GFO.

 

[Dkeller_nc]

Yep. Chemi-pure blue is just a mixture of ion exchange resins (non functional in saltwater) and granular activated carbon. Depending on your specific aquarium, it's unlikely that the CP blue was doing anything substantial.

GFO, of course, is a phosphate remover, and unlike CP blue, it does have a good deal of activity in saltwater. Depending on how much you used, it's possible that you've driven the dissolved phosphate concentration in your tank water to close to zero. If the nitrate concentration of your tank water is also very low, it's likely your corals are reacting to low or ultra-low nutrient conditions. Simply remove the GFO, and feed the fish in your tank as normal; the phosphate in the water column will return to normal levels very quickly.

 

[LIreefguy]

Test test test. Don’t guess

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If the corals are still shrunken, the phosphate may just be too low.

 

[oldfishman]

Thanks to all that responded. The gfo has been removed and I will do a water change.