GFO in media bag for Nanos?

[Devaji]

wondering if any of you Nano folks out there run GFO in a media bag in your tanks?
I know it will not work as good as a reactor, but just wondering.

or so most of you stick to purigen?

 

[Dine]

I try to steer clear of GFO. It’s just too effective. It strips phosphates so fast you swing too far the other direction and end up with a whole different set of problems.

 

[Devaji]

I try to steer clear of GFO. It’s just too effective. It strips phosphates so fast you swing too far the other direction and end up with a whole different set of problems.

yeah that is what I hear but I would think if you use it in small amounts in a filter bag you would be ok?

 

[Dine]

yeah that is what I hear but I would think if you use it in small amounts in a filter bag you would be ok?

What kind of phosphates are we talking about? What’ are your parameters.

 

[Devaji]

I'll have to bust out the Hanna checker and see. but it a new tank maybe 2 months old doing a long cycle no CUC or fish but I did add 20 RFA as that is the focus on the system. went through the normal ugly stage then the other day I got some long stringy algae.
I did a 4 gal WC even tho I dont have any bio load in ther yet.

 

[Hemmdog]

When I had my biocube I ran chemipure elite, it worked great to keep phosphates in check but not completely strip them out. I still run chemipure bags on my 90 and 40b too.

 

[Devaji]

When I had my biocube I ran chemipure elite, it worked great to keep phosphates in check but not completely strip them out. I still run chemipure bags on my 90 and 40b too.

that was another option I was thinking. but also was thinking that it might be more cost effective to mix your own carbon and GFO?

 

[Magellan]

I use Purigen, bio media, and Phosguard in my 28g nano. Not sure I need the Phosguard, or if it is even doing anything after more than a few days. But I leave it in there and don’t change it more often than I chance the purigen (every couple of months, but I do wash them off regularly).

I also have a small amount of carbon just sitting in the back as well, not in the media basket but just hanging off the back wall of the sump area over one of the pumps.

 

[Hemmdog]

that was another option I was thinking. but also was thinking that it might be more cost effective to mix your own carbon and GFO?

Yea it might be. The convenience of the chemipure is just too easy for me though, haha.

 

[tuesdayd]

I mix some carbon and gfo (about half the recommended amount) in a media bag and put it in the hob filter (aquaclear 50) on our 26 gal. Phosphates generally stay between .04 and .1 (Hanna checker) doing this. It's much higher when I don't run it.

I realize they need different flow rates, but since I don't really know how much actually flows through the media bag I figure it doesn't really matter.

 

[Tamberav]

I have used it before and mixed it with carbon but it generally can do more harm than good in a nano.

Why not get some cuc?

 

[Devaji]

I have used it before and mixed it with carbon but it generally can do more harm than good in a nano.

Why not get some cuc?

I need to but no LFS with a few hundred miles. we will be moving once the new house is done so I was holding off to make ir goes easier. but I might just put in a order after thanksgiving.

 

[Tamberav]

I need to but no LFS with a few hundred miles. we will be moving once the new house is done so I was holding off to make ir goes easier. but I might just put in a order after thanksgiving.

Gotcha... I order from reef cleaners and they always do well. They have a lot of unique snails and crabs too.

 

[RCeiver]

Use GFO all the time in nanos. You just have to be careful about using a small amount. Starts with a teaspoon or less and let it run for a week before you even think about increasing.

 

[Devaji]

Gotcha... I order from reef cleaners and they always do well. They have a lot of unique snails and crabs too.

I did have some picked out but that have a min. or charge you more + they was having as issue tried like 5 times to order then gave up.

 

[Jeeperz]

Be careful with reef cleaners and nanos. I made a purchase last week and the emerald crabs were stupid large, like biggest I've ever seen. 3+" across easily. So I gave them to the lfs. Even the nerite snails were huge and they have "other" creatures growing on their shells/dirty. One of my dwarf cerith was actually a crab. Come to find out you can kinda request sizes but wonder if I ask for smaller they will end up being microscopic.