Gfo or phosguard

[Clownfishgang]

I’ve used both and im using phosguard at the moment, feel like Im constantly changing it out but when I used to run gfo in a reactor I feel like my levels stayed lower and more consistent but more of a pain to change out.

 

[liam’s little reef]

If you already have a reactor, I would just stick with the gfo. Although it may entail more maintenance, you will definitely see better results just due to the constant flow through the media. I like phosguard, but like you said, you have to replace it pretty often.

 

[mrlavalamp]

I was having some issues with phophate and asked seachem for some advice.

They gave me some great details about their lines of products that think you might find informative.

Phosguard, is the most economical of our phosphate removers, but you may need either something with a stronger binding capacity, or continue to do partial water changes.

The main difference between our phosphate remover medias is capacity.

• PhosGuard has the lowest capacity at 0.82 mg/g of PO4 bound, but is the most economical of the four medias.
• PhosBond has a higher capacity than PhosGuard at 1.19 mg/g of PO4 bound, and combines the benefits of PhosGuard and a pure GFO (strength, high capacity, and rapid phosphate absorption) while still being very economical.
• PhosNet has the highest capacity of the Seachem phosphate absorbers at 1.41 mg/g of PO4 bound, and is a pure GFO media.
• phosfiltrum (aquavitro) is a super-high capacity GFO (1.71 mg/g of PO4 bound) that produces very little dust. This media has a higher capacity than any other GFO on the market.

This means that the higher the binding capacity, the less media you need to achieve the same effect in terms of standard dose.

Best,

Seachem support

So phosguard is not going to perform nearly as well as a standard gfo, but is supposed to be cheaper.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi,

There is a way I run gfo in a bag if I don’t want to mess with a reactor, but it is kinda of a pain in the beginning . It is not bad on smaller tanks. I have a 180. Basically just get a bunch of media bags and use high capacity gfo. Put about 1/4 cup in a media bag to start (depending on your size tank). Put in high flow area flat as possible to avoid clumping. Throw in another the next day and so on until you have the # of cups needed. After you get the bags in, then it’s simple to just change out a bag at a time when Po4 starts to rise.

just a suggestion. Using the high capacity stuff cuts down the amount needed, but go slow since it can strip the water fast.

 

[Clownfishgang]

If you already have a reactor, I would just stick with the gfo. Although it may entail more maintenance, you will definitely see better results just due to the constant flow through the media. I like phosguard, but like you said, you have to replace it pretty often.

I ran a ugly reactor on my old tank and my new setup the space just isn’t there for the reactor I had and switched to phosguard but just haven’t been as happy with it, been looking at getting another reactor just wanted to see what everyone else thought before I buy another reactor

 

[Clownfishgang]

Hi,

There is a way I run gfo in a bag if I don’t want to mess with a reactor, but it is kinda of a pain in the beginning . It is not bad on smaller tanks. I have a 180. Basically just get a bunch of media bags and use high capacity gfo. Put about 1/4 cup in a media bag to start (depending on your size tank). Put in high flow area flat as possible to avoid clumping. Throw in another the next day and so on until you have the # of cups needed. After you get the bags in, then it’s simple to just change out a bag at a time when Po4 starts to rise.

just a suggestion. Using the high capacity stuff cuts down the amount needed, but go slow since it can strip the water fast.

That’s definitely different way to do things if you have the space

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Gfo, but imo run at around 25% or less of the recommended dose. I ran at around 50% and it stripped my sps.