GFO reactor or not?

Jej34 · Feb 12, 2016

Guys,
I just threw out my color chart phosphate test kit and just got my Hanna phosphorus tester. Phosphatesoare .038 ( want them below .03 for algae control and other obviously reasons).
I've just started a refugium one month ago with two golf ball size balls of chaeto which has grown in size maybe 10 times.
I'm trying to figure if I need a gfo reactor or let the refugium grow and go natural what do you guys think?

hybridazn · Feb 12, 2016

I say give the fuge a little more time to do its magic. If phosphates go up throw on gfo or if possible make the fuge bigger with more macros

rossco · Feb 12, 2016

If it was me, I would go natural if you can. I have seen more "why are my corals dying" threads that are related to GFO than I can count. I have undetectable phosphates with a Hanna meter, and control them with chaeto in the refugium along with only feeding enough to keep the fish happy. I have a pretty light fish load though - a Purple Tang, Yellow Tang, a couple Bangaii Cardinals, a little school of Chromis, 3 Anthias and a Purple Pseudochromis. In a 210 gallon.

Jej34 · Feb 12, 2016

Yeah, I may just dump a bag of phosgaurd in the sump to get me under the .03 mark. I know it's not effective like a reactor but I'm not asking too much from it. Just want to be under. 03 because I see a dime size of Gha on 1 of the rocks lol.

Reefahholic · Feb 13, 2016

GFO can be a blessing and a curse. Learning how to control the tank is key. Understanding when and how much to run is important. Too much and your corals suffer, not enough and your PO4 and NO3 get stupid. There are other ways to control these without the use of GFO....(Deep Sandbeds, Good feeding habits, Large Skimmer, Water Changes, etc). Over the years I've learned that water changes have proven to be most effective for me. I also love my skimmer. My laziness contributes to a lot of issues and results in my use of GFO at times.

LuisPerez711 · Feb 13, 2016

+1
Its really on how you use the GFO. Its not just about throwing it in a container and forgetting about it. You have to see the effect it has on the coral and then determine if you need more or less. I always start with half the recommended dose and move up from there.

Piranhapat · Feb 13, 2016

I like a tank with fish and SPS. If I wanted a few fish I can understand it. But really the reason I have a aquarium is to look at something swimming in tank. When today we have more options to control are water levels. I think GFO is great stuff and just need to know a little goes a far way. With weekly or bio weekly WC are a must as a good skimmer. I was noticing a raise in my Nitrates and was thinking of going with Pellets but decided to Vodka dose. But just wanted to tell you they are plenty options and enjoy aquarium of course never over do it. But never had trouble with GFO with my SPS.

Piranhapat · Feb 13, 2016

I like a tank with fish and SPS. If I wanted a few fish I can understand it. But really the reason I have a aquarium is to look at something swimming in tank. When today we have more options to control are water levels. I think GFO is great stuff and just need to know a little goes a far way. With weekly or bio weekly WC are a must as a good skimmer. I was noticing a raise in my Nitrates and was thinking of going with Pellets but decided to Vodka dose. But just wanted to tell you they are plenty options and enjoy aquarium of course never over do it. But never had trouble with GFO with my SPS.

Reefahholic · Feb 13, 2016

GFO definitely works though. You can go weeks without cleaning the glass if you run enough. When it depletes, you'll notice the glass is needing to be cleaned a lot more often. I know I like to run gfo in the beginning to combat crazy algae blooms. After the 9 month mark, a lot of people just run carbon alone. It really just depends on the person, tank, fish load, etc.

Brian Kim · Feb 13, 2016

Reefahholic said:
GFO definitely works though. You can go weeks without cleaning the glass if you run enough. When it depletes, you'll notice the glass is needing to be cleaned a lot more often. I know I like to run gfo in the beginning to combat crazy algae blooms. After the 9 month mark, a lot of people just run carbon alone. It really just depends on the person, tank, fish load, etc.

Similar to what I had planned. Been running GFO from day one and never had algae problem until now.
Planning on running it for another 2 months and then remove half to see how my tank reacts and eventually remove it all the following month and just run carbon.
(tank is been up and running since Sep 2015)

Pete polyp · Feb 13, 2016

At .038 I really wouldn't recommend doing much of anything. Don't chase numbers

Jej34 · Feb 13, 2016

Great input guys thank you.

mrtian97 · Feb 13, 2016

same here, I have 120 gallon tank with 9 fish and LPS. My phosphate level is 0.06. I plan to install Nextreef Mr1 gfo reactor for algae control. I do 10 gallon WC weekly. Feed my fish daily with frozen mysis and some pellets. What usually cause coral dying when gfo reactor is used? I plan to use 1/3 or 1/3 dose of gfo and put carbon in media bag in the sump.

Thanks

maroun.c · Feb 14, 2016

0.03 is fine. I'd give your fuge some time to see how the nutrients levels balance out and the. Make the decision whether to add GFO or not. If your levels rise should be easy to lower them with GFO so frequent checking is in order.