SinkyShippy
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I purchased this media reactor, GFO phosphate remover, and denitrate for my fish tank. Do you think this would be helpful or should I cancel the order?
Media Reactor
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ChrisRD
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Tough to give a good answer without more information...how old is the tank? What are your current water parameters? What specifically are you trying to address with the GFO (assuming an algae out break)?
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SinkyShippy
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I haven't even started the tank but I've done a ton of research and came across this to help with nitrates and phosphates. I had an algae out break in my curing bucket. I used an API test and my phosphate weren't at zero like they should be. I just figured I'd pick up the denitrate as well since nitrates aren't good to have in the tank. I figured this would keep the phosphate and nitrate in check so no algae problem would arise in the actual tank.
Just let your tank run for a while. The only thing you should put in the media reactor for the next 2 months is activated carbon. Then if normal water changes do not keep your N and P down, and you are not overfeeding, we will have you start the reactor with proper media to reduce what ever we need to.
ChrisRD
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Are you curing dry rock or is it actually live rock (from the ocean)? I've only setup one tank with dry rock (live rock was much more popular years ago). I will say it took a lot longer for the dry rock tank to settle down...and it was a bit more a struggle with nuisance algae in the first year or so...but if you're patient IMO you can end-up with less of a variety of pests and pest algae...so you do get something for the effort.
I don't think it's a bad idea to have the reactor for running carbon (and possibly GFO as needed) but I wouldn't get too concerned about phosphate and nitrate levels in the initial months of a new tank. It's going to take a while for things to settle down and for you to get into a rhythm with feeding/maintenance/nutrient export. There are going to be some nuisance algae regardless of how hard you try to hold down nutrient levels...so I wouldn't stress too much about it. In fact, you can cause other issues by bottoming out phosphate and/or nitrate levels...so you can start chasing your tail. If it's green film or hair algae it's totally normal for a new tank (in fact, some is normal for any tank) and there are plenty of inverts and fish that will eat it to keep it in check.
I would just keep doing water changes and manually remove any really heavy stuff and be patient for a while. GFO can be a useful tool but you want to be careful with it (and be careful about getting reliant on it) as it does have downsides.
JMO of course.
I don't think it's a bad idea to have the reactor for running carbon (and possibly GFO as needed) but I wouldn't get too concerned about phosphate and nitrate levels in the initial months of a new tank. It's going to take a while for things to settle down and for you to get into a rhythm with feeding/maintenance/nutrient export. There are going to be some nuisance algae regardless of how hard you try to hold down nutrient levels...so I wouldn't stress too much about it. In fact, you can cause other issues by bottoming out phosphate and/or nitrate levels...so you can start chasing your tail. If it's green film or hair algae it's totally normal for a new tank (in fact, some is normal for any tank) and there are plenty of inverts and fish that will eat it to keep it in check.
I would just keep doing water changes and manually remove any really heavy stuff and be patient for a while. GFO can be a useful tool but you want to be careful with it (and be careful about getting reliant on it) as it does have downsides.
JMO of course.
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SinkyShippy
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Deleted cause I meant to do it as a reply
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SinkyShippy
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I'm using actual live rock. It's done curing. I plan on introducing it into the actual tank this weekend. I just wanna get everything right so nothing dies lol.
scott11106
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carbon would be best in the reactor, I have a small GFO reactor but only use it when it is really needed because GFO strips the water column out pretty aggressively so i do not recommend GFO unless you are using it for a specific purpose
ChrisRD
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If there's a lot of algae manually remove what you can while putting the rock in the tank. Once you're setup you'll have better flow and once stable you can add grazers in the tank which will help keep it in check. Also blasting the rockwork periodically with a powerhead or turkey baster and siphoning (or using a power filter, filter sock, etc.) to remove organic debris will also help control nutrient levels in the initial stages (along with water changes).
What size tank? That reactor doesn't look too large so may not be sufficient for your tank. You might also look at the TLF reactors. I have one that is probably 25 years old and still in use. BRS is another place to look for economical and easy to use items like that.
In any case, I agree with the others that have said to hold off for now - get your tank up and running and then add what equipment you need as you need it. And there will be plenty....
In any case, I agree with the others that have said to hold off for now - get your tank up and running and then add what equipment you need as you need it. And there will be plenty....
