Phosban GFO vs Rowaphos

[Reefcowboy]

Hi there im new here but have been reefing for 10+ years. Ive used Rowaphos on an SPS only i had in the past and did not have issues with Po4, and now use GFO in a smaller LPS tank and although dont have issues either, am curious to see if anyone has noticed differences between the two types of media?
O didnt like the messier handling of the Rowa, but after reading about it found out it is a more effective media. The GFO i use is Phosban and i am replacing it once a month on a tank with a medium bioload.
Anyone using or having used both types that would like to pitch in their experiences would be appreciated.

 

[lionfish5740]

I've used both before and if I use any phosphate remover it's Rowa. The first time (many years ago) that I tried any phosphate remover was to clean up a neglected tank and the Phosban didn't work. So I replaced the sand bed to fix the problem with limited success. More recently was for a neglected nano that housed a mantis shrimp and clown fish for about four years. Made the mistake of stirring up the sand bed and had the worst algae outbreak I've ever seen! Decided that I wanted to add corals to the tank so I had to make up for the lack of maintenance. The Phosban didn't have hardly any effect with the phosphate measurement yet again. Tried Rowa and found that it did a good job at bringing it down to acceptable levels. It eventually plateaued and didn't budge for over a month; I believe that the rocks and sand were then releasing what was stored up. In the end I found that culturing bacteria with mixed carbon dosing to work the best for me and it keeps the nitrate down also. I've always had success with carbon dosing on other tanks from way back when it was first mentioned years ago with vodka, vinegar and vitamin C (never used sugar). I now use a mixture of pellets and liquid dosing and don't worry about levels of either. Also don't test the water for either except every 3-6 months. Fish, corals and inverts are exceptionally healthy... including the darn nudibranchs that I'm currently battling :boxing: