Reducing PO4 without a reactor

jmp21677 · Dec 29, 2017

I'm wondering if anyone has had success with reducing po4 using GFO but not using a reactor. I found my source and just need a little bump to get things moving. I just bought a media cup and I'm wondering if I can throw a little GFO in a bag and then put the bag in the cup?

lion king · Dec 29, 2017

The thing about gfo is that it will fuse together and not be that effective if bagged alone. Mixing carbon with the gfo so the gfo will be separated in a bag in a high flow area. Chemipure elite is an easy alternative.

jmp21677 · Dec 29, 2017

Elite reduces po4? Good to know! Their descriptions aren't the best! I'll look into both options.

AdamNC · Dec 30, 2017

I’ve had good success with Purigen. Plus once it’s used up it’s renewable with bleach and Prime.

hyprc · Dec 30, 2017

If it's crazy high you could consider lanthanum chloride but start small and do some thorough research before you begin. Sounds like that's not the case though and you just need a bump to bring po4 down gradually. As long as you're not no3 limited, just mixing some gfo with some carbon like lion king suggested in a mesh filter bag (after rinsing) should work pretty well for you. My system happens to be no3 limited so I make sure I do as much as possible NOT to strip it from the water column lol so a gfo reactor is like my only option (rocks leach po4 like mad). Best of luck!

SashimiTurtle · Dec 30, 2017

jmp21677 said:
Elite reduces po4? Good to know! Their descriptions aren't the best! I'll look into both options.

Chemipure elite is just activated carbon and GFO mixed together. It will pull organics and phoshpates from the water.

jmp21677 · Dec 30, 2017

I'm always a little high on nitrates so I think I'd be okay. I'm assuming the GFO is much more important than the amount of carbon being used? I've nuked a tank with the suggested amount of GFO so I know do be extremely careful with that stuff. I'm not a fan of it at all but I see the GHA starting and want to squash it before it gets going!

Sgchick · Mar 18, 2018

jmp21677 said:
I'm wondering if anyone has had success with reducing po4 using GFO but not using a reactor. I found my source and just need a little bump to get things moving. I just bought a media cup and I'm wondering if I can throw a little GFO in a bag and then put the bag in the cup?

Did you end up trying GFO in a media bag or did you try Chemipure Elite?

vetteguy53081 · Mar 18, 2018

redsea Po4 reducer. Same as vodka dosing

reefndude · Mar 18, 2018

I throw gfo in a media bag. It works just takes longer than a reactor which is fine by me. I only use 1/4 of recommended amount.

jmp21677 · Mar 18, 2018

Sgchick said:
Did you end up trying GFO in a media bag or did you try Chemipure Elite?

I used the elite and it worked great! Almost a little to good. I like to keep GFO around .03-.05 and it was .01 when I tested. Just recently pulled it. I have another container just in case it starts to creep up again

Charterreefer · Mar 18, 2018

jmp21677 said:
I'm wondering if anyone has had success with reducing po4 using GFO but not using a reactor. I found my source and just need a little bump to get things moving. I just bought a media cup and I'm wondering if I can throw a little GFO in a bag and then put the bag in the cup?

It really needs to be tumbled to work effectively and probably more important consistently although ultimately you should try to not use any gfo if you can.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Mar 18, 2018

For a media bag, larger particles, like some of the aluminum oxide products (Phosguard, Kent Phosphate Sponge, etc.) may work better.

jda · Mar 18, 2018

GFO that is in the tank for a while will coat with bacteria/slime and not bind anymore. Somebody smart (maybe Bertoni?) posted a link to this a while back. You need to use GFO, get it out and replace it... so smaller and more frequent is better.