Rowaphos to Nopox?

[ReefRondo]

Hi all,
Just wondering if Nopox is a viable equivalent to Rowaphos? I’d like to stop spending £100 on buckets of Rowaphos to be honest.
Has anybody turned their rowa reactors off in favour of dosing Nopox with results they would be happy sharing?

cheers for now.

 

[Spare time]

Nopox will not lower phosphates as low as gfo but does work to a degree. You just have to make sure your skimmer is working as a skimmer failure will cause a bacterial bloom with nopox. You could also just mix a little gfo with some carbon if nopox won't bring phosphates low enough.

 

[ReefRondo]

Thanks for the reply. My phosphates are totally under control to be honest but just looking to save some cash.

 

[destro]

They have different purposes.

Rowaphos is man made ferric hydroxide material specifically produced for removal of phosphates, arsenic and silicates.

NO3PO4-X enhances the activity of nutrient reducing bacteria (Nitrate and Phosphate).

 

[ReefRondo]

Really trying to avoid the cost and awful mess rowa creates when rinsing etc. I hate using it but it does such a good job. There must be a clean alternative to this stuff that works as well. The thought of dosing Nopox just seems so appealing in comparison.

 

[destro]

I don't have a large system so I use very little RowaPhos to control my phosphates. I recently learned you don't need to let PO4 bottom out or you run into dino / cyano problems.

I hear great things about NOPOX. If you haven't already, read the FAQ here: https://www.redseafish.com/faq/?cat=250

 

[ReefRondo]

Thanks for the link. I will give it a good read. I did have a quick scan over it and there doesn't seem to be any info on what I'm trying to find out.

 

[jda]

Have you looked at 5 gallon buckets of GFO? They are much more reasonably priced.

Have you looked into Lanthanum Chloride?

NoPox is an organic carbon. It causes bacteria to grow in the water column (and everywhere else). Those bacteria soak up nitrate and a bit of phosphate when they grow. Then, you skim them out. Keep in mind that high tide lifts all ships and it does not only allow the bacteria that you want to grow... but also any bad, so if your fish get an infection, it will help those too. It is pretty safe if you have high nitrate levels, a good/great skimmer and you go slow. It is more effective on nitrate than on phosphate. Another downside is that these bacteria will use a lot of oxygen... if your power goes out, or you accidentally dose too much (fueling a rapid growth event), the bacteria will use the oxygen very fast and your fish can suffocate.

The bacteria that it helps grow just split naturally and in the processes take up nitrogen... the bacteria do not really "consume" nitrogen. There are bacteria in the tank that consumer nitrogen, but they live in areas where there is no oxygen and they turn no3 into nitrogen gas.

 

[ReefRondo]

Thanks jda! Some great info there.
Sounds like it is not quite what I am looking for. Would I be right in thinking Lc is what agent green is from ATM?
I'm guessing there is no true liquid I can dose that will do the same as Rowaphos? Now that would be amazing!

 

[Quietman]

Been using NoPox since day 1. My phosphates originally dropped to .03ppm but over time crept back up to 0.1 ppm. Added some Phosguard (no reactor needed), that worked well in parallel with the NoPox. But I then saw Phosphate RX and now trying to see what weekly dosing I may need to keep PO4 < .05ppm. I can go back to Phosguard anytime without worry but felt like playing a bit and I like the idea of a few drops once a week to maintain.

 

[jda]

Phonban-L is a LC product. I can type more about when not on a phone, but is is liquid and appears safe if used correctly.

 

[jda]

Lanthum Chloride is a liquid product that immediately binds to the P in your water column. This bind is called flocculant. Most people like to dose it into a overflow and let it go into a correct-sized filter sock... or into a sump for it to get skimmed out. Some people just add it directly to the tank and let the flocculant just make it way into the sump and skimmer in it's own time. Both seem to work.

I started a new tank recently with some old live rock and it has some bound phosphate. That live rock also had some softies and some SPS on it. I did not care if they lived or not since they were going to get removed and given away to the locals. I just dosed LC to the tank directly. The first dose took me from like .6 to .25. The second down to about .10. The third down to about .05. From there, I went really slow. Nothing, and I mean nothing, cared at all that I just dosed the tank. The skimmers (I use two) pulled out more and it had a different smell during the treatments. In retrospect, if I had more sensitive stuff in there, I would have went WAY slower.

What you have to understand about phosphates is that they are bound into your aragonite in a reversible bind. The bind gets to an equilibrium with your water. The aragonite will bind more and the water level rises - it is exponential. It takes a day or two for the aragonite to release phosphate back to "equilibrium" after you lower the water column levels. It is important to understand this. What is even more important to understand is that you do not want to lower the water column level too far with too much media and have a large downward spike because the upward spike when the aragonite releases will be just as harsh. These spikes cause more issues than the product does. What you want is a slow and stead application where there is a straight-line decline instead of spikes.

My treatment was with spikes, but I did not care about these corals. They were easy-type stuff like GARF Bonsai and Sunset Millepora, some LPS and some mushrooms and zoas... so they did not seem to mind.

This is an OK video, but figure out your own numbers, but it is a good start:

 

[Mppp]

Been using NoPox since day 1. My phosphates originally dropped to .03ppm but over time crept back up to 0.1 ppm. Added some Phosguard (no reactor needed), that worked well in parallel with the NoPox. But I then saw Phosphate RX and now trying to see what weekly dosing I may need to keep PO4 < .05ppm. I can go back to Phosguard anytime without worry but felt like playing a bit and I like the idea of a few drops once a week to maintain.

I've always wondered if NoPox could work in tandem w/ Phosguard. I've been using Phosguard for about a month and lowered phosphates from .33 ppm to .12-14 steady for about a week (lowered amount I've put in bags sitting in sump lately as my bubble tips have not seemed to appreciate the drop in phosphate as other corals have). My nitrates are still high (20 ppm)and carbon reactor doesn't seem to be helping is reason I bought Nopox, but have yet to try it. How is the Phosphate Rx working for you?

 

[Quietman]

I've always wondered if NoPox could work in tandem w/ Phosguard. I've been using Phosguard for about a month and lowered phosphates from .33 ppm to .12-14 steady for about a week (lowered amount I've put in bags sitting in sump lately as my bubble tips have not seemed to appreciate the drop in phosphate as other corals have). My nitrates are still high (20 ppm)and carbon reactor doesn't seem to be helping is reason I bought Nopox, but have yet to try it. How is the Phosphate Rx working for you?

Bit dated post . My nutrient mgmt has been adjusted since then. Gradually stopped using NoPoX as my nitrates dropped to <1pmm as the tank matured. Still a fan of carbon dosing, just don't need it. Also shifted from building my own media bags to Chemipure Blue (mostly convenience, Phosguard worked fine). Build thread has all that if you're interested.

I do still use PhosphateRx though and it works exactly as advertised. You can get a drop = po4 ppm removal calculation that's accurate and repeatable. The reduction happens overnight. Since it's so effective and rapid have to pay attention not to go too fast or overdose. I only use it when po4 creeps up so my adjustments are minor (<.3 ppm which is 6-7 drops for my 44 gal) and now that's maybe every 2 months or more.