Phosphates

[NStai]

I have a 6g Fluval Edge reef tank. No fish in it currently - just some clean up crew. So far I have a small Zoa colony and a very small hammer coral (which I understand will grow large but for now it's in a corner and I'm willing to frag it out later).

 

I haven't bought a test kit for phosphate yet - but just wanted to get some general advice - would it be a good idea to add GFO to my filter (it's an Aquaclear 20). I don't have room for a reactor.

 

I understand the nitrogen cycle very well, but this is my first SW tank, and I'm new the whole phosphate concept.

 

Thanks in advance for all your help!

[sean1986]

Adding a bag of chemi-pure would help keep phosphates down and help keep silicates and nitrates down as well

[jservedio]

Adding a bag of chemi-pure would help keep phosphates down and help keep silicates and nitrates down as well

 

Buy some generic GFO and Carbon (like Bulk Reef Supply), mix it in a ratio of 2-3:1 GFO:Carbon, toss it in a cheap media bag and it'll have the same effect as Chemipure for a fraction of the price (chemipure-elite is just carbon and GFO). Plus, a whole bag of chemi-pure is probably too big for a tank that size and breaking a bag of chemipure is a huge mess since it is moist and very fine. Mixing your own GFO and Carbon lets you measure each component individually and is much less expensive.

 

You can use this calculator to determine exactly how much of each you should use (typically start with half) for your specific tank: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

[CronicReefer]

You want to try to keep your phosphate levels <0.05 to help promote the best growth of corals. Do not use API test kits for testing phosphate as they are not accurate enough for saltwater aquariums.