GFO/Phos Binding Media for Aquaclear 20

[smeagol108]

I am running a Aquaclear 20 on a fluval edge 6 gallon. I run chemipure elite, but I suspect my phosphates are high due to some sand bed issues. I plan to get a phosphate tesk kit today, (salifert or red sea?? Opinions?) What levels should I want it at for a tank with SPS, LPS, and Softies?

 

Okay now to the main question, if I find it is higher than it should be, what should in try in small amounts that will work well/best in a aquaclear type filter? (no media reactor).

thanks so much!

[Cencalfishguy56]

I am running a Aquaclear 20 on a fluval edge 6 gallon. I run chemipure elite, but I suspect my phosphates are high due to some sand bed issues. I plan to get a phosphate tesk kit today, (salifert or red sea?? Opinions?) What levels should I want it at for a tank with SPS, LPS, and Softies?

 

Okay now to the main question, if I find it is higher than it should be, what should in try in small amounts that will work well/best in a aquaclear type filter? (no media reactor).

thanks so much!

Try salifert, I have Red Sea for ca, alk, mag and they are somewhat hard to read idk if that's the same with PO4

Also you can try some phosguard that would do the trick

[LebaneseDlight]

I have the PO4 for Red Sea and it's useless. The colors are like different shades of greenish beige and I can't make them out. For PO4 I would go with Hanna Phosphate or Phosphorous. I like to know exactly where I stand on PO4. I thought I was at 0 PO4 with my Red Sea kit but turned out I was .10; with my Hanna I've been able to keep it between .02 and .04 without any problem.

 

For all others test I use Red Sea titration and it works just fine - I have no intention on going over to Hanna (colors turns from blue to red, or vice versa, so it's super easy to tell).

 

And Chemi Pure Elite doesn't have much GFO. Cheri Pure Blue has more GFO but I just use the bulk GFO from BRS and it works great.

[Cencalfishguy56]

I have the PO4 for Red Sea and it's useless. The colors are like different shades of greenish beige and I can't make them out. For PO4 I would go with Hanna Phosphate or Phosphorous. I like to know exactly where I stand on PO4. I thought I was at 0 PO4 with my Red Sea kit but turned out I was .10; with my Hanna I've been able to keep it between .02 and .04 without any problem.

 

For all others test I use Red Sea titration and it works just fine - I have no intention on going over to Hanna (colors turns from blue to red, or vice versa, so it's super easy to tell).

 

And Chemi Pure Elite doesn't have much GFO. Cheri Pure Blue has more GFO but I just use the bulk GFO from BRS and it works great.

Yea you can bag it yourself just don't shock your system lol but really all the other Red Sea tests are fine for you?? Mine have been kind of funky, I get high readings of alk, like it's off the charts and that can't be right because my corals were fine at the time

[metrokat]

Are you seeing phosphate related issues in the tank?

[smeagol108]

Are you seeing phosphate related issues in the tank?

I believe so, I am having some algae issues mainly on the sand bed in some areas that are very hard to clean (fluval edge). Figured I would get a test kit and test my levels and than see what to do. As I have no lfs really close, I figured while I was picking up a test kit, I would grab some media of some sort too so I wouldn't have to take another trip. just trying to figure out the best media to get for my type of filter. I plan to use it very sparingly and way less than advertised amounts if the tests reveal I should start using it. Thinking that as I cant really clean these areas of the sand bed that they are becoming somewhat of a phosphate sink in those areas and the various grades of sand I used probably aren't helping either. I got some advice from Brandon429 and he was more than helpful!! Cant say enough good about him being willing to advise a total stranger.

 

I plan to switch tanks in a monthor so and not bring the sand bed with so hopefully I can fully resolve the problem than. Heres some photos, the algae is like gone in the morning but comes back super fast within a couple hours once lights come on. Somedays worse than others. Distubring the sandbed when doing water changes seems to make it worse after the water change. Tank inhabitants: pair of highfins, candy cane pistol, flaming prawn goby, pink streaked wrasse/pelvic spot wrasse. PH - 8-8.2, Ammonia - 0, Nitrite - 0, Nitrate 0-5, Calc 450, Mag 1300, ALK normally around 9.

excuse the colors in the photos, bumped the whites way up and blues down to take the photos...

[metrokat]

Could be cyano also. Do you siphon the sand bed? turning it over helps with the algae. Also CUC that bury are good.

You could also try to change the position of the powerhead to change the flow in the tank.

[smeagol108]

I siphone sand bed best I can. fluval edge tiny opening, fully stocked with corals makes it super difficult in most areas. Ihave 4 nassarius snails, and a ton of dwarf ceriths, as well as prob 7-10 full size ceriths for cuc that goes into sand. I will try to change powerhead direction, its an MP10 and running on the 3-4 dot. I change it up and continually change from reef crest, to lagoon, to NTM.

 

most likely this problem is related to me not being able to clean these ares of the sand bed well and the fact that two high fins and a pistol shrimp live under the rock on the left where most of this happens. these fools only come out to eat otherwise they are perfectly content living in darkness all day in a tiny hole. blows my mind...

[Cencalfishguy56]

This tank is badass who cares about the little algae! Lol

[smeagol108]

I agree the tank badass that why I care about the little bit of algae. Lol. And my girlfriend pesters me. I'm like babe, it's a light amount and it doesn't get worse. Remains pretty stable coming and going. But yes thank you for the compliments on the tabk!!! Hopefully will get some new pics up on my tank thread soon.

[Bill Nye]

I would invest in the Hanna low range phosphorus checker. Best hobby grade P04 test on the market IMO. Your tank somewhat perplexes me because some of your sps look light while others look brown and some are holding color. What test kits are you using for Nitrate? 0-5 makes me believe its a API. API is good for high range Nitrate IMO but fails at low range in some cases.

 

Personally I love salifert kits for everything but phosphate where I use the hanna.

 

As far as phosphate removing media I had good luck with phosguard when I had an AIO. GFO is effective but you really need the reactor or it will clump.

[smeagol108]

I would invest in the Hanna low range phosphorus checker. Best hobby grade P04 test on the market IMO. Your tank somewhat perplexes me because some of your sps look light while others look brown and some are holding color. What test kits are you using for Nitrate? 0-5 makes me believe its a API. API is good for high range Nitrate IMO but fails at low range in some cases.

 

Personally I love salifert kits for everything but phosphate where I use the hanna.

 

As far as phosphate removing media I had good luck with phosguard when I had an AIO. GFO is effective but you really need the reactor or it will clump.

Definitely going to pick up the hanna. im using API Nitrate test and the Red Sea nitrate test as i dont trust the API either. hoping to address your perplexion here next. First when i took those pics, my whites were bumped up to 100 and blues down to 10 percent. just cause i have no clue how to get decent pics. the acro on top left was called a tricolor when someone gave it to me and it is pretty white and was when i got it... so not sure there, but it does get some PE. the other one which looks brown is on the right middle and its a bonsai but it looks completely purple with yellow polyps when the blues are on as well in normal percentages. I am not an sps master and really jhust started, but my stylos, pocis, Birds of paradise, red planet, green milli, and some other unknown acro are all doing pretty awesome and encrusting with great PE. I think those pictures and the one totally white acro combined with the one real brown looking one would have thrown me off to. my ALK is not the most stable and i know it so the sps i have that do best are definitely the aquacultured ones or ones coming from other peoples tanks. I have a few different montis that are all taking off and i have been really happy with the growth on all the acros. Hoping to some day get this tank to TOTM!!!

Picked up some phosguard but wont be using any until i get a hanna checker to test first.

thank you!

 

heres another pic or two, but again they suck.

[Steve973]

I wonder if bagged GFO is your best option, particularly if it's granular GFO. That stuff clumps, which is why you want to lightly fluidize it in a reactor. Have you thought about using Seachem Phosguard? It would be more appropriate for your application, I think. If you want to combine it with carbon, Seachem has a product called Seagel that contains their Matrix carbon as well as Phosguard. Otherwise, if you are stuck on using GFO, the filter guys have some GFO pellets that would work better in a bag.

[smeagol108]

i ended up getting some phosnet (seachem), not entirely sure the difference between this and thier phosguard... I wont be using it until my hanna checker comes in for me to see where i stand..

[Cencalfishguy56]

i ended up getting some phosnet (seachem), not entirely sure the difference between this and thier phosguard... I wont be using it until my hanna checker comes in for me to see where i stand..

Yea my girlfriend hated our tank when GHA got crazy out of hand hahaa I ran phosguard and scrubbed the living shit out of the rocks!