GFO questions...

[ryangrieder]

im setting up GFO on the new tank, its a 57 rimless. (tank is new, livestock is switched over from my old tank) never used GFO before but realized alot of my rock is getting slight algae problems and phos is a little high, arond 1-1.5. so i got some GFO, the kent phos reactor and a marineland euro 900.

on the GFO container it say rinse throughly.... i rinsed it for about 10 minutes and if i grind it together in my hand in the media bag, it pours our red. if i just rinse it under water it seems almost clear, but when i move it around heavly it turns dark red. should i keep rinsing or once it turns clear when just lightly rinsing it its good? like i said, i rinsed it over 10 maybe 15 minutes now.

Also, it says 1 tablespoon per 20 gallons.... really? 2 1/2 tablespoons only? that barely covers the bottom of the reactor i have. its maybe a 1/4 inch total of media in the reactor. not even the width of my fnger. i feel this is way wrong. i rinsed more then supposed to and now put in the reactor maybe 3 inches of media in it. still only fills the reactor barely 1/4 amount. is this safe? did not hook it up yet, just curious.

 

[ryangrieder]

just turned it on, and unplugged it right away before the water went back into the sump. it filled up, and all dirty water after going through the GFO. is this safe or toxic for that water to enter my system?

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

its not toxic but it will leave a residue and turn your water murky. what i do if possible is when i put new media in it i take the reactor off line and i have a separate pump to clean out the new media in the reactor. fill your tub (if you have one and not just a shower) so that pump is submerged and drain into the toilet . leave the tub water running to keep the same height. after the water starts to pump clear out of the reactor then you are good.

 

[ryangrieder]

That's what I just did. I took a 5 gallon bucket, put it in the sink, ran it for 5 minutes, and it became clear, then put it on the tank.

How about the amount? Is it safe that I put more then recommended? The recommendation level seems insanely small...

 

[tosiek]

You using reg GFO or rowa-phos? You want about 1/4-1/3 cup max per 25g for the reg GFO. 5 tbs for .3 cup = 10 tbsp? I wouldnt go too much over 1/2 cup for your system. It will strip your tank of Po4 and will cause problems in your tank.

You can also split the reactor to hold both GFO and carbon and help your tank water quality a little more.

To rinse the GFO it means run water through the reactor (RO water or tank water) into a separate bucket till the water clears up then throw that out. It usually takes a 1-2 gallons of water to clean it.

1-1.5 po4 is very high btw.

 

[CONSTANTNE]

I rinse GFO out a few times in a cup making sure not to crush any of it (will make it worse). When im done rinsing it still has a slight tint but nothing bad has happened to my tank that way.

Other ways is to do what others have stated which is to use water change water to run through it until it runs clear through reactor.

I use 20 tsp's on my 40 breeder. I would say mine is only 2 1/2 to 3 inches deep.

 

[ryangrieder]

Thanks. Yes I have about half a cup of GFO running right now in my reactor with a slight tumble. Im not using Rowa-Phos. I noticed ALOT of algae lately. Mainly in certain spots. It's not like hair algae or anything, but more of bushy, thick pieces. kind of like an afro lol. And my bryopsis is coming back. Grrrrrrrrr. I don't know if GFO would kill it, but I'm scared to raise my magnesium again to kill it because my tank is packed with corals now. Last time I killed it bringing my magnesium level to 2000 I had no corals, now I have about 20 or so pieces. All I know is, right now I just started GFO, have about 1/2 a cup in the reactor, and slightly tumbling. Hope it works a bit on the random Afro looking algae spots...

 

[mqur1963]

what happen if you overdose gfo

 

[Alex]

what happen if you overdose gfo

Check post number 5 in this thread.

I run it through a filter sock to get it clean.