GFO - how to Run ?????

[tinman]

So .. i added a little GFO to my system using a IM Media Reactor.

i adjusted it so that i just see a little moment on the top of the GFO ( as i thought it should be )

its being fine for a day but when i check the next day i dont see any movement at the surface ..



i thought too much flow with gfo can cause it grind itself and float into the tank .. do i need more flow or is it still working even if there is no moment at the top layer ?

 

[carpetreef75]

So .. i added a little GFO to my system using a IM Media Reactor.

i adjusted it so that i just see a little moment on the top of the GFO ( as i thought it should be )

its being fine for a day but when i check the next day i dont see any movement at the surface ..



i thought too much flow with gfo can cause it grind itself and float into the tank .. do i need more flow or is it still working even if there is no moment at the top layer ?

need more flow T , i re adjust mine every so often to a slight tumble
Bryan

 

[tinman]

need more flow T , i re adjust mine every so often to a slight tumble
Bryan

wouldnt that cause GFO to grind ?


so not as much as bio pellets but a little tumble is fine ?

 

[xj_matt]

So .. i added a little GFO to my system using a IM Media Reactor.

i adjusted it so that i just see a little moment on the top of the GFO ( as i thought it should be )

its being fine for a day but when i check the next day i dont see any movement at the surface ..



i thought too much flow with gfo can cause it grind itself and float into the tank .. do i need more flow or is it still working even if there is no moment at the top layer ?

You need a little bit more flow, you need to worry about the grinding more so when you mix it with carbon do to the gfo being harder then carbon. When I have my God going it just looks like it rocking back and forth in my reactor

 

[fishtank44]

I am never got Gfo reactor for my tank. I just dropped some Gfo media into filter ssock with direct drain in filter sock

 

[beetlenut33]

GFO doesn't grind, it is designed to tumble. I have heard that if it doesn't tumble, it will clump together and form a solid piece. Watch videos on BRS to learn more about GFO and GFO reactor usage.

 

[carpetreef75]

wouldnt that cause GFO to grind ?


so not as much as bio pellets but a little tumble is fine ?

never had a problem with grinding , just a slight tumble action /roll and Wa La
Bryan

 

[trackfast]

slight agitation on the surface of the GFO; slow but definitely movement.

 

[tinman]

thanks all ill adjust the flow to be a little more

thanks

 

[Rcunning8]

Don't put it in a reactor.. put it in a media bag and place in the bubble trap in your sump. Gfo reactor will rip out all the phosphates in your tank, bleach your sps and melt your zoas. Another reason I keep in a media bag is because it's easy to remove once the phosphates are at a level I like it as opposed to a media reactor where u need to take it apart, offline and clean it. I also find that reactors are too rough on gfo which seems to be more delicate than gac. Just my two cents


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[ultimatemj]

Don't put it in a reactor.. Gfo reactor will rip out all the phosphates in your tank,..... I also find that reactors are too rough on gfo which seems to be more delicate than gac.
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IME the rate of removal is relative to the quantity of GFO used. Meaning you don't just "fill up a reactor".

Too delicate? Not sure what kind you are suing but tumbling GAC will eventually pulverize it, but tumbling of GFO doesn't degrade it much...unless maybe its "boiling". GFO does need a good rinse to remove fines, but after that it doesn't typically break up from a slow tumble.

BRS instructions:
1 tablespoon per 8 gallons of water(16 tbsp = 1 cup).
After 4-8 weeks the aquarium will have adjusted to the low nutrient level and the amount of GFO can be increased up to 2 tablespoons per 8 gallons of water.
Change all both types of GFO when phosphate levels rise, typically 4-8 weeks.

 

[tinman]

Don't put it in a reactor.. put it in a media bag and place in the bubble trap in your sump. Gfo reactor will rip out all the phosphates in your tank, bleach your sps and melt your zoas. Another reason I keep in a media bag is because it's easy to remove once the phosphates are at a level I like it as opposed to a media reactor where u need to take it apart, offline and clean it. I also find that reactors are too rough on gfo which seems to be more delicate than gac. Just my two cents


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i wont use it for ever .. only a couple more days ..

i somehow had to get the phos down from 0.3 haha

yesterday my phos is 0.07 and nitrates are at 8-12

so almost ready

 

[tinman]

IME the rate of removal is relative to the quantity of GFO used. Meaning you don't just "fill up a reactor".

Too delicate? Not sure what kind you are suing but tumbling GAC will eventually pulverize it, but tumbling of GFO doesn't degrade it much...unless maybe its "boiling". GFO does need a good rinse to remove fines, but after that it doesn't typically break up from a slow tumble.

BRS instructions:
1 tablespoon per 8 gallons of water(16 tbsp = 1 cup).
After 4-8 weeks the aquarium will have adjusted to the low nutrient level and the amount of GFO can be increased up to 2 tablespoons per 8 gallons of water.
Change all both types of GFO when phosphate levels rise, typically 4-8 weeks.

so essentially half cup (aka 120 ml worth roughly) for 64 gallons ..

im using about 60 ml ... so half of whats recommended to start with

 

[Rcunning8]

IME the rate of removal is relative to the quantity of GFO used. Meaning you don't just "fill up a reactor".

Too delicate? Not sure what kind you are suing but tumbling GAC will eventually pulverize it, but tumbling of GFO doesn't degrade it much...unless maybe its "boiling". GFO does need a good rinse to remove fines, but after that it doesn't typically break up from a slow tumble.

BRS instructions:
1 tablespoon per 8 gallons of water(16 tbsp = 1 cup).
After 4-8 weeks the aquarium will have adjusted to the low nutrient level and the amount of GFO can be increased up to 2 tablespoons per 8 gallons of water.
Change all both types of GFO when phosphate levels rise, typically 4-8 weeks.

100 percent agree with you that it is the amount of gfo that u use that determines how much phosphate is removed. However since gfo needs to come into contact directly with phosphate for phosphate removal (unlike carbon which acts via electric charge attraction) I find that reactors, which use pumps to get the phosphate absorption underway strip away phosphate much more quickly than just a media bag which imo is a bad thing compared to the gradual absorption you get from a media bag. Also when I read instructions, especially when it comes to gfo I always half the quantity/amount of gfo they tell me to use.

Again I like the media bag because it's ease of installation and removal from the sump and it's more gradual absorption of phosphate as opposed to the immediate stripping of phosphate when I used to have it in a reactor.

In regards to my gfo being more delicate than my gac It must be just my experience or my brand? lol I dunno but the granules always appeared smaller when I removed the gfo from the reactor compared to when I put them in


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[tinman]

100 percent agree with you that it is the amount of gfo that u use that determines how much phosphate is removed. However since gfo needs to come into contact directly with phosphate for phosphate removal (unlike carbon which acts via electric charge attraction) I find that reactors, which use pumps to get the phosphate absorption underway strip away phosphate much more quickly than just a media bag which imo is a bad thing compared to the gradual absorption you get from a media bag. Also when I read instructions, especially when it comes to gfo I always half the quantity/amount of gfo they tell me to use.

Again I like the media bag because it's ease of installation and removal from the sump and it's more gradual absorption of phosphate as opposed to the immediate stripping of phosphate when I used to have it in a reactor.

In regards to my gfo being more delicate than my gac It must be just my experience or my brand? lol I dunno but the granules always appeared smaller when I removed the gfo from the reactor compared to when I put them in


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you mean these when you say media bags yes ?
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-mesh-filter-sock-with-draw-string.html

 

[Rcunning8]

Yea man exactly they usually come with the gfo itself. I like the ones with Velcro


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[beetlenut33]

For anyone concerned with GFO working too quickly, here is some data which shows that GFO removes phosphate at a relatively slow rate.

I added about a 1/2 cup of GFO to my media reactor. After running it for six weeks, my phosphate levels have decreased by 0.07 ppm, but still have a while until they get to my target range of 0.03 ppm. Based on this data, GFO removes phosphate slowly.

View attachment 20428

 

[Danieldv6]

For anyone concerned with GFO working too quickly, here is some data which shows that GFO removes phosphate at a relatively slow rate.

I added about a 1/2 cup of GFO to my media reactor. After running it for six weeks, my phosphate levels have decreased by 0.07 ppm, but still have a while until they get to my target range of 0.03 ppm. Based on this data, GFO removes phosphate slowly.

View attachment 20428

Isn't 3 weeks and a half?

 

[gji]

Media reactor I found best

 

[labas39]

Don't put it in a reactor.. put it in a media bag and place in the bubble trap in your sump. Gfo reactor will rip out all the phosphates in your tank, bleach your sps and melt your zoas. Another reason I keep in a media bag is because it's easy to remove once the phosphates are at a level I like it as opposed to a media reactor where u need to take it apart, offline and clean it. I also find that reactors are too rough on gfo which seems to be more delicate than gac. Just my two cents


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Ok, I have to comment on this one. I typically don't but since I'm in a lousy mood and reading this didn't help, I just have to give my two cents worth.

You put stuff in there like a media reactor and GFO will bleach your corals and melt your zoas just scares people off and it's down right incorrect. If it happened to you then too bad but a ton of people run their GFO in media reactors w/o ANY ill effects, only positive. I'm one of them! I've been running GFO in a Phosban reactor for years and ALL my corals, regardless if they're acropora, monitpora, zoas, palys, acans, etc., have not been effected poorly in ANY way.

Blanket statements of yours are more harmful than helpful. If it happened to you, then state it that way. I'm sure you can't even be sure it was the GFO that affected your tank. In this hobby, even the PhD's don't know why corals bleach in captivity when parameters all appear to be spot on.