GFO and Activated Carbon

Hi everyone! I was wondering if someone could tell me a little about GFO and activated carbon??? Here are my main questions:
How do I put it in my tank? (just put each in a filter bag and put it in a high flow area of my sump? I plan on getting a reactor in the future, but not right now. Will I need a seperate reactor for each? What if I use Chemi-pure Elite?)
Which makers of these products are the best?
How much of each do I add to the filter bags each time?
How often to I need to change it?
Do I need to run both all the time?
Can anything bad come out of using either?
Anyone have anything to say about Chemi-pure Elite? Can it be used in a reactor or filter bag?
Please include anything else you think I should know about using these......
THANKS!

 

Hi Dodgerfan, welcome to 3 reef

I cannot tell you anything worth knowing about Chemi pure Elite, never having used that product

GFO - yes you can place it in a mesh bag in an area of decent flow, or in a cannister filter, but its not nearly as effective used in that manner as it is in a reactor

Carbon - as above IME

a separate reactor for each is best as the exhaustion rates on each product can vary, as does the amount of flow required for each product

changing

Carbon - in time, your corals will probably tell you when its time to change carbon
LPS corals in particular, will show signs of not expanding at their fullest, in which case a change of carbon often remedies that
general guideline from my experience has been about 1 coffee mug in 70 gallons of salt water and changed every 3 - 4 weeks

GFO - phosphate readings are a good guide, but when you have 0 phosphate the best way of telling when to change GFO is the frequency of glass cleaning - if you find normally twice per week with the magnet is adequate and then 1 week you feel you need a 3rd clean, thats a signal to put in new GFO
general qty guideline with GFO is 1 table spoon per 10 gallons of water
again, I find I am changing mine every 4 - 6 weeks


NB
if you have corals in the tank and have never used GFO before, start with about half the suggested dose thus 1 tablespoon for every 20 gallons, use like this for about 1 month, and then increase to full amount

this is because GFO strips phosphate out of water quickly and any changes in conditions, even those for the better, can shock corals


Steve

 

check out bulkreefsupply.com they have some informational vidoes, along with affordable options

 

The Bulk Reef Supply product as mentioned by jmblec2 is well thought of in the hobby

alternatives that I have had good experience with are

Carbon - Seachem Matrix
GFO - Rowaphos