Dark diatoms!

Hi I seem to be getting really dark diatoms appearing all over the sand in my tank. I added a po4 reactor not so long ago and it threw my system all over the place!!
A few big water changes and a few lost corals later all my params look ok.

Only problems I have are these diatoms, I also have soom gsp that has been closed for weeks?

Are po4 reactors worth it? I heard from a friend they are useless?
Also heard him say rowaphos was no good?
That's what I'm using in reactor??

Any advice welcome!

 

First question is “what are your parameters”? Second is “what media are you using, and is it packed or able to move in the reactor with the flow”? Ok, strike the first part, you are using rowaphos….good place to be.

A reactor is far from useless, not at all sure why someone would tell you that aside from perhaps they tried one and packed the media so tight they impeded the flow.

Rowaphos no good? Blasphemy I tell ya ! This is an incredible product that does exactly as it says – again, who ever told you it was no good is simply clueless.

 

I wouldn't call it "no good", but "different", if it's the stuff I'm thinking of. Matt mentioned that it was aluminum based. That makes it so it needs to be changed more often than something iron-based. 4 days vs 4 weeks kind of difference. Also, iron-based phosphate removers don't leech if left in too long, while the aluminum-based stuff can.

 

The guy who told me reactors were no good said they were just nitrate "factories" and he also said rowaphos was iron based so your putting that into your tank, he said sera phosvec was a better product?

 

OK so just tested water again and here are my results.......

AMMONIA- 0 MG/L
PO4-0 MG/L
NITRITE- 0 MG/L
NITRATE-25 MG/L
CALCIUM-600 MG/L
Ph- 7.9
S/G- 1.025
TEMP-80*F
Kh-9dKH

Nitrate looks high as does the calcium.
My "friend" told me that po4 reactors were NITRATE factories, could the reactor be causing a rise in nitrates??
The flow through the reactor looks great, i have it around a third full with rowaphos media, and there is around 10mm of lift.

I added a handful of caulerpa to the main tank the other day (i dont have a sump) to help control nitrates and hence contorl algae!

I am considering TOTAL LIGHT DEPRAVATION to help kill off the remaining algae on the rocks and sand, I have dont this before on the advice of 3 reef moderator steve wright, and it worked very well last time, Now i have corals, will they be ok for a few days without light? And will the caulerpa survive?

I was thinking lights off cover tank and leave for three days,
Any other advice??

THE ALGAE IS DRIVING ME CRAZY!!!!!

PLEASE HELP!

 

Phosphate reactors aren't nitrate factories, by any stretch of the imagination. The media needs to be changed at least bimonthly, which is definitely enough to keep detritus from building up to "nitrate factory" levels inside. You do need to check it daily to make sure the material still has ample flow, usually regulated with a ball valve, or it will clump.

But it requires normal maintenance to operate that also happens to keep it from being a nitrate factory, so no, it won't be like that.