Phosgaurd or GFO

this hobby is really just 1 big experiment and what works for some does not work for others. What is good 1 day is not good the next.

Pros and Cons to all usage no matter what it is has been my finding. You just need to take your time and weigh all the data and opinions and results.

Also alot of the Pro and Cons are based on people experiences and not understanding their complete environment, PH, ALK, Calc, MAG, how often they did water changes, did they us ro/di, what they dosed, we cannot expect to receive the same results.

So I would say do your research and make a decision and live and die by it.

Phosguard and aluminum release. Good read below. Figured I would share. I have never run Phosguard so have no personal experience and therefor can not give you a opinion.

Using GFO in wife tank but just added this so have no hard data to give opinion 1 way or the other.

Anyways here is that good read
Chemistry And The Aquarium: Aluminum In The Reef Aquarium — Advanced Aquarist | Aquarist Magazine and Blog

 

1 more read for the phosguard. Will need to try to find some docs like these on GFO


Seachem. PhosGuard

In the aluminum oxide paragraph there is a link to the full report.

 

OK Chris, I read the article.
Did you read the two comments from two years ago on the site also? I left one, but didn't 'log in', so it probably won't be there.

The product states:
Rinse well in tap water.
Use WAY less than RHF was using in his one-off, isolated experiment.
I use even less than the recommend on the container. It has worked to keep my cyano at bay.

In moderation, it's a good product, not that expensive, doesn't need a reactor, etc.
My 2 cents

 

Yes Chris, obviously the manufacturers product documnent.

Where RHF got the idea to use his concentration, and then look at soft corals is beyond me.
MY Devils hand, a type of leather, and my GSP occassionally expands and contracts when nothing hass changed for weeks!

 

GFO is very inexpensive, does not require a reactor and is safe to use in small amounts as recommended by everyone other than BRS. They both accomplish the same thing but in slightly different ways. Both types of media come from the municipal and industrial water treatment fields and have been in use for many decades, I first was introduced to GFO and GFH about 30 years ago in my treatment profession and aluminum has been around even longer. There is much documentation on both and both are safe to use within their limitations. Aluminum does leach despite what SeaChem claims in their own biased testing. GFO does not and is why the EPA allows it to be landfilled.

 

I also did a few more hours of readying and researching the bio-pellets and finding more and more threads about people who ran bio-pellets for 6 to 9months only to go back to their GFO or phosguard.

Sometimes I guess the old tried and true stuff is the way to go at least for now.

 

Thank AZDR,

IMHO- the GFO was more expspensive than the PHosguard.

Regarding my experience- I should have mentioned that I run a Huge mass of Chaeto in my sump, and will continue to as I feel THIS is the basis of most of my success, not so much the small amount of PHosguard I use.

 

Oh yes I read those, I was just saying it was an interesting read (at least my simple mind did). I am just a computer engineer so scientist/chemist/marine biologist I certainly am not.



Well what do you use for flow through it?

 

I thought it was the constant trimming/growing a chaeto that helps export the nitrates/phos and not the size of the chaeto?

Which I know that's what you do when giving it away almost every chance you can. That's where I got mine!

 

MY DIY intank overflow has a ledge in it.
The Phosguard is one media bag, and
I put some GAC in another and place them on the ledge in the overflow.

All the water goes thru them to get to the sump, or nearly all.
In fact, when I looke in there, a small portion of it is acutally 'tumbling'.

With both of those, I use small amounts relatively.

I really feel my huge chaeto mass in my sump does the most export.