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Discussing Phosphate Removers

M

mnat

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I am going to preface this with the fact that by no means am I a chemist or can understand the formulas and whatnot, but here goes. I think some of the consensus on phosphate remover has been dogma for so long people will not challenge it even though it might be wrong. This might not be the thread for this but, the common thought is GFO over aluminium because aluminum will leak back phosphate into the water and drops it too fast. Everyone has switched over to GFO and moved on. However I was doing some reading and one person chimed in that aluminum would only leak back phosphate at something like 5.0 to 6.0 ph which means you would have much bigger problems on your hands. Also, GFO might be leaking iron back into your tank which spurs on algae growth. Ever get very low phosphate readings but algae growth is taking off? We have always said, the algae if just hiding the reading but what if you really do have zero phosphates and your GFO is feeding the algae? Ethan from AO brought this to my attention and I think I may try the Seachem product for a while and see if there are any changes. Ethan has swapped a few people already and has shown excellect results. What does that have to do with this system? Not running GFO. Not going to get into lanthanum, but I have heard if done correctly it will control your phosphate better than any additive on the market.
 
ecam

ecam

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mnat said:
I may try the Seachem product for a while and see if there are any changes. Ethan has swapped a few people already and has shown excellect results.
Click to expand...

What Seachem product are your referring to?
 
Empire

Empire

Been using phosgaurd since day one. Make sure you use it as instructed. It will definitely drop your phosphates fast if you don't. I found the best results when I used in more than 1 reactor and switched and replaced on different cycles.
 
M

mnat

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I decided to start a new thread as not to derail the other.
 
falconut

falconut

NJRC Member
I considered using Phosgaurd a while ago and even spoke with Seachem and they swore it wouldn't leach aluminum. I read many threads on this product and it scared me enough not to try it. Plus, I regen my GFO, which I don't think you can do with Phosgaurd or isn't as easy or cheap, I forget.

I'd love to hear others with success using it, since I really hate when it's time to swap the GFO. It's just a messy product.
 
falconut

falconut

NJRC Member
dan_k said:
^^^^^ how do regen your GFO?^^^^^
Click to expand...

Not sure if we're allowed to post links to other forums. So, if you search on RC for "Regenerating GFO" you'll find the thread. You need Lye for the process. I use 30 grams per liter of RO water for 1 batch of GFO. It seems to have worked well. I hadn't purchased any new GFO for a couple years (until now) and my phosphates hadn't climbed using the regenerated stuff, so I guess it's worked.
 
dan_k

dan_k

Let's bump this back
Mike are you still using Seachem PhosGuard if so how's it working and how are you running it a mesh bag or reactor?
 
saltkreep88

saltkreep88

I use 1/2 cup per 40 gallons and change it every 3 weeks. As it was said in this thread earlier, it drops phosphates faster than gfo so start slow. I have never had an issue with the aluminum like you read online.
 
saltkreep88

saltkreep88

According to Randy's "experiment" he used 75ml of phosguard in 500ml of water. Which is like a MAJOR overdose. Around 300x the recommended dose, that does seems like a valuable test to me. Thanks for the info Jim, but I just had to share my view of his tests.
 
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