Green Monti caps looking pail.

[DerekL]

I recently purchased and got a BRS dual media reactor online. The person I got it from ran gfo in the first reactor and gfo on the bottom of the second one and carbon at the top of the second one with the carbon being held at the top with the sponge. I just changed the media and used his same set up I put 1 1/2 cups of hcgfo in the 1st reactor and since I had some gfo left from when I bought the hcgfo I used 1 1/2 of gfo in the second reactor at the bottom and a cup of ROX carbon at the top separated by the sponge. I was getting absolutely no tumbling of either gfo with mj1200 so I put a mag 7 on the reactor and am getting tumbling like they show on BRS you tube video on both reactors of the gfo. My phosphates dropped from .06ppm to about .03ppm in a week but I have now noticed my green monti caps look pail. Not other sps look affected by this. Could this just be the montis tryin to get use to the lower phosphate levels?  I believe the high phosphates are because of some leaching from a few pieces of live rock I used from a previous biocube set up. Yes I do use RO/DI water and have checked it as a source of phosphates to rule out.

 

[Boga]

How big is your tank? 1 1/2 cups of HCGFO is equivalent of 3 cups of regular GFO, plus 1 1/2 in the second, total 4 1/2 cups of equivalent regular GFO.

Running the GFO calculator from BRS that would be for about 300 gallons of water.

 

[Duke]

How big is your tank? 1 1/2 cups of HCGFO is equivalent of 3 cups of regular GFO, plus 1 1/2 in the second, total 4 1/2 cups of equivalent regular GFO.

Running the GFO calculator from BRS that would be for about 300 gallons of water.

Where did you get that data from if it mind me asking?

 

[Boga]

you mean the GFO calculations? From BRS website

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

then click on GFO calculator, input water volume and then calculate, outputs suggested quantity for GFO.

 

[Boga]

I saw Derek's tank thread and it looks that he has 90 g DT + 25 ST = 125g total volume. Take out rock and sand, it would go down to 100g water volume. For that BRS recommends 1.56 cups of regular GFO or 0.78 cups of HCGFO.

 

[Duke]

you mean the GFO calculations? From BRS website

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

then click on GFO calculator, input water volume and then calculate, outputs suggested quantity for GFO.

Yes I just went and checked it out, I wouldn't follow that chart..  High capacity gfo is not like running 2x the amount of regular gfo.. It has the ability to absorb 2x more phosphates.. Meaning it should last 2x longer. Not it's 2x more powerful.. Either way I thought It sure seemed like a lot too.. I run 1 cup in my 90..change it every 4 weeks if I'm using regular and 6 weeks if it's the Hc.

 

[Boga]

[quote author=Boga link=topic=6661.msg65896#msg65896 date=1382901390]
you mean the GFO calculations? From BRS website

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

then click on GFO calculator, input water volume and then calculate, outputs suggested quantity for GFO.

Yes I just went and checked it out, I wouldn't follow that chart..  High capacity gfo is not like running 2x the amount of regular gfo.. It has the ability to absorb 2x more phosphates.. Meaning it should last 2x longer. Not it's 2x more powerful.. Either way I thought It sure seemed like a lot too.. I run 1 cup in my 90..change it every 4 weeks if I'm using regular and 6 weeks if it's the Hc.
[/quote]

You are right. I got it. Capacity vs absorption speed.

 

[Duke]

[quote author=Duke link=topic=6661.msg65898#msg65898 date=1382901742]
[quote author=Boga link=topic=6661.msg65896#msg65896 date=1382901390]
you mean the GFO calculations? From BRS website

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/reef-calculator

then click on GFO calculator, input water volume and then calculate, outputs suggested quantity for GFO.

Yes I just went and checked it out, I wouldn't follow that chart..  High capacity gfo is not like running 2x the amount of regular gfo.. It has the ability to absorb 2x more phosphates.. Meaning it should last 2x longer. Not it's 2x more powerful.. Either way I thought It sure seemed like a lot too.. I run 1 cup in my 90..change it every 4 weeks if I'm using regular and 6 weeks if it's the Hc.
[/quote]

You are right. I got it. Capacity vs absorption speed.
[/quote]

I guess I see why the calculator is like that..  But it's a bit misleading by making it sound like u need half as much Hc because it's 2x stronger.. But yes I agree it's a lot for a 90 either way..

I'd just run the 1.5 cups in one reactor imo. Boga too I think

 

[DerekL]

Yes Boga you are right 105 total gallons. I also read that to get your phosphates down fast run double the amount of gfo and once phosphates are undetectable to go back to normal amount of gfo.

 

[DerekL]

I ran 1 1/2 cups of gfo for a few weeks with no drop in phosphates. If you think I should take out the gfo in the second reactor let me know but like I said I had 1 1/2 cups in my other reactor of hcgfo and this one and no drop in phosphates.

 

[Duke]

Back when I was messing with setting up my gfo I had the same issue where my phosphates would hold at .06 or so.. For me the trick was to increase the flow through the reactor.. A small bump in flow and overnight I hit .03 and have always been even lower than that since.

 

[DerekL]

http://saltwateraquariumhobby.com/water-parameters/phosphates-and-phosphate-adsorbing-media/

This is where I read to use up to 3 times the amount

 

[Boga]

I guess it is a trade. I think GFO can impact the balance in the system. Sudden variation in  Phosphates can influence Alkalinity, pH and then Calcium. So I think the impact on your Monty is not necessarily from the lack of Phosphates, but more from another variation induced by lowering the phosphates. I would remove the GFO from the second chamber for now.

Have you run any other water analyses? Just curious if you noted any variation in Alk, pH, Ca.

 

[DerekL]

Duke like I said I had a mj1200 pump but switch to mag 7 as I too thought more flow would help. So flow shoul be good I tried a mag 9.5 and I was tumbling gfo like no ones business.

 

[DerekL]

pH 8.1 alk 8.6dkh and calcium 450. I dose to keep stable. I checked all other parameters 1st before posting. Nitrates are under 1ppm as well. I guess I will take gfo out of second reactor and wait longer. I just figured I should of seen a drop in a month but didn't.

 

[Boga]

Parameters look good now. Maybe it was a short spike, enough to derange this coral.

If you believe that there are rocks leaching Phosphates, IMO this is a very slow process. It could take a while.

 

[DerekL]

So just take the extra gfo the 2nd reactor and be patient? All other parameter have help strong at those numbers but the phosphates. The sad thing is I had amazing color and explosive growth even with phosphates being at .08ppm. Everyone tells you to get them to undetectable levels and I want to before any algae problems arise. My growth is still good and like I said I have a sapphire tip acro frag I watched encrust fully over its plug and onto the live rock in the span of 2 weeks and this is with the high phosphates. I think I should listen to my coral and my tank and not everything I read. In the quest for ULNS I have pissed off some I my coral when things where going good I even have ton of new coralline algae and I know that this is a sign of things going good.

 

[DerekL]

Today is water change day and I think instead of my weekly 10 gallons I will do 20 gallons and please if you guys think that I should take the extra gfo out of the second reactor let me know as I will do so at water change time. I just hope that if I do my phosphates stay at .03ppm even though that is considered high. If it truly is phosphates leaching from some of my rock is this the reason I can't seem to get the phosphates down below .06ppm with the normal amount of hcgfo and if so it will eventually stop leaching and drop right?

 

[Boga]

I would take the extra GFO out for now. You are right, if it is leaching is time dependent. I think Monti will come back to its colour.

 

[DerekL]

Thanks for the advise I will just run the hcgfo in the 1st reactor only and I guess just keep that up and hope that eventually I get the phosphates to undetectable levels.