Carbon and GFO reactors

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Zakk

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The test kits will tell the tale. 

I started running gfo on Jun 24 and my reading was .78 I first used seachem, then ROWA, then hi capacity from bulk reef supply.  I think the seachem has silicates in it, so I didn't run it long.  I had a steady .04 reading on July 24th, and my tank was a royal mess, your result might be quicker. 

I had a fight with dinoflagellates on July 29th, probably a direct result of changing the tank too much too quick.  At that point I stopped running GFO and did a bunch of other things, and phosphates went up to .20  After that nightmare, I restarted GFO and have run ~.02 - .06 ever since (the hanna checkers are off by up to .04). 

Keeping a journal is a good idea.  It might tell you where things went wrong, where thing swent right, etc.  Good info for the future.  I was doing updates daily for a while, now I'm down to once a week.  Still good to go back and say "ah, the open brain took off when I added the bio pellet reactor".  Stuff like that. 
 
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Gietz

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Ok so it all hooked up, (both carbon and GFO) just wondering how long it will take to kill everything off?  And I'm not sure about my GFO is moving properly.  Should it all be moving or just the middle?  It seems like the middle is shooting up for me and parts of the side are still.
 
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phi delt reefer

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carbon should tumble a little more violently. The GFO should look like its boiling gently.  GFO can break up easy so if the flow is too fast it will crumble and come out of the reactor, too slow and you down utilize it effeciently.
 
Neopimp

Neopimp

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GFO shoudl have a slow roll to the top... carbon... none.  That being said I have seen the amount of GFO and Carbon get cut by 1/3 since Nov 22nd.  So it is grinding itself up somewhere.
 
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Zakk

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I have a fine mesh sock I keep on the output of the reactors, with a chunk of filter floss in there.  It seems to grab a fair bit of dust.  I haven't been able to keep carbon from moving a bit, and I figured it would create 'dust'.
 
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Gietz

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Hmmm mine does look like its boiling but at the edges next to the plastic it doesn't reall move.(GFO that is). As for carbon I got is between two sponges so it doesn't tumble.  I plan on taking the GFO out after two weeks and replacing it! 
 
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phi delt reefer

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siphon out whatever algae you can (if you have any) it will take a few weeks for you to see the impact in your tank so stick with it!
 
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Zakk

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Gietz link said:
Hmmm mine does look like its boiling but at the edges next to the plastic it doesn't reall move.(GFO that is). As for carbon I got is between two sponges so it doesn't tumble.  I plan on taking the GFO out after two weeks and replacing it!
Click to expand...

Are both on one pump?  It may be that the carbon is reducing the flow too much (I only have 1/3 of the chamber filled with carbon.
Fluidising Rowaphos
That's what it's supposed to look like.  If it's just trickling through a couple of spots, it's not utilizing the total surface area. 
 
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phi delt reefer

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the brs wont tumble as nicely due to their design. But as long as you have some tumble in there you are good. Shouldnt have stuff shooting up like 3 inches from the main mass of gfo - thats too much flow.
 
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Seggsy

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I did both for awhile in one TLF reactor - I didn't use much GFO since I changed it out every two weeks or so when I guessed the carbon was used up.  Worked pretty well, except I got lazy about changing it...
 
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Gietz

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My GFO is first then carbon and it's not shooting up 3 inch more like almost 1 inch.  Yes both on a maxi 1200 if I remember correctly. I plan on changing out within 2 weeks
 
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