Granulated ferric hydroxide questions

[DanInSD]

I just switched from using PhosGuard in a media bag to GFH (why do people call it GFO?) in a PhosBan 150 reactor, and have some questions.

I am using PhosPure from F&S. It came slightly "wet" out of the container, which seemed odd to me. Is this normal?

The PhosBan reactor said to use up to 200g of GFH. I used 150, which ended up being about a 2" layer, which seemed strange given the height of the reactor. I am suspecting that this is supposed to be "dry weight" and not "damp weight". How high does 150g go in your reactors?

Annoyingly, the PhosPure didn't say to rinse first, and I almost ended up with tons of "rusty mud" in my tank. Had to turn off the pump FAST!!! At least PhosGuard tells you to rinse thoroughly...

Thanks much,
Dan

[rlabriola]

it is called GFO ( granular ferric oxide)..i might have spelled it wrong. 150g does not seem like a lot in the reactor, maybe 2" or so, but it needs room to move around. when you turn up the water, it will start to tumble, this is what you want to keep the media from clogging...never more than 50 gph though...i never liked phospure, because of its aluminum base...this stuff works better

[DarG]

Granular Ferric Oxide, Granular Ferric Hydroxide ... same stuff.

Actually, the Phospure bottle does say to rinse. Atleast mine do. In fact, it reads "rinse thoroughly" in bold print on one side of the container.

It is damp and is supposed to be damp. There is a name brand that also comes damp. Kinda sucks because they lead you to believe that you are getting a better deal than you are. The wet stuff obviously weights more than the dry. Then again, it works as well as anything else I have used and it still is a pretty good deal. I weighed it out once and from memory, 10 grams of the Phospure actually weights about 9 grams when it dries out so about 10% of the weight is due to the water and not actual product.

For future reference, Two Part Solution (Bulk Reef Supply) has a good deal on the GFO in bulk. Better deal than Doctors and Smith I think. It too is as good as any other I have tried so it works fine. It comes dry. I run it in a TLF reactor as well and I run it all the time, 24/7. 90 gallon tank and I usually use about 70 - 80 grams in the reactor and replace it once a month to 6 weeks or so.

[DanInSD]

OK, thanks guys. I'll stock up from Bulk Reef Supply. I need to get magnesium supplies from them as well.

Dan