how to reduce phospahte from 2.5

[jarrett shark]

i have a FOWLR that i am converting into reef and yes i tested my p04 with a hanna meter and got 2.5
yes i feed them like pitballs but not sure if i have to remove all sand and rock that proberly socked it up.
I dont have a phosband reactor yet but plan on installing this week.
will the reactor work to get me in reasonable range?

[trueperc]

What I did was use a gfo in a reactor, you are going to need a lot, I used somewhere around 6-7 cups of the stuff so check out bulkreefsupply. I know you are thinking that is going be be expensive, you need this much to really get the phos out as it bound up in the sand and rock. What you want ot do then is look for a thread on here about regenerating it with lye. Really easy to do. I it was expensive for the first order but I have not ordered anymore in over 6 months and what I do is I have about 14 cups worth and just switch the regen stuff for the old stuff, regen takes about 24 to 48 hours.

[skibum9884]

It should, you will however have to change the phos media a few times I would think in order to get your phosphate levels in range. Basically, the media will become saturated with phosphate and need to be replaced.

[AaronM]

I reckon it would, sept ya might have to replace GFO more frequently than usual for a while. I don't use a reactor...bag in flow path..so experience mightn't relate...but i changed gfo once a week for about 4 weeks to bring po4 from around 1-0.5 to undetectable... supposedly gfo can become saturated pretty quick if po4 is high.

I defrost all frozen food in tank water in a cup, then rinse with new SW.

HTH + someone else helps more!

[Chris27]

Why not start out with some phosphate removal drops first - then maintain low levels with media like GFO, Phosguard or Extrax Phos. I think the GFO would be exhausted pretty quickly with the current levels and be a downright hassle to frequently change out.

[jarrett shark]

never heard of drops, how is it?

[Chris27]

They work well, I used the ultralife ones a while back, they are a little expensive to use on a daily basis, but for a quick reduction, they do the trick.

[jarrett shark]

Bump, i just am affraid to add new rock until this goes down