PhosGuard in Phosban reactor?

[ColaAddict]

Can I use PhosGuard in a Phosban Reactor?

[rguyler]

You can but that doesn't mean you should. I have a 550 and I opened the flow all the way (fed of the main return pump). Don't expect it to tumble like the GFO does however. It doesn't break down like Phosban but it's still fairly messy to work with.

In an effort to avoid the mess of the Phosban (and find something a little less expensive) I tried Phosguard and in my experience it was a waste of money. Despite the mess and hassle of the Phosban, it did a great job keeping the phosphates down and algae non-existent. When I moved to Phosguard it didn't take long for the algae to get a foothold again. No matter how I tweaked the flow it just didn't help. Maybe somebody else will chime in and claim different results but a search on RC will likely reflect my opinion.

May I ask why you want to move away from GFO? I went back to Phosban but shortly after tried Bulk Reef Supply's High Capacity GFO and love it. It's very hard so you can tumble it without fear of it breaking down and it doesn't clump really at all. It's also less expensive than Phosban, especially if you buy it in larger quantities. If you want something that works as well as Phosban but not such a PITA to work with, consider going this direction instead of Phosguard.

[ColaAddict]

I just started using a phosban reactor and I can only get Phosguard at my LFS. I'm waiting for the next Group BRS buy to get some GFO. I'm going to go the GFO route, just don't have it right now. I'm using Chaeto, but I'm still measuring 0.25 phosphates in my water, so I bought a Phosban reactor, but can't get a hold of either Phosban or GFO today.

[rguyler]

I would just save your money then and order the GFO online. :) You could have it in your hands early next week. I've also heard others voice their suspicions about Phosguard (which is based on aluminum) being harmful to our tanks. I didn't notice any bad side effects from the one box I tried.

[ColaAddict]

cool, thanks Rik

[psyrob]

Just FWIW, when I first bought my reactor, I had half a jar of Seachem's SeaGel, combo of their phosguard and carbon, that I decided to use in the reactor. With the round shape, I could leave the flow wide open, and it would grind, just dance a little on top...it really zapped my hair algae problem and lasted two months...I think seachem's phosguard is aluminum based and it had no bad effect whatsoever on my mix of softies, LPS, and easy SPS (porites, montis...)

[ColaAddict]

Yeah, I've read that leather corals tend to get irritated with the aluminum. I don't have leathers, so hopefully it should work. Will switch to GFO after I get a batch. I will just monitor my corals for reaction to aluminum.

[accordsirh22]

i have plenty of leathers and always have phosguard in my sump. it does not bother them at all. i have been running phosguard in my tank for over 2 years with 0 ill effects. i know this is an old thread, but figured id post some results, since i am also thinking of getting a reactor and using phosguard instead (cheaper, easier to get, less mess, proven track record with me)

[j tavares]

Phosguard has always worked well for me , Seachem has always provided Excellent products , I do NOT BELIEVE the MYTH that is propagated by some that Phosguard irritates Leathers, sort of like the Pharmaceutical companies trying to propagate that you need their meds to be healthy, chose GFO or phosguard THEY BOTH work!!!

[FlyPenFly]

I switched from GFO to phosguard to avoid the mess of GFO and it was causing some alk issues. I just put it in a media bag in my sump on a media tray through a baffle. No plumbing, pumps, or mess.

As long as you once a week stir up your phosguard bag in used water to expose new surfaces, it works really well.

[dppitone]

I'm pretty glad you restarted this thread. I just ordered the Phosban Reactor which was a no-brainer, but figuring the media is a chore.

The first problem is that each bottle seems to use a different unit of measurement - some do it by weight, like grams, and others by quantity like MLs.

And it's funny that for two of the brands (don't recall which ones), they specify their bottle by "quantity," but then the instructions say to "add x grams per y gallons," so you can't figure out how far the bottle goes.

And then they all instruct you to add different amounts per gallon, so it's hard to compare apples to apples.

I picked up the Kent sponge to use first. I plan on running small amounts of the sponge every 36 hours over a weeks time to get the phosphate level rapidly yet gradually down to within the proper range, and then use the Seachem phosguard to control it.