Kent phosphate sponge or rowaphos need advice

[JMurphy97]

To combat a phosphate problem I have would it braveheart better to is the Kent for the two days then switch to rowa or would the rowa do the same but just last longer then the two days? I was using gfo and changing it weekly but it didn't take care of the problem. I have this brown slime type algae growing on much of my rocks. I hope to find a fix for this problem. My water is ro/di and my in line tds meter says it is 0. I've really cut back feeding. Any advice is awesome thanks.

[Dapg8gt]

Rowa is gfo fwiw. I've used phosphate out its a liquid that you dose right in front of your skimmer and it brought my levels down really easy.. Just go slow too fast and you can cause more damage than the p04..why wouldn't gfo work? It can get bound up fast so may need to be changed frequently best way is to check the effluent of your reactor if it's the same as the tank levels it needs to be changed..

Fwiw I used the phosphate out on a tank with no sump/reactor. The same product can be bought for spas and pools for a lot cheaper but I can't think of the name off hand..

[igadget56]

Seaklear

[blanden.adam]

Ok, let's hold on a minute.

First off, how old is the system, and what is the phosphate level in your tank?

With regard to the other tank data, using RO/DI is a great idea, but just because it reads 000 ppm tds doesn't mean there's no phosphate -- even very high levels of 0.3-0.4 ppm phosphate would still read 000 ppm on a tds meter. That meter is there to tell you when your DI resin needs to be replaced and if the unit as a whole is functioning properly, nothing more.

Using a phosphate binding resin (ie GFO) and some macroalgae (e.g. chaeto) grown in a refugium are usually the best places to start removing phosphate from an up and running aquarium. No need to continually switch between brands or different products, just pick the one you like and keep using it. I've never used the kent phosphate sponge so I can't comment on it's effectiveness, but I have used GFO to reasonably good success. But, as was previously mentioned, if the level of phosphate is very high the resin can exhaust on the order of hours to days. As was also mentioned above, the way to test if the resin is exhausted is to measure the phosphate level in the tank, and then in the effluent from your reactor, and see if the level is lower. If the levels are equal, resin is exhausted and it's time to regenerate/replace it.

Typically, the liquid phosphate removers (including seaklear) are solutions of lanthanum chloride. When dosed in an aquarium the lanthanum reacts with phosphate and forms a precipitate, which can be quite damaging to aquarium inhabitants, so any lanthanum chloride dosing should be done with great care and lots of research to be sure you can handle the precipitate appropriately. It's a fantastic product to use in an aquarium with no livestock in it or in a live rock curing bin, but rather risky to use in an up-and-running aquarium.

[bertoni]

I might try some GFO, and spend a few minutes per week siphoning out whatever of the slime is easy to reach. Removing the slime will export nutrients.

[tmz]

The Kent product contains aluminum based removers, I believe. I'd rinse it carefully if I chose to use it.
I agree lanthanum chloride is risky. Most hobby grade liquid removers are diluted
lanthanum chloride ;so, I usually avoid them except for tanks or curing bins without live stock. Treat them with the same ,extraordinary care and attention to slow dosing and filtration as any lanthanum chloride product. Seaklear is lanthanumn chloride ,sold a a pool product ;it's much les sexpensive than hobby lanthanum products.

GFO is pricey and will exhaust quickly in high PO4 water. Regenerating it with an overnight vinegar bath followed by a 5 day soak a bath in sodium hydroxide can cut the cost .

[JMurphy97]

Very interesting. I just wasn't seeing any of this slime going away. I'm worried that the rock is maybe releasing phosphates back into the water.

I do have chaeto in the sump on a reverse lighting period. I do have two clowns as well as a few corals (frogspawn Duncan 2 sps) so using seakleer is kinda iffy to me.

I guess I need to pick this hanna tester up and test the tank water,ro/di and water coming from the reactor after I use this phosphate sponge and/or gfo.

[dcampbell]

Ok, let's hold on a minute.

First off, how old is the system, and what is the phosphate level in your tank?

With regard to the other tank data, using RO/DI is a great idea, but just because it reads 000 ppm tds doesn't mean there's no phosphate -- even very high levels of 0.3-0.4 ppm phosphate would still read 000 ppm on a tds meter. That meter is there to tell you when your DI resin needs to be replaced and if the unit as a whole is functioning properly, nothing more.

Using a phosphate binding resin (ie GFO) and some macroalgae (e.g. chaeto) grown in a refugium are usually the best places to start removing phosphate from an up and running aquarium. No need to continually switch between brands or different products, just pick the one you like and keep using it. I've never used the kent phosphate sponge so I can't comment on it's effectiveness, but I have used GFO to reasonably good success. But, as was previously mentioned, if the level of phosphate is very high the resin can exhaust on the order of hours to days. As was also mentioned above, the way to test if the resin is exhausted is to measure the phosphate level in the tank, and then in the effluent from your reactor, and see if the level is lower. If the levels are equal, resin is exhausted and it's time to regenerate/replace it.

Typically, the liquid phosphate removers (including seaklear) are solutions of lanthanum chloride. When dosed in an aquarium the lanthanum reacts with phosphate and forms a precipitate, which can be quite damaging to aquarium inhabitants, so any lanthanum chloride dosing should be done with great care and lots of research to be sure you can handle the precipitate appropriately. It's a fantastic product to use in an aquarium with no livestock in it or in a live rock curing bin, but rather risky to use in an up-and-running aquarium.


Woa ! whoa! now you've blown my mind ! That's a key piece of my puzzle !!
I was figuring 000 tds= no phosphates !!!!!ack !!! :headwallblue: I feel like Ive wasted alot of work and water !!!! I never thought of checking my waters phosphates !!

[dcampbell]

Interesting article,http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

[JMurphy97]

Yeah I'm with you buddy. It is very frustrating at times.

[tmz]

Do you have your PO4 level avaialble.? How about nitrate?

[JMurphy97]

Po4 not yet later today I should. Nitrate is always coming up 0.