Reef filtration media

[Chris31]

Just out of curiosity what filtration media does everyone run in their reef tanks?

 

[WTBClownfish]

Right now k2

 

[Chris31]

I'm sorry but what is k2? No carbon or any other media like that?

 

[evoIX_Reefer]

Media

Carbon and Rowaphos

 

[lnevo]

Carbon and GFO

 

[vio]

Active Carbon and Bio Pellets.

 

[Chris31]

What brand of carbon does everyone use?

 

[lnevo]

BRS Rox 0.8

I would not run any other IMO.

 

[vio]

ESV + BRS Rox 0.8

 

[oh207]

BRS Carbon and GFO

 

[dubs]

activated carbon and gfo

 

[Sanchez2896]

Chemipure elite , look on eBay for BioHome , and I also run purigen by seachem

 

[coralcruze]

amazing to me that people run all these medias... I used to do the same. but realized that its not needed. No media is substitute for a good a water changing schedule. Stop spending $$$ on this. Dont get me wrong i still use it but ONLY when something unintentionally was put in my tank and want to filter it out. and GFO... just stop with that crap and you will be glad you did.

 

[vio]

Not to use GFO maybe, but run clean reef tank w/out Carbon , very hard .

 

[coralcruze]

Not to use GFO maybe, but run clean reef tank w/out Carbon , very hard .

I would only use GFO if your PO4 spikes up or is very high. I just don't use GFO at all, EVER! carbon I only use from time to time. My tank is low nutrient without any use of these medias. I do 30% water change monthly but probably would be better off splitting that in two 15% bi-weekly.

The real problem with these medias is that they work too good too quickly and strip your tank of needed benefits. dont forget there is a correlation between N03 and Po4 strip po4 too much and you won't be able to lower No3. look at redfield ratio...

 

[coralcruze]

its not hard at all and I grow SPS corals. You are far better off utilizing bio pellets or a refugium, perhaps a scrubber if you have patients... Its more important to monitor nutient load. Ie: size and quantity of fish and food amounts rather than trying to take it out of the water with media. if you are buying expensive foods and then using expensive media at the same time than you are shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[Chris31]

Coralcruze do you have any pictures of your tank?

 

[coralcruze]

 

[Chris31]

Your tank does look very clean for not running carbon

 

[coralcruze]

Your tank does look very clean for not running carbon

I do use filter socks but they are empty. I do this just for larger floating matter in the tank. I also have a large Protien skimmer.

I was looking at my logs and there is a rare occation (about once a year) that I will drop GFO in my sock (for 15 days or so) when Po4 creeps over .2 other than that here is my params in my tank as of today. (the last time carbon was in my tank was 5 months ago for 3 weeks)

ph = 8.0
co2 ph = 6.73
temp = 79.5
salt = 34.6
orp = 463
cal = 422
alk = 8.1-9.0
mg = 1550
n03 = api = undetectable Red Sea= 1.5
po4 = .19