Full blown SPS tank no GFO

[duke62]

I would like to hear of people that have a full blown SPS tank for years that feeds their fish everyday that dont run GFO. Please if you have just got into SPS and didnt grow your corals out yet dont respond. Ive been hearing stories of GFO killing their Acros and want to hear how you keep your po4 down without using GFO

 

[bertyboy69]

Refugium , water volume , algae turf scrubber, remote deep sand bed , skimmer , water changes

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Reefs

 

[polywise]

Duke62,
Just RODI and a calcium reactor here.
Skimmer an 25% wc/wk
Po4 stays in the range of 0.01 - 0.04 hanna
I do have some alge, but it's not overwhelming
I have nothing exotic in my tank

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DTbkqRDEiY

 

[REEFSTA]

20% weekly water change
skimmer
vodka dosing to keep nitrates and phosphates down
and I'm a heavy feeder

 

[SteveZ15]

Dont Have Sps.For Years And Years But Once I Stopped Gfo All My ProBlems Gone But I Have Smal Tank Once I Got Some.Phos.02 Coral Looked Better.I Feel Gfo Can Do More Harm Than Higher.Than O Phos But That Includes User Error On Gfo Because It Does work

 

[fishieness]

Most people doing any type of carbon dosing (vodka, bio pellets, NO3O4X, etc) don't use any type of GFO.
GFO is great, but needs to be used properly.

 

[mbg75]

Pellets

 

[Archreefer]

I had a overstocked 93 cube. Only used acurel phosphate pads and had a PO4 of .01 hanna. Had poor color and growth until I removed GFO.

 

[Moneymaks24]

So GFO is a waste of money? What a surprise!! Wish "experts" told me this BEFORE I wasted $$ on a reactor.

 

[fishieness]

So GFO is a waste of money? What a surprise!! Wish "experts" told me this BEFORE I wasted $$ on a reactor.

Not at all a waste of money.

 

[Moneymaks24]

I stopped using my reactor months ago. No change good or bad. How is that not a waste of $?

 

[lnevo]

A reactor costs $35 new and resells for $25. For many people they work great and if you dont want to use gfo you can run carbon through it or any other filter media or biopellets. So how was it a waste of money. $10 to solve your problems seems a worthwhile endeavor.

 

[Moneymaks24]

A reactor costs $130 but nice try. GFO another $25 that's $155. Plus tax n shipping. For what? GFO that does more bad than good? Or pellet that nobody even knows how they work or the horror stories of tank crashing co of pellets. This hobby needs to be as simple as possible. Stop w the money wasting advice already

 

[lnevo]

A TLF-150 arguably the most common reactor is $35 retail.

 

[Moneymaks24]

Most common reactor when in 2005? IM runs at $130. And even at $35 u still need GFO and please tell me why buy any of that if apparently GFO is bad for corals now? Too much Contradicting info out there, be nice if someone actually knew what they're talking about and had some real credentials and tell us once and for all what the deal is.

 

[Moneymaks24]

First it's bio pellets are good
Now its bio pellets crash your tank!
Then GFO is a must!
Now GFO is bad for corals!
What's next? Stop the madness!

 

[lnevo]

GFO isn't bad for corrals. Bio Pellets aren't bad for corals. Where do you get this stuff?

This thread started with someone asking for people who are running SPS tanks without GFO. There is nothing wrong with any of these things when used properly.

Not sure why when your hitchiking to Fishtown you would drop $130 on an acrylic tube that wets some filter media... if that's the advice you been getting, no wonder your jaded in this hobby.

 

[jackson6745]

First it's bio pellets are good
Now its bio pellets crash your tank!
Then GFO is a must!
Now GFO is bad for corals!
What's next? Stop the madness!

You need to do your own research and figure it out for yourself. There is no simple answer. You have to read between the lines, and more importantly get out there and make your own observations. There is no madness. Settle down, have a drink

 

[Moneymaks24]

Excuse me for not buying a cheap 35$ reactor, I rather buy something of quality 1 time than junk 4 times. That's not the point. Point is GFO and BIO pellets can and do crash tanks and without them my tank been running just fine. Problem Is people get talked into buying this in LFS and then tell everyone else that they NEED it, just to justify their purchase. Go ahead say I'm wrong lol

 

[NYreefNoob]

your wrong. ok next lol
and i have had my 2 little fishes reactor for 8 years, best $35 i spent, got my moneys worth out of it. there are several ways to run a tank and have a succeful system, when i ran bio-pellets i didnt use carbon or phosban
i do use vinegar in my kalkwasser so i am doing a carbon source dosing now, i dont use carbon but still use phosban