# Lf: Gfo



## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Where to buy GFO near Oakville? Or other phosphate reactor media.


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## uniboob (Dec 29, 2012)

I sell high cap GFO. $60 for 1.75lb. Am located near London though. If you are ever out this way however.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Tagging along, I wish local stores would carry GFO in bulk.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

the problem what they will carry 

Looks like the BRS stuff is the best. By some reasons BRS do not want to sell it in Canada, despite Flavio is their best friend 

I used phosgard and it was not bad, but GFO from BRS is better
here is the link just to see reviews

http://www.marinedepot.com/Seachem_..._Filter_Media-Seachem-SC3251-FIFMCHPR-vi.html

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## uniboob (Dec 29, 2012)




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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

sig said:


> I used phosgard and it was not bad, but GFO from BRS is better
> here is the link just to see reviews
> 
> http://www.marinedepot.com/Seachem_..._Filter_Media-Seachem-SC3251-FIFMCHPR-vi.html


I was looking at phosguard and phosphate sponge. On RC they say phosguard leaks aluminium.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

I think GFO is too expensive a commodity to sell in bulk.

Claud, I've used regular GFO and the stuff from Seachem. While I can't say that Seachem's product hasn't leached aluminum into the tank, they claim that the concentrations even over a very long time (decades) are still less than the amounts found in nature. And I have detected no ill effects from using it. 

I prefer it to GFO because I find in my tank that when GFO is reacting with the phosphates, I get brown rust particles in my water and they stick to everything. It wipes off easily with a closth, but it is messy, and looks like crap. The harder the GFO works, the more brown particles I get. When I first started using it, I thought I was getting a new strain of algae outbreak, until I looked closer.

That's just my experience, I'm no RHF...


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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

I use ultraphos, the stuff is wicked!
Took my phosphates from 12.0 to 0.033 in 2 months and it still has life in it. 
Got it from Canada corals


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

50seven said:


> ...I've used regular GFO and the stuff from Seachem...


I was about to ask which one lowered you phosphates, but MPreston gave a pretty good info.


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## 50seven (Feb 14, 2010)

​


TankCla said:


> I was about to ask which one lowered you phosphates, but MPreston gave a pretty good info.


My problem was trapped phosphates in the LR and the amount of GHA had spiraled out of control and was just feeding itself. I had to resort to other means, but use Phosguard now as a maintenance thing.


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

fury165 said:


> Tagging along, I wish local stores would carry GFO in bulk.


ROWAphos GFO Phosphate Removal Media
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/

But I think I will stick to phosphate sponge and phosguard. I saw what gfo can do if you tumble it to much.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

TankCla said:


> ROWAphos GFO Phosphate Removal Media
> http://www.advancedaquarist.com/
> 
> But I think I will stick to phosphate sponge and phosguard. I saw what gfo can do if you tumble it to much.


the only problem with GFO is the price, but you get what you paid

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## MPreston (Nov 11, 2013)

sig said:


> the only problem with GFO is the price, but you get what you paid


Very true sir!


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## CanadaCorals.com (May 12, 2013)

We have D-D RowaPhos GFO in stock.

500ml - $34.99
1000ml - $49.99
5000ml - $179.99

The large container @ 5000ml is the best bang for the buck.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

From experience the BRS GFO has worked well for me. As for expensive, I bought a couple of pounds 2 years ago (~$40.00)and I still have enough for a few more treatments. 

I recently bought 500ml Fauna Marin Ultra Phos .04 to test out ($30.00) My PO4 was reading .03-.05ppm with nearly depleted BRS GFO - I put 150ml of the Fauna Marin in and 5 days later my PO4 reads .07, soI add another 150ml. I wait another 5 and test again, PO4 still reads .07ppm. I've dumped the remaining 200ml in the reactor and will retest in another 5 days. I am not impressed to say the least, i am not willing to spend $30 per treatment if it even brings the PO4 down to the advertised .04. I also find the trial and error approach offputting. I can go to the BRS calculator punch in my volume and type of GFO being used and voila! 22 tablespoons has consistently brought my PO4 to 0ppm. 

I've been recommended ROWAphos by a trusted source who has used both and sells both product lines so I will try that next, failing that, it is back to tried and true BRS GFO.


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

fury165 said:


> . As for expensive, I bought a couple of pounds 2 years ago (~$40.00)and I still have enough for a few more treatments. .


 How much table spoons you put per gallon and how long between changes? on the current 25G I use 5 table spoons and change it monthly

this is from BRS

" Granular GFO

Start with 1 tablespoon per 4 gallons of water
(16 tbsp = 1 cup).
After 4-8 weeks the aquarium will have adjusted to lower nutrient levels and the amount of GFO can be increased up to 2 tablespoons per 4 gallons of water."

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## Sandeep (Aug 10, 2009)

I use PhosGuard too, its a lot faster as sucking up Phosphates than GFO.

That's a old wives tale about leaking aluminum into the tank. Scientific analysis has shown that at reef alkalinity levels, there is no leaching of aluminum oxide. Only at extreme alkalinity levels not found in reef tanks do you get some leaching.

Meanwhile with GFO it is quite easy to leach iron oxide into your tank as the granules break up very easily.


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## advanced reef aquatics (Apr 20, 2009)

you can use aluminum based for quick withdraw of po4, then non aluminum based for maint.
ive tried BRS in bulk myself. and Rowa always came out on top for absorbtion rate.
i guess the draw back is Rowa costs more.
i swear by Rowa, not only sell it but use it in my store tanks.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

sig said:


> How much table spoons you put per gallon and how long between changes? on the current 25G I use 5 table spoons and change it monthly
> 
> this is from BRS
> 
> ...


22 or less and I only replace when my phosphates start to climb. I also do vinegar dosing and run cheato.


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

advanced reef aquatics said:


> you can use aluminum based for quick withdraw of po4, then non aluminum based for maint.
> ive tried BRS in bulk myself. and Rowa always came out on top for absorbtion rate.
> i guess the draw back is Rowa costs more.
> i swear by Rowa, not only sell it but use it in my store tanks.


Who do you think my "trusted" source was? Lol


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## TankCla (Dec 31, 2010)

Ok. So aluminium based products are not so bad after all. I see a lot of you are using it.
I was reading bad reviews about GFO as well (leaking iron and bleached corals)
For sure all products are doing the same thing, remove phosphates. I believe there is only better marketing for GFO. 


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## advanced reef aquatics (Apr 20, 2009)

fury165 said:


> Who do you think my "trusted" source was? Lol


Ahhh, I exposed your source....that one went right over my head Roger.


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## J_T (Mar 25, 2011)

I think most people having problems with gfo are tumbling it too aggressively. I use the brs stuff, with no problems. I have the surface just barely moving. I have to change it more often due to it clogging up from the low flow. But since the jar lasts long enough, it's a cheap, and functioning method to keep the tank clean. 


I have also found many people blame the product for coral deaths, because of over doing it. They panic at the sight of phos, grab a reactor, dump a bunch of media in it. We'll, it aggressively strips the tank of phos, destroying a food chain. The result is dying stuff polluting the tank.

Slow and steady, like everything else in this hobby.


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