Another Thread about Aluminum vs Iron based medias…

DarkTonio · Oct 1, 2022

Hello!

I am a bit confused. I know there are other posts on this topic but I could not find any definitive answer. I was looking for information on ferric vs aluminum based phosphate binder medias in a passive way (bag).

Since there is some controversy with aluminum binders that can leach aluminum back in the tank in some conditions, and there is no such issue with gfo, why would one still use aluminum base media? (Except the cost)

According to me, it does not make sense people would still want to use aluminum based medias when there are so many different GFOs available… Am i missing something ?
Thanks!

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 1, 2022

The main advantage of aluminum oxide materials is the large particle size that makes passive use more effective.

I prefer GFO, but using well washed aluminum oxide can reduce the risks.

Garf · Oct 1, 2022

DarkTonio said:
Hello!

I am a bit confused. I know there are other posts on this topic but I could not find any definitive answer. I was looking for information on ferric vs aluminum based phosphate binder medias in a passive way (bag).

Since there is some controversy with aluminum binders that can leach aluminum back in the tank in some conditions, and there is no such issue with gfo, why would one still use aluminum base media? (Except the cost)

According to me, it does not make sense people would still want to use aluminum based medias when there are so many different GFOs available… Am i missing something ?
Thanks!

Are you sure you need to even employ a phosphate binder?

DarkTonio · Oct 2, 2022

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The main advantage of aluminum oxide materials is the large particle size that makes passive use more effective.

I prefer GFO, but using well washed aluminum oxide can reduce the risks.

Randy, you are always there to help. I learned so many things about sea water chemistry thanks to you. I live in France. A big thank you from all the hobbyists around the world !

taricha · Oct 2, 2022

I'll add a possible role for aluminum instead of GFO.

Dino outbreaks often come after heavy GFO use and subsequent large drop of PO4 - it's a frequent correlation.
There are also dino outbreaks where the growth of dinos slows to a halt, but additions of trace elements revives the growth. Sometimes rejuvenated growth can be explicitly due to Fe addition, such as in this test thread....
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/iron-silica-and-iodine-and-dinoflagellates.726064/

Given the necessity of Fe to photosynthetic growth, it suggests the possibility that controlling PO4 via aluminum media instead of GFO in a tank that previously had a dino issue might be worth considering.

(Of course, maybe if everybody used aluminum instead of GFO we'd see just as many dino outbreaks in aluminum media tanks. correlation isn't causation. )