Cheato not lowering phosphate!

[bobnicaragua]

Same story here, my refugium keeps my nitrates down. I use GFO for phosphates. Try changing the GFO more often.

If you’re running in a bag, mixing in carbon keeps it from clumping.

 

[exnisstech]

Chaeto never helped with lowering PO4 in my last tank when I ran in in the fuge. TBO I don't think it did much to lower NO3 either. I just ran it to provide a place for small critters to live and reproduce.

 

[starfish138]

thanks

My chaeto sucks up a ton of Nitrate (which has me now dosing NeoNitro). For Phos - i use this on one of my tanks - very effective. Put it in a filter bag in one of your filter socks (if you're running a Reef Mat - still use an old sock to help prevent any material from getting out as it's very fine ). Works very well to lower and stabilize.

I just started using this, I am tired of GFO always getting all over everything (even after washing it). how often do you change out your phosguard?

 

[starfish138]

Chaeto never helped with lowering PO4 in my last tank when I ran in in the fuge. TBO I don't think it did much to lower NO3 either. I just ran it to provide a place for small critters to live and reprodu

 

[Reeferbadness]

My chaeto sucks up a ton of Nitrate (which has me now dosing NeoNitro). For Phos - i use this on one of my tanks - very effective. Put it in a filter bag in one of your filter socks (if you're running a Reef Mat - still use an old sock to help prevent any material from getting out as it's very fine ). Works very well to lower and stabilize.

thanks

I just started using this, I am tired of GFO always getting all over everything (even after washing it). how often do you change out your phosguard?

I change it about 1x a month. I also "stir it up" when i do a sock change - about every 4 days. This allows more material to come into contact with the water. When i see phos levels start to rise around the 1 month mark, i change the material. Very effective and cost is reasonable.

 

[bubbgee]

Chaeto never worked for me. I used dragon breath macroalgae in my refugium area of the sump.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here’s a pic.

Beautiful tank!!

 

[Aquachristik]

Testimonial is corney A F .... but it's a great product

I DISAGREE with a large dose every 6 weeks... I dose 10 droplets every other day, maybe every 3rd day

Is it Lanthanum based?

 

[VintageReefer]

Is it Lanthanum based?

Yes…lanthanum chloride

 

[vlangel]

Here’s a pic.

I would not stress about phosphates being .5 ppm if a little gha is the only symptom. Your reef appears to be thriving.
My reef also runs about .5 ppm phosphates. I have never had a nuisance algae problem, maybe a little gha like you that is easily manually removed. I do have multiple species of macroalgae besides cheato. I have codium, caulerpa cupressoides, ulva, red grape caulerpa and gracilaria hayi but I do not have a skimmer, socks, reactor or any media except a little carbon to remove tannins.

 

[Dan_P]

Purchase about 150 bucks worth of cheato from algae barn, it seems to be doing well but it’s not lowering phosphates. been running for two weeks, phosphates are at .60! Help! I’m also running gFO and phosguard.

Algae in general don’t remove much phosphate compared to nitrate.

 

[ClownSchool]

Purchase about 150 bucks worth of cheato from algae barn, it seems to be doing well but it’s not lowering phosphates. been running for two weeks, phosphates are at .60! Help! I’m also running gFO and phosguard.

Take it slow. Start by skipping feeding a day or two a week. Check again in a month.

 

[starfish138]

I change it about 1x a month. I also "stir it up" when i do a sock change - about every 4 days. This allows more material to come into contact with the water. When i see phos levels start to rise around the 1 month mark, i change the material. Very effective and cost is reasonable.

Do you use the regular GFO or the high capacity?

 

[starfish138]

Beautiful tank!!

Thank u!

 

[starfish138]

I would not stress about phosphates being .5 ppm if a little gha is the only symptom. Your reef appears to be thriving.
My reef also runs about .5 ppm phosphates. I have never had a nuisance algae problem, maybe a little gha like you that is easily manually removed. I do have multiple species of macroalgae besides cheato. I have codium, caulerpa cupressoides, ulva, red grape caulerpa and gracilaria hayi but I do not have a skimmer, socks, reactor or any media except a little carbon to remove tannins.

why no skimmer? Just curious. I see a lot of people going without a skimmer these days.

 

[McPuff]

I would not stress about phosphates being .5 ppm if a little gha is the only symptom. Your reef appears to be thriving.
My reef also runs about .5 ppm phosphates. I have never had a nuisance algae problem, maybe a little gha like you that is easily manually removed. I do have multiple species of macroalgae besides cheato. I have codium, caulerpa cupressoides, ulva, red grape caulerpa and gracilaria hayi but I do not have a skimmer, socks, reactor or any media except a little carbon to remove tannins.

Tang-ster's paradise! :0)

 

[Reeferbadness]

Do you use the regular GFO or the high capacity?

I use the one in the photo ..... pretty sure that is regular GFO

 

[vlangel]

Tang-ster's paradise! :0)

I would love to have a tang but my display tank is tall and only 30" across the front. I just rehomed a tomini tang that I had for 4 years and he was pretty good but recently showed aggression toward a new tank mate so rehomed him to a friend who has large frag systems. I sure enjoyed his utilitarian function as much as his grace and beauty. I am gonna miss him.

 

[Reef Puncher]

.5 might not be an issue if you have an lps tank. but if your growing SPS like acro, getting to that high of a range can start to inhibit growth rates. will it kill sps?, nope. but is it optimal? nope. so really depends on the type of coral your growing. also, that high of phosphate can sometimes spur GHA outbreaks. just depends.

chaeto never really lowered my phosphates, only my nitrates. i tried refugium, ditched it, tried chaeto reactor, now im ditching that because the sides grow algae that blocks light to my chaeto unless i clean it weekly which is a pain. now im about to try a turf scrubber to see if that helps. if it doesnt....i dunno maybe gfo reactor next. but yea phosphates are the only thing ive struggled with myself, to get stable. everything else is easy compared to phosphates.

 

[vlangel]

why no skimmer? Just curious. I see a lot of people going without a skimmer these days
@starfish138

My system is by design meant to be high nutrient. I have found that most macroalgae dominant tanks do not need a skimmer. I keep multiple macroalgae and some of those like ulva and gracilaria hayi suck up the nutrients faster than the others. If I don't want the other macros to starve out or the coral to languish I need a generous amount of nutrients. I don't mind the phosphates being at .5 ppm and I want the nitrates to be 10-30 ppm because that seems to be the sweet spot for my tank. Right now the uptake of the nutrients even without water changes is more than feeding my 12 fish can keep up with. A skimmer would make that even worse. And I am all about keeping things simple with minimal equipment to service.