GFO… is it just rust?

[Ooh fiddlesticks]

Granular Ferric Oxide,
Well ferric refers to iron, and iron oxide is rust.
Fe2O3 I believe is the chemical structure of rust,
2 iron atoms, 3 oxygen atoms.
So what gives? Can I just throw a rusty bolt in my tank and watch PO4 go down?
One last thing, Does GFO affect iron levels in our tanks?

 

[Dan_P]

Granular Ferric Oxide,
Well ferric refers to iron, and iron oxide is rust.
Fe2O3 I believe is the chemical structure of rust,
2 iron atoms, 3 oxygen atoms.
So what gives? Can I just throw a rusty bolt in my tank and watch PO4 go down?
One last thing, Does GFO affect iron levels in our tanks?

GFO is slightly different. It is ferric oxide hydroxide.

 

[Miami Reef]

So what gives? Can I just throw a rusty bolt in my tank and watch PO4 go down?

Rusty bolts can contain other metals that might be toxic. It’s not likely to find a pure iron ore.

One last thing, Does GFO affect iron levels in our tanks?

Some soluble iron can apparently release, but it’s insignificant and may be beneficial to corals and macroalgae.

Iron is rapidly consumed and has a very low toxicity profile , so no worries there.