Nailing phosphate to a stable level with GFO?

[JGT]

Now you 2 guys are just geeking out. :smiling-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[WillpoleReefers]

Very interesting to read the discussion here!

On the practical side regarding GFO in my system I noted a 0.01 ppm rise in phosphate to 0.081 after a few weeks using 500g GFO and high reactor flow. So a week ago I swapped in 250g fresh GFO. Two readings a couple of days apart of 0.054 ppm since. Not optimistic that it will stay at exactly that, but a nice number for sps. Wonder long term about tuning the level using something like a Kamoer continuous flow dosing pump at much lower flows.

Steve

 

[East1]

if the area between the bacterium and the GFO is acidic to release phosphate, then more phosphate will not bind. The kinetics of getting the phosphate from the water then under the bacterium to the GFO is also problematic.

I believe this is why the GFO enriched biopellets have to be tumbled so vigorously, it causes the surface of the pearl (as it degrades) to break apart and chunks of bacteria to disloge and be removed by the skimmer. This then exposes fresh sites to waterflow.

after a while the existing pellets start to look a bit like swiss cheese.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I believe this is why the GFO enriched biopellets have to be tumbled so vigorously, it causes the surface of the pearl (as it degrades) to break apart and chunks of bacteria to disloge and be removed by the skimmer. This then exposes fresh sites to waterflow.

after a while the existing pellets start to look a bit like swiss cheese.

I don’t dispute that dislodging bacteria from any media requires significant tumbling, and that may help expose new GFO. I do not believe the GFO in such combo products increase bioavailability of phosphate to bacteria, which was the point I was addressing.

 

[East1]

I don’t dispute that dislodging bacteria from any media requires significant tumbling, and that may help expose new GFO. I do not believe the GFO in such combo products increase bioavailability of phosphate to bacteria, which was the point I was addressing.

understood,
Do you think that the increased phosphate removal in my systems I’ve noticed could just be due to the mechanical removal as the particulate gfo gets removed via filtration?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

understood,
Do you think that the increased phosphate removal in my systems I’ve noticed could just be due to the mechanical removal as the particulate gfo gets removed via filtration?

I’m not convinced that GFO needs to be removed at all to lower phosphate. Phosphate will bind and largely stay bound even it it just sits in the tank.