yup alk would be my biggest concern. For nutrients rowaphos has never let me down its really thin small particle and instructions say u can just place it in the felt bag it comes with. But I have mine in brs reactor, very slow tumble in a 65, and super chalice safe, unlike gfo that I have had bad reaction too
Yup, a BSR reactor would be great (have a brand new one in my truck just sitting waiting on another tank) but I have no place to mount it and it would be overkill on that little 20. I need something in the middle between the IM and the BRS. The lack of fine control makes the IM reactor useless for media that needs to be tumbled. You can set it perfectly, come back the next day and its either blowing all over the place or or not moving at all.
The tank is in my living room and I'm CERTAIN that my wife would veto that LOL.
I was thinking about this a bit today and I have to agree with respect to GFO vrs Rowaphos. I've used Rowaphos off and on over the years (when it was handy at the LFS vrs being out of GFO) and have never had a problem with it. GFO however has caused some problems over the years when I didn't pay as much attention as I should have to the amount I was using. The high capacity stuff can strip PO4 out pretty darn quick and that just isn't good for LPS. I think a lot of people who run into the issue where all of their chalice fade and get striation necrosis are actually experiencing super low nutrients. I know that the condition is often attributed to Mag levels but Ive seen it for myself in my own tank after changing GFO. This chalice that I had grown from a nublet over the course of three years to around 5" across got wacked like that as did a Miami Hurricane.
That chalice is sweet.I was thinking about this a bit today and I have to agree with respect to GFO vrs Rowaphos. I've used Rowaphos off and on over the years (when it was handy at the LFS vrs being out of GFO) and have never had a problem with it. GFO however has caused some problems over the years when I didn't pay as much attention as I should have to the amount I was using. The high capacity stuff can strip PO4 out pretty darn quick and that just isn't good for LPS. I think a lot of people who run into the issue where all of their chalice fade and get striation necrosis are actually experiencing super low nutrients. I know that the condition is often attributed to Mag levels but Ive seen it for myself in my own tank after changing GFO. This chalice that I had grown from a nublet over the course of three years to around 5" across got wacked like that as did a Miami Hurricane.
So I've been running Rowaphos in that crappy little reactor for the last three weeks. I have to say I couldn't be more pleased and would stop calling that reactor crappy if a clamp hadn't broke of it tonight. I think the Rowaphos is actually doing a better job than straight up GFO at lest in this tank. I test PO4 at least three times a week as I feed so much and things can go south very quickly in 20 gallons. Plus there is no need to fool with carbon or Purigen. I feed 3x a week and its a slurry of Selcon, rehydrated brine shrimp eggs and ReefFrenzy. Turns the tank into a milky mess (that those chalice love with all their little slow growing hearts). Rowaphos seems to be keeping things completely in line.
Nice, good to hear. Thats like the ultimate rainbow scoly.So I've been running Rowaphos in that crappy little reactor for the last three weeks. I have to say I couldn't be more pleased and would stop calling that reactor crappy if a clamp hadn't broke of it tonight. I think the Rowaphos is actually doing a better job than straight up GFO at lest in this tank. I test PO4 at least three times a week as I feed so much and things can go south very quickly in 20 gallons. Plus there is no need to fool with carbon or Purigen. I feed 3x a week and its a slurry of Selcon, rehydrated brine shrimp eggs and ReefFrenzy. Turns the tank into a milky mess (that those chalice love with all their little slow growing hearts). Rowaphos seems to be keeping things completely in line.
Feeding last night
Below is a shot from 10 minutes ago. Everything is fat and happy.
Yes I do - with everything in the tank. Chalice, trachy, scoly and those little acan frags. Best results seem to come from HUFAs that are soaked up by dry particulate - Reef Frenzy / Dehydrated brine shrimp eggs and I feed the scoly mysid once a week. I also hit the tank with KZ flatworm exit (no idea if its actually working) and RedSea ReefEnergy - part d of the colors program as well to keep the dark blue in my chalice from turning blueish green. May be a bit too much light for some of them at 100 par.
Ya, I'm changing it every 8-10 days. Not because I'm noticing and dramatic rise in P04 but when it hit .04 its time to change it. It takes so little time and rowaphos why not? About 4 table spoons fills that crappy little reactor. If there was a skimmer that could pull gunk like my vertex or reef octopus then I might feel better about going a month. As it is I pulled the skimmer off the tank. Made no difference at all. Its very hard for me not to drill the back of that tank and add a sump but I really don't want to drill a tank full of corals.
I don't have any. I read an article that suggested the stuff was beneficial to most corals and that trachy in particular benefited from the stuff. After loosing the trachy below last year I thought why not try it and see if it works. It APPEARS to but of course it may be doing nothing.
O thats cool I've never heard of that beforeI don't have any. I read an article that suggested the stuff was beneficial to most corals and that trachy in particular benefited from the stuff. After loosing the trachy below last year I thought why not try it and see if it works. It APPEARS to but of course it may be doing nothing.
