gfo reor setup for saltwater aquarium - lower phosphates

gfo reor setup for saltwater aquarium: lower phosphates. lower phosphates in reef tank aquarium. gfo reor for phosphate control in aquarium. phosphate levels can increase green algae growth and decrease growth of calcifying organisms such as corals and coralline algae. There are many ways to help keep phosphate in check. These methods include the growth and export of organisms that take up substantial amounts of phosphate, such as macroalgae (my preference), certain corals, and even beria. Other methods include exporting organic materials that contain phosphorus by using skimming, ivated carbon, and polymer resins. Finally, many aquarists use materials that directly bind phosphate.\r
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Many solid inorganic materials are sold to aquarists to bind phosphate. Most of these have been developed for binding phosphate and other ions in industrial situations, and have been adapted for use in marine aquaria. In a previous article I reviewed the use of certain aluminum-containing materials, and discussed the concerns related to the potential release of aluminum and its imp on corals.\r
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Recently, iron-based phosphate binding materials have become popular among reef aquarists. These materials have been used commercially to treat drinking water (to remove arsenic, for example) and to treat wastewater (to remove a wide range of pollutants, including phosphate). They are sold to aquarists under a variety of different brand names, including Phosban, Phosphate Killer, and Rowaphos. This article will describe what they are, how they bind phosphate, what else they may bind, and what other effects they have. Ill also discuss some potential explanations of certain negative effects that a number of aquarists have encountered when using these materials, including the potential bleaching of corals and the precipitation of calcium carbonate.\r
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Phosphate: Why worry about it?\r
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The simplest form of phosphorus in reef aquaria is inorganic orthophosphate (H3PO4, H2PO4-, HPO4--, and PO4--- are all forms of orthophosphate). Orthophosphate is the form of phosphorus that most test kits measure, and is a form that is readily bound by iron oxide hydroxide materials. Orthophosphate is also present in natural seawater, although other forms exist there as well. Its concentration in seawater varies greatly from place to place, and also with depth and with the time of day. Surface waters are greatly depleted of phosphate relative to deeper waters, due to biological ivities in the surface waters that sequester phosphate in organisms. Typical ocean surface phosphate concentrations are very low by reefkeeping standards, sometimes as low as 0.005 ppm.\r
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Absent specific efforts to minimize the phosphate level, phosphates will typically accumulate and rise in reef aquaria. They are introduced mostly with foods, but can also enter with top-off water and with some methods of calcium and alkalinity supplementation.\r
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If allowed to rise above natural levels, phosphate can cause two undesirable results. One is inhibition of calcification. That is, it can reduce the rate at which corals and coralline algae can build calcium carbonate skeletons, potentially stunting their growth.\r
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For these reasons, phosphate should be kept below 0.03 ppm. Whether keeping it below 0.01 ppm will yield substantial additional benefits (or detriments) remains to be established, but that is a goal that some aquarists are pursuing with various methods of exporting phosphate, including the iron oxide hydroxide materials. Other ways to maintain low levels of phosphate in normal aquaria are to incorporate some combination of phosphate export mechanisms, such as growing and harvesting macroalgae or other rapidly growing organisms, using foods without excessive phosphate, skimming, using limewater, and using other phosphate binding media. Some aquarists have tried to reduce phosphate also by inducing blooms of microorganisms such as beria. This last method should, in my opinion, be left to experienced aquarists.\r
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