i picked up some Phos-X by hagen..it comes in a filter bag so i just threw it in an aquaclear on my sump. ive heard that using such phosphate eliminators in a tank full of phosphates go fast and if not initially changed in a certain amount of time the phosphates will start to leak back out. if this is so, how long should i leave the first bag in before replacing it?
Phosphate Removal Question
- Thread starter ikon
- Start date
Yeah, MOST phosphate removers are white Ceramic media. Usually a week is their useful life. Thereafter they run the risk of dumping phosphates back into the aquarium. If you screw something up and just need a quick-fix they are a good choice since they're relatively cheap.
More of a fire-and-forget method is a Ferric Oxide based media. These media are dark brown/rust colored and bind phosphate and silicate WITHOUT releasing any back into the tank. Their chemical makeup prevents this. I've personally used Rowaphos for a few months now. Starved my algae to death and keeps my system hair algae and cyanobacteria free. I put two tablespoons in my HOB filter on my 45g tank, thats it. I love it. The only other Ferric Oxide based phosphate remover I know of is Phosban. I've never used it myself but if it works like Rowaphos (as it should being chemically identical), it would also be a good choice depending on which is easier for you to get a hold of
More of a fire-and-forget method is a Ferric Oxide based media. These media are dark brown/rust colored and bind phosphate and silicate WITHOUT releasing any back into the tank. Their chemical makeup prevents this. I've personally used Rowaphos for a few months now. Starved my algae to death and keeps my system hair algae and cyanobacteria free. I put two tablespoons in my HOB filter on my 45g tank, thats it. I love it. The only other Ferric Oxide based phosphate remover I know of is Phosban. I've never used it myself but if it works like Rowaphos (as it should being chemically identical), it would also be a good choice depending on which is easier for you to get a hold of
Ranger
Fish Crazy
Beat again by ski...
Pea sized? Odd.
I have a hard time believing its an iron oxide substance for three reasons. Firstly, the idea with the iron oxide media is to increase the surface area by chopping it up into fine granules since phosphate only binds at the surface. My Rowaphos (and I'm told phosban is the same way) is made of lots of very small granules. Think like slightly larger than grains of salt. Pea sized, it is not. Having a pea sized granule would really waste a lot of material since it won't bind phosphate internally, only at the surface
Second, price. Even the smallest bags of rowaphos or phosban are 2-3 times the cost of that phos-x. You rarely see nearly identical mineral products like these at that wide of a price gap...
Finally, what it claims it does and does not claim it does. Iron oxide media is NOT very good at removing nitrates from the system. Ceramic media however is effective at removing nitrates. Phosphate is a much more negatively charged ion leading it to bond to Iron Oxide MUCH more readily than Nitrate. Any iron oxide media will also claim (rightfully so) that it will remove silicates as well as phosphate since silicate too is typically a negatively charged ion in seawater. That phos-x claims it removes nitrates (which iron oxide does not) and doesnt claim it removes silicate (which iron oxide does) leads me to believe its a different type of media.
These are of course educated guesses made by what I've read about iron oxide courtesy of Randy Holmes-Farley. Its possible I'm coming to the wrong conclusions here, but then again its possible I'm not.
HOB compartment, womens nylon in a buble wall, media bag in a canister, your placement options are numerous. Just remember, its granular and light so if its gonna be in a really high flow area have it bagged in a media bag/nylon. Since I've found 2 TBSP works great for about 50 gallons I'd reccomend 4 for your tank which is twice the size of mine
ski..how bout this stuff:
http
/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...p;N=0&Nty=1
http
/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod...p;N=0&Nty=1
That looks like the stuff, the "Granular Ferric" are the key words in the discription 
. The product you linked also seems to have some activated carbon and ammonia sponge in it so its more of an all-in-one chemical media
. The product you linked also seems to have some activated carbon and ammonia sponge in it so its more of an all-in-one chemical media understood..im worried that given the fact that its an all-in-one it might sacrifice phosphate removal...what are the active ingrediants in rowaphos? here they are for this product:
Active Ingredients:
Blend of 64% high capacity cation exchange Zeosorbent, 25% German made granulated Beta-Ferric Hydroxide, and 11% acid-washed Activated Carbon.
Active Ingredients:
Blend of 64% high capacity cation exchange Zeosorbent, 25% German made granulated Beta-Ferric Hydroxide, and 11% acid-washed Activated Carbon.
Thats the active ingredient for phosphate remover
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