Discussion on chemicals

[Mark_C]

I was planning to set up a reactor, but was curious on what cleaning items might work in unison or nullify each other.
Got me to wondering things like...
Should I run Phosguard with ferric oxide?
If I run carbon and ferric oxide, should I use Chemi-pure?

Here's a list of a few things I have:
Carbon
Chemi-pure
Phosguard
Ferric Oxide

Assume we're all dosing Ca/Alk/Mg or All-for-Reef, we're using skimmers, and we're changing socks/media regularly.

What chemical combos are best for keeping the bad stuff in check?
What combos do you guys with the big killer tanks run?

 

[MadReefer]

I just dose calc, alk mag and recently carbon dose using vodka.
What bad stuff are you concerned about?

 

[Mark_C]

Just a general question on keeping water clean.
Wondering what combos everyone uses.

 

[iTzJu]

Currently, I only use carbon (in a bag) and GFO (in a small reactor) to keep PO₄ in check. The carbon is mainly for general water clarity and safety. Beyond that, the focus is just on maintaining the big three parameters (alkalinity, calcium, magnesium).

I used to use Chemi-Pure, but it’s essentially a mix of DI resin, carbon, and GFO, depending on the specific type you get. Honestly, a DIY version works just as well, especially without the ion exchange resin, which doesn’t last long in saltwater environments anyway.

For controlling PO₄, I occasionally use lanthanum chloride. It’s highly effective for reducing phosphate levels quickly, but you need to be careful with dosing. Always dose it slowly in a high-flow area or through a filter sock to catch any precipitate. It’s not something I rely on regularly but can be useful for occasional adjustments.

As for PhosGuard, since it’s aluminum-based, it can leach aluminum into the tank. If you don’t notice any ill effects, it’s fine to use, but I personally prefer GFO as a safer alternative for phosphate control

 

[DEL]

Cal reactor with Re Born and Re Mag media inside. Red Sea Rollermat 1200 with a bag of carbon under the tray. Tiny reactor for Rowaphos because I basically only need like 2 scoops.

 

[ole farny]

i've used carbon, regular and high capacity gfo, chemipure elite and phospHATE (lanthanum chloride most likely) all before. with the exception of carbon, i try not to use any of them if i don't have too. i'm only using carbon and sometimes gfo right now. i've also used purigen too, but that's been for nitrate control and it doesn't sound like you are interested in that right now and i'm not currently using either.

i think there are plenty of well established success stories of reefers using carbon and gfo in combination, in a reactor. i'm actually running this now on some rocks i'm cooking for an upcoming build, as i want to make sure i'm not leaching any phosphate from some old pukani and newer kp aquatics dry rock that i'll use. i'm hopeful that i can get things down enough to head off having to use a reactor and doing more intensive testing once i get that system up and running.

if using carbon and gfo together in a reactor, the advice i've taken is to mix it together before putting it the reactor together and make sure its not tumbling or is barely tumbling because the gfo will grind the carbon and release fines into the system. alos, use about half of the gfo recommended for your system volume, as the carbon usually depletes roughly twice as fast as the gfo.

chemipure is certainly convenient, but its also not cheap so i don't plan on continuing to use that and its been a while since i used it. probably more of a product to use as a one off treatment here or there, but if i have gfo and carbon on hand, i'll definitely try to use that instead as its more customizable to a specific situation.

as for lanthanum chloride, i have used that as more of a one off or periodic thing too, when phosphate had spiked or i let it get too high from lack of testing or when i hadn't been staying on top of maintenance, etc. to help bring things back down to acceptable levels. that said, i've also read about people using it to routinely manage phosphate levels via a dosing pump, rather than a reactor. that's not something i've done and i'll try to avoid that too, but there is some suggestion that it might be pretty cost effective compared to gfo and other methods.

 

[mwil79]

Chemi-pure (Depending on version) already has GFO (Ferric Oxide) in it. I believe its Chemi-pure Elite. Chemi-pure blue has Purigen included so Elite is more beneficial to Phosphate removal.

GFO will also lower your alkalinity faster so need to keep an eye on that.

Phosguard does the same thing as GFO just at a bit of a slower rate and also tends to be cheaper.

The items you have 3 of them pretty much do similar things with Chemipure adding a combo of Carbon and GFO.

If you dont have a reactor then phosguard will work much better. GFO can clump up if not moving.

I honestly don't use any of these items unless there is something out of whack in my water chemistry.

Refugium and Carbon dosing can achieve the same results with less of an addition of chemicals.