Top-22 Filter Media Mistakes Cheat Sheet: 1. Running GFO 24/7 - 00:19 2. Not understanding why we use GFO - 01:04 3. Not understanding GFO effect on nitrate - 02:17 4. Not knowing when GFO is depleted - 03:15 5. Missing liquid phosphate remover - 04:14 6. Missing the connection between PAR and water quality - 05:10 7. Not having carbon around for emergencies - 06:07 8. Missing the value of carbon on tank toxins - 06:56 9. Not knowing when the carbon is depleted - 07:35 10. Using too much carbon - 08:35 11. Not rinsing media thoroughly enough - 09:40 12. Thinking the larger pellets work better - 10:53 13. Not thinking about where your media comes from - 11:32 14. Assuming all carbon is the same - 12:41 15. Not understanding how the filter media bag works - 13:39 16. Not using two single reactors instead of one dual reactor - 14:43 17. Missing the value of the mini reactor - 15:46 18. Tumbling carbon -16:39 19. Using a reactor that force tumbles carbon - 17:22 20. Putting carbon directly in your filter sock -18:24 21. Not mixing carbon and GFO together - 19:17 22. Not considering hybrid media - 20:25
15 is incorrect. Fluidized bed filter is in no way close to the performance of a filter bag with carbon. Not even close. Fluidized bed filter is the way to go and has much increased performance , lifespan and a predictable effect over the duration. The filter bag just takes everything out of the water in the first two days necessary things like iodine and then the performance drops massively.
Mistake 23: Not using a good filter media bag. Red Sea's (assuming they are still the same as I got years ago) are by far the best bag on the market IMO. BRS needs to carry them separately and dump the white bags. All 3 of my BRS bags are falling apart with very little use. My Red Sea bag has been in use for close to 4 years and is still in perfect shape.
Well I guess these videos are working guys cause every time I see a good product and go to the site to try to purchase it it’s always out of stock. Liking the mini reactor hopefully you will get more in soon
Thank you for your video!! Always pick up something new. Zip tied down media in media reactor with upflow to compress media and holds it in place just great!
Thanks guys. So informative. Going thru bloom, bare bottom now. Hate it but the flat worms and red bugs were out of control. Cyno apparent. I am using brightwell products now and will keep their system to battle by bacteria!!!
BRS mini reactor with carbon/GFO mix is great. I have had mine for 8 months and I don't mind changing it more often because it holds less so I feel I get more consistent results. The mini reactor is great for space and overall function I don't want any possibility of dusty fines in the water.
a nice chemi pure hack is to get the mini reactor and fill it with the bag. if found it extends the life buy about a mount. lasts about 4 months use in a 45 gallon system. 25 gallon show tank 20 gallon sump
I have combined a short carbon canister with a tall gfo canister as a par rather than two talks plus a block to effectively shorten the carbon canister. Took some special ordering but this might be a good product offering. Tall plus short as a pair.
18:06 "nobody makes them anymore".. checkout the duplamarin multireactor, exists already for years.. Also has those rings to fix where the plates sit. Also a great reactor, using it as a hang-on on my dupla cube 20 gallon hooked up on the return with some dacron fiberfill to polish all the water entering the tank (hardly need any carbon, as a +-10cm thick layer of fiberfill in the reactor will absolutely remove yellowing compounds too.. crystal clear water 100%)
@@SM-dd9hb I use that as well in my nano ato basket and a little in my filter sock in my bigger tank. Seems to work great and people swear by it! 5 star reviews on amazon! Just picked up some more the other day!
Very helpful video! I just recently added a ton of new corals and my whole tanks started dying except softies! I have yet to figure out why! some were delivered half dead but now I am wondering if I coudld have stopped this by adding carbon! I I didnt realize dying corals release toxins and I always fear the carbon in chemipure elite isnt working after a short while and may only be good for phosphate removal. Funny thing is my older corals started dying first I idid tune the lights down which was probably not a smart thing to do! Possibly dinos but its only on the glass. There is a film of redish film that keeps growing on my glass! Right now its only growing on bottom half of glass. I recently quite dosing the bacteria to fight the dinos. I saw another youtube that said the film was from the dosing from a bacterial/diatom bloom and if rocks and sand look good then dinos are gone! I was also using uv but Cant figure out why the film wont go away on glass!
Some awesome advice,thanks for making all the videos that you do....i do have one question though, i probably missed the answer in the video.....is it advisable to run carbon 24/7 ?
Almost all of us here at BRS that run carbon will do so on a 24/7 basis. Truth is, carbon is likely used up within the first few days to a week give the small pore size, so if you wanted to run it less frequently we couldn't fault you for doing so.
18:05 I got the Dupla Marin Multireactor, it has those 2 discs and is available in 3 sizes! 😁 I am from Europe though, so maybe they don't sell to the US?
Thanks a million for the informative video For the mix between GFO and Carbon, shall the mix be in a filter bag same place as shown for the carbon bag ( between the baffles ) ?
QUESTION ABOUT THE OCTO SKIMMER FOR 90 GALLON HANG ON BACK SKIMMER RED COLOR ...I NOTICE THE WATER SURFACE SKIMMER BASKET IS SUBMERGED ABOUT AN INCH BELOW THE WATER SURFACE WHEN TANK IS FILLED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TOP PLASTIC EDGING.. CAN I TRIM A INCH OFF THE INLET TUBE SO THE SURFACE SKIMMER IS ACTUALLY SKIMMING WATER OFF THE SURFACE ? THANKYOU JEFF
Interesting idea! My assumption would be that since most RODI carbon blocks are 5 micron, they'd clog rather quickly and for that reason, not be very cost effective.
Brilliant video. I thought I needed to tumble my carbon. I have mine in a bag tied around the return pipe of my GFO Reactor which is running Rowa Phos. is that ok?
The best practice approach for any carbon is to keep it from jostling around at all costs whether in a bag or a filter media reactor. Even the premium carbon is prone to wearing down over time from constant agitation.
GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).
My phosphate levels are at about .1 and my nitrates at .5 in my 300 gallon, what I'm trying to make, reef tank. But I don't have any algae problems, should I worry about lowering my phosphate levels or should I leave it alone?
You're right on the top edge of where we'd like to see your phosphate levels. Not a big deal now, but if you see them creep up any, then you'll want to take some steps to reduce them.
So you are saying periodically on the gfo is that once a week a month? Obviously it’s something I’d have to experiment with to get the results for my tank but just looking for a general idea.
We like to use GFO as a tool to solve a specific phosphate problem rather than 24/7, meaning if you are continually struggling with high phosphates you can use GFO to bring them down then focus on improving your filtration to better manage phosphates in the long run.
One question I have - is there any downside to running carbon continuously? Can I always have a medium amount of carbon running, or could that have negative effects?
Most reefers who run carbon will do so on a 24/7 basis. While there is some thought that running lower grade carbon might contribute to HLLE in tangs, there isn't a whole lot of downside to continuously running high quality carbon in your system.
We don't ship to the Netherlands, but if you use a mail forwarding service, you can order from us. Details below. www.bulkreefsupply.com/international-shipping
Why do I have I have algae if my phospates arent high ? I use chemipure elite in my filter sock(no room for reactor and refugium) and back chamber of aio. What do I do when they slowly rise an its not cash? I dont want to have to dose phospate e daily so is it a good idea to just add a little phosguard until chemipure is depleted? Would I be better off just using gfo sepeartly instead of chemi elite? I know that carbon is used up fast so not sure if I should be adding extra carbon when using chemipure elite. and what is your opion of purigan? Never heard you review it? is it good for controlling nitrates? I really dont have a way to keep them in control since I have no reactor or refugium. the bio balls arent helping
Keep in mind that algae consumes phosphate really efficiently, so the algae in your tank could be keeping your phosphates low. It sounds like you don't currently need to use any phosphate absorption media as there is no phosphate to consume. I would suggest relying on manual removal of the algae as well as water changes to get you back on track.
Those are media reactors. We build them out of RO style canisters that have larger ports for the sake of water flow. You might not be able to find something exactly like this in the UK, but if you search for media reactors, you should find something that'll do the same job.
I'm confused... you said that you can use 1/3 GFO and 2/3 carbon and then "you can run them at high flow rates"... I thought you didn't want it to tumble...?
The point of mixing the two is so you can keep the GFO granules separated. GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).
Different tanks sometimes need different amounts of carbon vs GFO, so I would suggest to buy them separately and then you can make a mix that's perfect for your tank.
It's pretty common to mix carbon and GFO together in the same reactor. Just make sure you use enough carbon to keep the GFO particles separated so that they don't clump up. If you're mixing, you don't want the media to tumble.
There may be some minor benefit, depending on what the cause of pigmentation is, but in the end a few bucks of carbon is definitely the right tool for this job.
@@BRStv i really have no idea what's causing it. I have a bare bottom tank, using filter socks, keep my sump clean and regular water change yet my water still yellowing.
Can u just turn off the GFO but leave it in the reactor until the next time u need to turn it on?? Or do I have to replace it with fresh GFO every time I run it? I’m at .00 right now lol Also, is 75ga. Of Chemipure blue enough for my 160 total water volume tank if ran in a reactor??
You really want to keep GFO fluidized and tumbling because it is highly prone to clumping together into a solid block, which dramatically lessens its effectiveness.
Call me crazy, but with our tanks sometimes being higher PO4 and sometimes lower, I keep a bucket with my "used" gfo and when our tanks naturally fall below .03 for a few days, I actually pop in some of that old GFO that has some built up PO4 and let it slowly leach back out. It "seems" to work in recharging the GFO, but I can't say I've ever done a BRS like experiment to prove it.
@@BRStv starting to think this purit after a month is stripping the iron out of water and chaeto is dying. Should have icp back in a couple days to help me make some decisions.
You could, however the pores are also prone to clogging up with biological material which lessen its effectiveness over time. Not to mention a cup of carbon is WAY cheaper than replacing carbon blocks. We try to keep the "right tool for the right job" mentality and in this case, some loose carbon is absolutely the right tool.
Liquid Phosphare remover - DO NOT use long term. Will cake all your pumps and worse all hoses with thick white residue, you will have to replace them all.
If you dose a drop at a time and do on the intake side of your skimmer, you will avoid this as the binding and precipitation will happen in your skimmer and be removed through the foam. If you dose too much though, unbound product will go back in aquarium and cause problems you stated so go slow.
Long term use can be done, but you're correct that some precipitation will occur. It's best to dose into a smaller micron filter sock to catch any precipitation.
GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).
Top-22 Filter Media Mistakes Cheat Sheet:
1. Running GFO 24/7 - 00:19
2. Not understanding why we use GFO - 01:04
3. Not understanding GFO effect on nitrate - 02:17
4. Not knowing when GFO is depleted - 03:15
5. Missing liquid phosphate remover - 04:14
6. Missing the connection between PAR and water quality - 05:10
7. Not having carbon around for emergencies - 06:07
8. Missing the value of carbon on tank toxins - 06:56
9. Not knowing when the carbon is depleted - 07:35
10. Using too much carbon - 08:35
11. Not rinsing media thoroughly enough - 09:40
12. Thinking the larger pellets work better - 10:53
13. Not thinking about where your media comes from - 11:32
14. Assuming all carbon is the same - 12:41
15. Not understanding how the filter media bag works - 13:39
16. Not using two single reactors instead of one dual reactor - 14:43
17. Missing the value of the mini reactor - 15:46
18. Tumbling carbon -16:39
19. Using a reactor that force tumbles carbon - 17:22
20. Putting carbon directly in your filter sock -18:24
21. Not mixing carbon and GFO together - 19:17
22. Not considering hybrid media - 20:25
15 is incorrect. Fluidized bed filter is in no way close to the performance of a filter bag with carbon. Not even close. Fluidized bed filter is the way to go and has much increased performance , lifespan and a predictable effect over the duration. The filter bag just takes everything out of the water in the first two days necessary things like iodine and then the performance drops massively.
Can I replace protein skimmer with carbon filter? Please help me because skimmer so expensive
@@ZaynPilot Skimmers and carbon do different jobs, so they're unfortunately not interchangeable.
Mistake 23: Not using a good filter media bag. Red Sea's (assuming they are still the same as I got years ago) are by far the best bag on the market IMO. BRS needs to carry them separately and dump the white bags. All 3 of my BRS bags are falling apart with very little use. My Red Sea bag has been in use for close to 4 years and is still in perfect shape.
Top reef channel !!!! Cheers from 🇦🇷
Well I guess these videos are working guys cause every time I see a good product and go to the site to try to purchase it it’s always out of stock. Liking the mini reactor hopefully you will get more in soon
Merci pour cette vidéo les amis !!!👍👍👍
Thank you for your video!! Always pick up something new. Zip tied down media in media reactor with upflow to compress media and holds it in place just great!
I never thought of how things in the water affect PAR and certainly would have never thought it affects it that much
THANKS for such a great video as always!
That was a informative video, like it!
Thanks guys. So informative. Going thru bloom, bare bottom now. Hate it but the flat worms and red bugs were out of control. Cyno apparent. I am using brightwell products now and will keep their system to battle by bacteria!!!
BRS mini reactor with carbon/GFO mix is great. I have had mine for 8 months and I don't mind changing it more often because it holds less so I feel I get more consistent results. The mini reactor is great for space and overall function I don't want any possibility of dusty fines in the water.
Also I use Neptune Apex to give me a reminder to replace the media every two weeks and I have to check it to clear the note.
The dude dosing the tank at 4:30 is wearing a Puppers tshirt and that's what I appreciates about him.
Texas-sized 10-4
Awesome vid. Very informational!! Keep up the great work guys
Second comment and 3rd like. I’m from Bangladesh, I’m 12 years old. I have a 60 gallon tank. Thank u for clearing my doubts about gfo
a nice chemi pure hack is to get the mini reactor and fill it with the bag. if found it extends the life buy about a mount. lasts about 4 months use in a 45 gallon system. 25 gallon show tank 20 gallon sump
Damn. Even carbon has complexity! Great video! did learn a lot here.
I have combined a short carbon canister with a tall gfo canister as a par rather than two talks plus a block to effectively shorten the carbon canister. Took some special ordering but this might be a good product offering. Tall plus short as a pair.
18:06 "nobody makes them anymore".. checkout the duplamarin multireactor, exists already for years.. Also has those rings to fix where the plates sit. Also a great reactor, using it as a hang-on on my dupla cube 20 gallon hooked up on the return with some dacron fiberfill to polish all the water entering the tank (hardly need any carbon, as a +-10cm thick layer of fiberfill in the reactor will absolutely remove yellowing compounds too.. crystal clear water 100%)
Very good info
"Nobody makes anymore"..... AquaMaxx makes several reactors (3); carbon, gfo, and bio pellets. All are quality made products and work great!
No Mention of PolyFIlter for quick removal of contaminants, metals and organics? Been around forever and WORKS!
Too "Old School" maybe?
Not Mentioned Because YOU don't Sell It............Why Not?
@@SM-dd9hb I use that as well in my nano ato basket and a little in my filter sock in my bigger tank. Seems to work great and people swear by it! 5 star reviews on amazon! Just picked up some more the other day!
I run GFO and Bio-Pellets to control the Nitrates
I was today years old when Ryan taught me that the word “mindtality” is the most efficient and cooled staff word ever!
Sera makes a really nice media reactor. You guys should check them out
Banshea do reactors with tops to slide down and keep carbon from tumbling
Very helpful video! I just recently added a ton of new corals and my whole tanks started dying except softies! I have yet to figure out why! some were delivered half dead but now I am wondering if I coudld have stopped this by adding carbon! I I didnt realize dying corals release toxins and I always fear the carbon in chemipure elite isnt working after a short while and may only be good for phosphate removal. Funny thing is my older corals started dying first I idid tune the lights down which was probably not a smart thing to do! Possibly dinos but its only on the glass. There is a film of redish film that keeps growing on my glass! Right now its only growing on bottom half of glass. I recently quite dosing the bacteria to fight the dinos. I saw another youtube that said the film was from the dosing from a bacterial/diatom bloom and if rocks and sand look good then dinos are gone! I was also using uv but Cant figure out why the film wont go away on glass!
Some awesome advice,thanks for making all the videos that you do....i do have one question though, i probably missed the answer in the video.....is it advisable to run carbon 24/7 ?
Almost all of us here at BRS that run carbon will do so on a 24/7 basis. Truth is, carbon is likely used up within the first few days to a week give the small pore size, so if you wanted to run it less frequently we couldn't fault you for doing so.
@@BRStv thats awesome, answered my question perfectly,cheers BRS 🍻 👍
18:05 I got the Dupla Marin Multireactor, it has those 2 discs and is available in 3 sizes! 😁 I am from Europe though, so maybe they don't sell to the US?
Thanks a million for the informative video
For the mix between GFO and Carbon, shall the mix be in a filter bag same place as shown for the carbon bag ( between the baffles ) ?
You got it 🙂
I use the aqua maxx for the carbon and it holds it in place with 2 sponges.
QUESTION ABOUT THE OCTO SKIMMER FOR 90 GALLON HANG ON BACK SKIMMER RED COLOR ...I NOTICE THE WATER SURFACE SKIMMER BASKET IS SUBMERGED ABOUT AN INCH BELOW THE WATER SURFACE WHEN TANK IS FILLED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TOP PLASTIC EDGING.. CAN I TRIM A INCH OFF THE INLET TUBE SO THE SURFACE SKIMMER IS ACTUALLY SKIMMING WATER OFF THE SURFACE ? THANKYOU JEFF
Great video as always guys. Has anybody thought of using an RO Carbon cartridge instead of pellet form in a reactor? Interested if its viable.
Interesting idea! My assumption would be that since most RODI carbon blocks are 5 micron, they'd clog rather quickly and for that reason, not be very cost effective.
Brilliant video. I thought I needed to tumble my carbon. I have mine in a bag tied around the return pipe of my GFO Reactor which is running Rowa Phos. is that ok?
The best practice approach for any carbon is to keep it from jostling around at all costs whether in a bag or a filter media reactor. Even the premium carbon is prone to wearing down over time from constant agitation.
You should have shown what depleted carbon and GFO looks like.
GFO isn’t so harsh if u mix just a little with the carbon. Keeps it nocked down enough that You can just do feeding as usual. Not so up and down
I agree, I was wondering the same. Adding just a little. I was using chemipure elite but it knocked it down to zero so wont be using that again.
How is phospate e supposed to be used? Daily dosing? Dosnt make sense to me unless you use it when gfo isnt quite cash but starting to rise a little!
Slowly dosing into the intake of a protein skimmer or very fine micron filter sock using a dosing pump would be best.
With GFO I thought it had to bubble/move, so if I mix it with carbon it’s best to not move at all I’m confused.
GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).
Bulk Reef Supply I’m going to give mixing it together the weekend
My phosphate levels are at about .1 and my nitrates at .5 in my 300 gallon, what I'm trying to make, reef tank. But I don't have any algae problems, should I worry about lowering my phosphate levels or should I leave it alone?
You're right on the top edge of where we'd like to see your phosphate levels. Not a big deal now, but if you see them creep up any, then you'll want to take some steps to reduce them.
So you are saying periodically on the gfo is that once a week a month? Obviously it’s something I’d have to experiment with to get the results for my tank but just looking for a general idea.
We like to use GFO as a tool to solve a specific phosphate problem rather than 24/7, meaning if you are continually struggling with high phosphates you can use GFO to bring them down then focus on improving your filtration to better manage phosphates in the long run.
how about carbon in a bag inside a sock so it's got high flow but can't tumble ?
matt300371 or in a bag inside a FILTER CUP like red sea's filter cups for their reefer series and their bag
One question I have - is there any downside to running carbon continuously? Can I always have a medium amount of carbon running, or could that have negative effects?
Most reefers who run carbon will do so on a 24/7 basis. While there is some thought that running lower grade carbon might contribute to HLLE in tangs, there isn't a whole lot of downside to continuously running high quality carbon in your system.
Hallo got one question how do I get a mini reactor to The Netherlands I love the concept but can't find that sort of reactor here
We don't ship to the Netherlands, but if you use a mail forwarding service, you can order from us. Details below.
www.bulkreefsupply.com/international-shipping
What kind of pump do you use at pnt 17?
Why do I have I have algae if my phospates arent high ? I use chemipure elite in my filter sock(no room for reactor and refugium) and back chamber of aio. What do I do when they slowly rise an its not cash? I dont want to have to dose phospate e daily so is it a good idea to just add a little phosguard until chemipure is depleted? Would I be better off just using gfo sepeartly instead of chemi elite? I know that carbon is used up fast so not sure if I should be adding extra carbon when using chemipure elite. and what is your opion of purigan? Never heard you review it? is it good for controlling nitrates? I really dont have a way to keep them in control since I have no reactor or refugium. the bio balls arent helping
Keep in mind that algae consumes phosphate really efficiently, so the algae in your tank could be keeping your phosphates low. It sounds like you don't currently need to use any phosphate absorption media as there is no phosphate to consume. I would suggest relying on manual removal of the algae as well as water changes to get you back on track.
Those rodi looking canisters are super. What are they called. I live in the uk so I can't buy brs
Those are media reactors. We build them out of RO style canisters that have larger ports for the sake of water flow. You might not be able to find something exactly like this in the UK, but if you search for media reactors, you should find something that'll do the same job.
@@BRStv thanks man
Carbon and GFO makes a mess when changing media. Can I run Carbon/Chemipure (in a bag) inside of a reactor?
You certainly could run a media bag inside of a reactor.
I'm confused... you said that you can use 1/3 GFO and 2/3 carbon and then "you can run them at high flow rates"... I thought you didn't want it to tumble...?
you pack it tight so that it would not tumble. and/or run water uniformly top to bottom (not in sock). High flow != tumble.
The point of mixing the two is so you can keep the GFO granules separated. GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).
Why not sell the rox carbon and gfo mix together as well?
Different tanks sometimes need different amounts of carbon vs GFO, so I would suggest to buy them separately and then you can make a mix that's perfect for your tank.
So can I put multiple things inside my reactor
It's pretty common to mix carbon and GFO together in the same reactor. Just make sure you use enough carbon to keep the GFO particles separated so that they don't clump up. If you're mixing, you don't want the media to tumble.
will using UV eliminate the yellowing water in the tank?
There may be some minor benefit, depending on what the cause of pigmentation is, but in the end a few bucks of carbon is definitely the right tool for this job.
Yes, but won’t remove toxins
@@BRStv i really have no idea what's causing it. I have a bare bottom tank, using filter socks, keep my sump clean and regular water change yet my water still yellowing.
Can u just turn off the GFO but leave it in the reactor until the next time u need to turn it on?? Or do I have to replace it with fresh GFO every time I run it? I’m at .00 right now lol
Also, is 75ga. Of Chemipure blue enough for my 160 total water volume tank if ran in a reactor??
bad idea ... dead zones create anaerobic areas which when disturbed will release nasty waste byproducts.
You really want to keep GFO fluidized and tumbling because it is highly prone to clumping together into a solid block, which dramatically lessens its effectiveness.
Call me crazy, but with our tanks sometimes being higher PO4 and sometimes lower, I keep a bucket with my "used" gfo and when our tanks naturally fall below .03 for a few days, I actually pop in some of that old GFO that has some built up PO4 and let it slowly leach back out. It "seems" to work in recharging the GFO, but I can't say I've ever done a BRS like experiment to prove it.
Can you mix gfo with purit?
Purit will also remove GFO, so mixing the two would likely not be advantageous
@@BRStv starting to think this purit after a month is stripping the iron out of water and chaeto is dying. Should have icp back in a couple days to help me make some decisions.
So eventho this purit media is said to last six months and is a good safety net for metals I am beginning to think it could be devestating to corals.
What about running a carbon block for a few hours a day?
You could, however the pores are also prone to clogging up with biological material which lessen its effectiveness over time. Not to mention a cup of carbon is WAY cheaper than replacing carbon blocks. We try to keep the "right tool for the right job" mentality and in this case, some loose carbon is absolutely the right tool.
Hoping purit pulls out the little bit of tin
my phos is 0.1 new to reefing
You should stop selling the dual reactor if you are now disclaiming it. So glad I purchased one from my local LFS at this point. BRS brand and all....
What about placing a carbon bag in a sock.
As long as you don't allow it to tumble, that's a viable option.
Liquid Phosphare remover - DO NOT use long term. Will cake all your pumps and worse all hoses with thick white residue, you will have to replace them all.
If you dose a drop at a time and do on the intake side of your skimmer, you will avoid this as the binding and precipitation will happen in your skimmer and be removed through the foam. If you dose too much though, unbound product will go back in aquarium and cause problems you stated so go slow.
Long term use can be done, but you're correct that some precipitation will occur. It's best to dose into a smaller micron filter sock to catch any precipitation.
I was told by so many ppl to tumble my carbon but only a little. Face palm.
Definitely no tumbling carbon...but GFO on the other hand you do want tumbling. :)
Bulk Reef Supply thank you :) but you suggested combining gfo and carbon so how does that work?
GFO needs to remain separated so that it won't clump together. You can achieve that one of two ways; first is by mildly tumbling it and second is by mixing it with carbon (using the carbon to keep the GFO granules separated).