Foz down Silver Bullet to PO4 - Page 4

TimT · #31 05-14-2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddyob

How often do you dose this? Daily ? GFO set and forget for months.

Hi,

Here is how I have set up a few large systems, one is 700 gallons and the other is 300 gallons. Both systems have dosing pumps and I use one of the pump heads to dose small amounts multiple times per day into the sump. In the 700 gallon system the Foz Down is dosed into one of the 7" filter socks in the sump. The 300 gallon system is just dosed directly into the sump. I use the 8oz bottle of Foz Down with a rigid plastic pipe that connects to the inlet side of the dosing pump.

Another option is if you run an ATO system is to add some Foz Down into the water container. If you dose kalk with your ATO then I would not mix the kalk with the Foz Down.

For my 800 gallon system I manually dose into the sump. I am presently in process on setting up multiple 7" filter socks so once they are in place I will dose into those.

I am more than happy to offer suggestions for your specific setup if you like.

Cheers,
Tim

lastlight · #32 05-14-2013, 08:13 PM

if you drip this into a sock there's a fraction of a second before that water passes through the sock. does this reaction take place instantly so we're catching the floculates and also preventing the foz down from entering the same water the fish inhabit?

if it can actually work on contact in the sock and i'm understanding this right... you've reacted with a very tiny portion of your displays water and can't possibly have taken much p04 out unless you were doing a lot of drips throughout the day.

Can you explain the reaction mechanism a bit better please Tim? I'm interested in this if it's cheaper to use than gfo.

TimT · #33 05-15-2013, 02:51 AM

Hi Brett,

I will try to explain this as best I can. :-) I think your two concerns are; is it safe for fishes in a display tank and it logically doesn't make sense that the reaction only happens in the filter socks.

First, Foz Down is perfectly safe for fish, clams and even very sensitive acros... A. echinata etc. I add Foz Down daily to my 800 gallon system... even when I had 70 x 4.5" - 6" ultra grade Tahiti Maxima clams I didn't hesitate. I completely trust the product.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

if you drip this into a sock there's a fraction of a second before that water passes through the sock.

I think it all depends on whether the sock is above water level or in the water. I did a little math and if the sock has 8" of water in it the flow rate would have to be over 3600gph before the Foz Down would exit the sock before it had time to react.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

if it can actually work on contact in the sock and i'm understanding this right... you've reacted with a very tiny portion of your displays water and can't possibly have taken much p04 out unless you were doing a lot of drips throughout the day.

This makes sense and I suspect that un reacted Foz Down exits the filter sock and then reacts with the first phosphate it comes in contact with. This would generally be in the sump. Any reacted Foz Down that made it into the display tank would be removed by the filter socks on subsequent passes.

It is always best practice to keep your aquarium conditions as stable as possible. Some possible ideas for Foz Down addition would be:

1. through the ATO systems water reservoir. Then it would be added slowly throughout the day. If it was added into a filter sock the sock would catch it. It might be an idea to have a small pump that pumps sump water into a filter sock. The ATO water with the Foz Down would be dripped into the sock.

2. inject the Foz Down into the skimmer pump inlet and have a filter sock on the skimmer outlet to catch any flocs that don't get skimmed out.

3. a small powerhead that pumps water into a filter sock. Diluted Foz Down is dripped into the filter sock by a dosing pump several times throughout the day.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

Can you explain the reaction mechanism a bit better please Tim?

Whenever the Foz Down comes in contact with phosphate it binds(flocculates) with it instantly. This flocculant can be filtered out via filter socks or left to settle out in the sump. This is a personal choice in how you maintain your aquarium.

Normally the flocculated phosphate is not visible unless a lot of Foz Down has been added quickly and there are elevated levels of phosphate in the water. Then it looks very similar to adding sodium bicarb solution to tank water where there is a little bit of clouding until it is mixed into the water. Foz Down has the same type of clouding except it does not dissipate as fast. If you get this clouding you have put in too much at once.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

I'm interested in this if it's cheaper to use than gfo.

That is why I produced the Foz Down. I used to use 3.5lbs of High Capacity GFO a month and it was getting expensive. If you like lots of fish Foz Down is the cheapest and easiest way to remove the phosphate. Then of course you would need a lot of Ultra Maximas from Tahiti to use up the nitrate. :-)

Cheers,
Tim

Aqua-Digital · #34 05-15-2013, 02:57 AM

all our dealers have this product just pm or email us for availability

lastlight · #35 05-15-2013, 05:05 AM

Thanks for the answers Tim I like what I'm reading.

I think I might have a pretty good idea where to does the stuff but your input would be appreciated. my drain feeds a chamber in my sump that holds maybe 3-4 gallons of water. This chamber then overflows into a dual filter sock tray. water stays in the tray and then falls through the socks into a second chamer which then spills over into the skimmer chamber. the socks are almost entirely submerged.

I'm thinking if I drip the foz down into the drain chamber it has lots of time to react and then either settle in there (no big deal) or land in the socks.

I have a spare channel on my doser... what sort of amounts are we looking at dosing for optimal performance. and how many times per day?

It would be ideal if I could tell you my phosphate levels but I rarely ever measure I just sort of change gfo based on algae film on my glass...

TimT · #36 05-15-2013, 09:44 PM

Hi Brett,

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

I'm thinking if I drip the foz down into the drain chamber it has lots of time to react and then either settle in there (no big deal) or land in the socks.

That is a perfect place to add it. Try to add it into where the water flows in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lastlight

what sort of amounts are we looking at dosing for optimal performance. and how many times per day?

This will all depend on how much food you put into the tank and your fish load. You will probably have to "dial it in" a bit. Without knowing your bioload I would start off with diluting the Foz Down by 75%(add a 240ml bottle to 750ml of ro water) and then adding 1 ml four times per day. If you notice algae growth(based on your prior experience with GFO) you could increase it. My recommendation would be to use a testkit or a Hanna meter and dose based on the readings. Eventually you will know how much phosphate your tank produces and you can dose accordingly.

Cheers,
Tim