Aquarium Algae Control: How I Used RowaPhos to Control Phosphates

I’ve been writing a lot lately about aquarium algae control in saltwater aquariums. Why? I used to have lots of algae problems in my aquarium, and with some patience and lots of research and testing I was able to get rid of most of the nuisance algae in my 75 gallon saltwater aquarium.

Getting rid of the nuisance algae took some time, and did I mention patience? I was about ready to throw my aquarium out the window a few times. Well, at least if could lift 900 pounds I might have…

Skeptical at first

What was one of the key items I purchased to help with algae control? RowaPhos. This stuff (RowaPhos) is quite simple actually. Just add it to a reactor, flush the RowaPhos with purified water, attach the reactor to your aquarium – and let it get to work.

Let me say this – at first I was kinda skeptical. I had read all kinds of good reviews on using RowaPhos before trying it with my aquarium, but when I started using the stuff it didn’t really do anything – at least for the first couple months. It took some time for the RowaPhos to get all the phosphates out of my aquarium. Not because it’s lousy at what it does, nope. It was because I had a huge phosphate problem that wasn’t going to be fixed overnight.

Sticking to it

I faithfully kept the RowaPhos and reactor running on my aquarium for about 3 months before I started to see the nuisance algae levels drop. And when it happened it happened quickly.

I changed the RowaPhos about every 3 weeks. I figured I would need to do this to keep the phosphate absorption levels at an optimal level. I ended up having to change the RowaPhos a few times during that 3 months stretch.

After 3 months, when I had all but figured the RowaPhos wasn’t really going to help me out with my nuisance algae – I noticed that the brown diatoms didn’t really come back anymore after I changed the water and cleaned the glass. This was awesome!

Just about when I was about to give up was when the benefits of using the RowaPhos religiously for a few months was starting to pay off – great timing!

Good bye brown algae and diatoms

Once I noticed the nuisance algae and brown diatoms weren’t coming back as quickly, I made sure to keep using that RowaPhos. I still replace it every now and then, but I usually let a single fill go for about 5 weeks now before I change it.

Now, I get a little bit of nuisance algae here and there, but not anything close to what I used to. Everything I get now can easily be cleaned up and eliminated by the snails that I have in the aquarium.

My advice to anybody that wants to try to use RowaPhos to reduce phosphates and silicates – just do it! And be patient. Patience is the key. If you don’t think it’s doing anything for you, just keep using it and be persistent, you might be surprised.

Get a reactor

Make sure you get a reactor as well. Don’t put this stuff in a filter bag and stuff it in your canister filter, I don’t think that will work as good. I had tried that route for a while but it didn’t seem like it was getting as much water coverage as it could, which is when I decided to buy a reactor.

Purchasing a reactor wasn’t a bad move at all as the reactor was cheap anyways and I don’t need to tear apart the canister filter to change the RowaPhos media. It also works great if I want to run carbon for a few days, I can run it in the reactor to polish the water and then get it off the tank easily when done, all without having to dig into the canister filter underneath the aquarium.

Happy overall

All in all, I really like RowaPhos and will continue to use that as my go-to phosphate removal media. It just works, and I have had great success with it, so why switch?

To learn more about RowaPhos or to Buy: ROWAphos Phosphate Removal Media