the other
lfs that i go to, the GOOD one, says it sucks. he suggested something called phosphate and silicate magnet by mark weiss. and yet another guy at the same store says none of it is necessary just do 10% water changes weekly. so here i am, more confused than ever!
lilismom1,
Not to worry, you will find a lot of conflicting advice in forums and in
LFS's....Education is the key, and even in reading, you will find many times that authors do things differently, and conflict each others views...
The thing to remember here, or learn, is, pads and sheets, liquids and powders, do not cure the problem, they only mask it to be better, and the root cause of the nuisance algaes and films, is still there.
Phosphate magnets are used my many, with great success, and others have great success without them... I thnk what should be done, is a close examination as to why you are needing them in the first place, and what is causing the symptoms that warrant it....
My guess is, you have a reason for it, (I didn't see that in the first post) Nuisance algae, I.E., Red Slime, Hair Algae, Bryopsis, Diatoms? How old is your tank?What kind of food? How much do you feed? What kind of water are you using for fill/top off.
RO or Tap? There are a lot of questions to ask when diagnosing where the problem is coming from.
If you are not having these problems, and are just looking into preventive methods to keep the
PO4, Silicates and
NO3 down, then:
The
LFS that told you to do a 10% water change and that is all you need, is somewhat the best answer of all..