[meschaefer]

Quote: Originally Posted by da5speed I have the same problem and no phosphates in the tank But i think its due to the fact that i get more natural light in the room in the summer

Sure no phosphates....


It is biologically impossible for algae to grow without phosphates in your system. It is biologically impossible for you to have an algae problem without excess phosphates in your system.

[da5speed]

Quote: Originally Posted by meschaefer Sure no phosphates.... It is biologically impossible for algae to grow without phosphates in your system. It is biologically impossible for you to have an algae problem without excess phosphates in your system.

According to my Reef Master Test Kit it comes up as no phosphates. As for as i know im not color blind. The test came out clear. But if you would like to suggest another brand of test kit that work better please let me know.

[meschaefer]

Quote: Originally Posted by da5speed According to my Reef Master Test Kit it comes up as no phosphates. As for as i know im not color blind. The test came out clear. But if you would like to suggest another brand of test kit that work better please let me know.

I hear the Hatch and ELos phosphate test kits are good, I use a Hanna Colorimeter.

Most phosphate test kits are garbage. the other problem is that if you have a lot of algae, the algae use up the phosphates as soon as they are introduced into the water column. The end result is that you are possibly introducing alot of phosphate to the system, but it never shows up on the test.

In all honesty, the best phosphate test kit you have is your tank. If you have an algae problem, you have high phosphates. It is best to assume that you have very high phosphates and than deal with the problem. The largest input of phosphates into the system comes from food. (The gel used to bind together most frozen foods is loaded with it).

There is no way to avoid the introduction of phosphates. You want to make sure you are not adding more phosphates than necessary. Then you need a way to export it out of your system. I run Granulated Ferric Oxide (GFO) in a reactor. Others use macro algae (which IMO has its own set of problems).

[masterswimmer]

Quote: Originally Posted by da5speed According to my Reef Master Test Kit it comes up as no phosphates. As for as i know im not color blind. The test came out clear. But if you would like to suggest another brand of test kit that work better please let me know.

I'm sure Matt isn't suggesting you're color blind. The most efficient phosphate test 'kit' on the hobbyist level is the Hanna Phosphate Photometer. It is not a titration test like the one you're using. It is expensive, but will reveal to you that phosphates are present in your system.

swimmer

[da5speed]

No i are most test do stink. How often should the media in a phosband reactor be changed? I test the levels last night and they did say 0 but i was planning on hocking up the phosband reactor tonight. I have not hocked it up on the tank since i set it up back in Fed. But since i have added new fish in the last month i do realize i am putting more phosphates in the water with the food. I dont remember off hand what brand media i have but i was told its the type that doesnt release it back into the tank. Thanks

[meschaefer]

Quote: Originally Posted by da5speed No i are most test do stink. How often should the media in a phosband reactor be changed? I test the levels last night and they did say 0 but i was planning on hocking up the phosband reactor tonight. I have not hocked it up on the tank since i set it up back in Fed. But since i have added new fish in the last month i do realize i am putting more phosphates in the water with the food. I dont remember off hand what brand media i have but i was told its the type that doesnt release it back into the tank. Thanks

???

You need to proof read, and I am not quite sure what you mean by "Hocked".

If you haven't changed the media out since February, it is probably exhausted.

If you are asking about how often it needs to be changed out generally, that is hard to say as there are to many variables. I have an accurate test for phosphates, but I generally use the "viewing pane" method. When I notice that algae is building up on the front glass of my tank quicker than normal (I usually only need to clean it once a week) I know that the phosban is exhausted and needs to be changed.

[fishguy23]

Hey Matt,

1. The size of your tank, and sump
2. The number and type of fish you have
3. The type of filtration that you use
4. What you feed your tank and how much
5. All of your test kit readings.
6. you lighting cycle, the number of bulbs you use, their size and type

50 Gallon (3 damsels, 1 Clarkii, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Algae Blenny, 1 LTA, ) plumbed w/ my 15 cube (Pair of Tomato Clowns) which is drained to my sump w/ live rock & fuge (macro, mud, LR)

Lighting: 50gallon: 150 watt hqi & 2x96PC, 15 cube: 70 watt hqi. 8am my actinics come on, 10am-5pm (MH run for bout 7hrs), and my lunars come on at nt from 10pm-6am

Coralife 225 Needle point SKimmer (I know newbie mistake)

Thawed mysis every other day, Dried seaweed 3x a week


Im going to get a thorough analysis of my water rt now

	MH Metal Halide Lighting, typically used for high intensity light demanding corals such as SPS. Bulbs come in varieties of spectrums (7k, 10k,20k), and intensity (175W, 250W, 400W).

[jay1335]

I think he meant hooked instead of hocked and it sounds like he hasnt even set it up yet.

[mandown123]

if you see gas bubbles in it, its most likely cyanobacteria, as this type produces oxygen as part of its life cycle i believe, so you get small bubbles in it. how bad is the outbreak? you can try blowing it off with turkey blaster to slow the growth. blow you rocks off the keep the fuel away from the fire if you get what i mean. do a nice 20, 25% water change with RO water. it doesnt seem like you're overfeeding or anything and my guess is it is a temporary bloom because of adjustment to your new setup and will subside in a little while as long as everything is kept neat. let me know how it works out

[mray]

I noticed that feeding pellets too often raises phosphates like crazy.