High Phosphate

[Jaynie1028]

what are phospates supposed to be? I tested mine last night and they read 2.0. Is that way to high for a tank that has been running for 5 months? My nitrates are testing like 0 to 20. All the other readings are great.

Im using api test kit for the phospates

 

[jackson6745]

2.0 is very high for any tank running any length of time.

 

[Jaynie1028]

how do I lower it?

 

[Deanos]

Phosphates and the Reef Aquarium

 

[NYPDFrogman]

how do I lower it?

you can read up on it but it's easier to ask Kathy c

 

[Jaynie1028]

I bought kent marine phosphate sponge today and put in about 1 1/2 cups of it in my sump of my 29 gallon bio cube. They dont say how much to use. I hope I didnt put in too much. Has anyone ever used this before? How did it work? Does anyone know how much I am supposed to put in a 29 gallon? Also it says to leave in tank for 8 hours to 2 days. Is that about right?

Thanks

 

[jrobbins]

i have never used the kent marine sponge before so i cant really comment on it, but the general consensus seems to be that phosban (GFO) in a reactor is the best way to lower it.

however, you really should try to find out what the source of it is rather than just dose your tank.

another thing to consider is that phosphate test kits generally suck. if you aren't seeing an outbreak of cyano, algae, or your inverts suffering, i am not sure i would take any action right now.

odds are it is just overfeeding but if your nitrates are really testing around 20ppm, your Po4 is probably higher than you want it...

and def. take the time to read the link D posted

 

[Jaynie1028]

Thanks, what made me think my phosphate where high is the fact that I had xenia about 2 months ago and they were doing wonderful for about a 6 weeks then they just died. So I got a few more frags last week and the same thing. They died within 3 or 4 days. So at this point I knew something was wrong. I tested everything and that was the only thing that tested bad. But all my corals and inverts are doing good. So Im not really sure what is going on.

 

[JLAudio]

A few steps:

1) Use RODI water, if not using currently (check after a length of time with a TDS meter to make sure its doing its job

2) Start doing some serious water changes, possibly a 25% to begin with, and keep these at a high frequency till you manually deplete of phosphates

3) Get a phosphate reactor, with Rowaphos or phosban or another phosphate absorbing media that wont seep back into water

4) Make sure you Skimmer is Kicking A%$! If not see used equipment add and get one that can manage your livestock water volume.

4) Put some macroalge in your sump, to assist the other methods in reducing phos and nitrates (Controversial, but I personally have found luck with it)

BTW I believe Kent sponge says only to use for a cpl days because it starts leaking phos back in water so, maybe change to one of the easier ones that lasts a cpl months

 

[boardryder]

Good luck. It's not impossible but at least for me has been a pain. You could learn all you want about po4 here. Just do a quick search for it on MR, or you can even search my threads as I've been suffering the issue for some time.

Basically
do water changes,
use ro/di water,
use good salt w/ low po4,
watch what you feed,
watch what kind of carbon if any you use,
po4 can be absorbed by ls and lr over time then released over time,
and get a reactor with some good po4 removing media.

 

[h20 freak]

0 nitrates and 20 nitrates are a way different thing

 

[cb747]

I battled PO4 for a long time. I got it under control using a chemical for swimming pools. I used it under the advice and guidance of Joe Y from Atlantis. My levels were higher than 2.75..... I dosed 10 ML a day and in the course of a month it dropped to .1. The chemical isnt that effective after you attain that level so ive used GFO to get it down even lower. My problem is all the PO4 was locked in my rockwork and leaching back out into the tank. I severely slacked on maintance for quite awhile elading up to this. http://www.seaklear.com/p_2phosphate.asp This will leave a percipitate on your glass which will be a PITA to get off. It is the same exact chemical as this product which is marketed for the aquarium industry http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...iew~idProduct~BL2131~idCategory~FIADSAPR.html

 

[jackson6745]

Interesting Chris!

 

[mshur]

Cheap and easy way to control PO4/NO3----VSV

Reef Central Online Community - Vodka...and +++

mike

 

[cb747]

It works real well Rich. It also should be mixed with water and dripped in by however method you choose by the skimmer intake. Alternatively it can be dripped into a filter sock which is what i did. I would mix mine in a gallon of RO/DI and drip it over the coarse of 24 hours via a dosing pump. I now dose 5 ml 2 to 3 times a week to prolong the life of my GFO.