clue found for phosphate issue

[jadakiss]

hi guys ive been posting up problems with my tank about phosphate . to keep everyone up to date i have a 55g reef lps and softies . i have a urchin skimmer with a mag 3 and a 1 vortech mp20 2 weeks old also have phosban reactor with media also chemipure elite and using rodi. ive been doing 14g water change every week with reef crystals , so far ph 8.2 sal 1.025 nitrate 5ppm cal 430 alk 7 phosphate checked with my api test kit .5 any way i was reading about how some times people change there tubing and some times steel screws rust. wow man i started to really look at my tank and c y am i getting this problem i just changed my lights so that could be a issue feeding i only have a tang and a wrasse i feed algea strips 4 times a week and a little mysis 1 a week fish are fat and healthy . but when i looked at the hose i use to do water change i said this is the root of it i also looked at the screw and saw something that i said wow 3 yrs and took me this long to c it crazy !!! any heres the pics.


​

 

[D1J8Z]

from what I have read rust is not a problem in reef tanks

 

[CHEMCHEF]

Isnt phosphate media just iron rust in granular form???

 

[jadakiss]

think I found my problem

 

[Keith P]

Ferric Oxide = Rust
That may not be the issue.

I take it that your clamps are not stainless.

 

[jadakiss]

Yes they are 100 percent stainless

 

[Keith P]

I don't know what I was thinking when I asked question...

<Looking at the pile of rusty stainless steel tweezers next to my tank>

 

[Vir]

Yes they are 100 percent stainless

or 100% rust water stain lol

 

[BIG L A]

I have always been a little paranoid about using those so I use these... They have them in plastic, not the same twist tight ones but they do the same thing or use zip ties...

 

[jadakiss]

Lol vir

 

[Dre]

I use them as well maybe mine is aluminum because i don't see any rust on them i just checked.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I use them as well maybe mine is aluminum because i don't see any rust on them i just checked.

I think you should be more concerned with aluminum in salt water than iron in it.

 

[prattreef]

I'm confused. Do you leave that hose and clamp submerged in your tank? You said it was used for water changes, so something is not adding up for me. Even if you do, rusting metal might cause problems in your system, but Phosphate and Cyanobacteria are not likely to be the result of metal toxicity.

 

[tosiek]

Randy is right. And rust does not add Po4 into the tank. So that's not your problem. If it was metal leaching into your water it would be killing coral not creating high Po4 and cyano.

And yes Ferric Oxide is rust in its most broken down form and usually contains no metals. But when metal rusts up and things in your tank start dying or acting unhappy its not the rust, its the metals that are leaching into the water as the metal is breaking down and oxidizing.

 

[jadakiss]

I only used it for water changes but sometimes I would leave it inside the drum where water is at for a day. What I really think my phosphate is coming from is from leaving the algea clip with algea clipped on my tank for the next day. I was suppose to remove it once there done and I would forget . Second I think since I put new bulbs cuz I had about close to a year I think that Also was a issue and second money was a great issue for me like about 5months ago and I didn't do water change too often . I think it's a combination of all. But I've been on top of it now like crazy. Like I said I put a mp20 , phosban ractor , new lights 14k phoniex , chemip pure elite, 14g change every week and I getting 50 cerith snails to help out. I'm currently having my mh lights on for 6hr is that ok?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Do you have the problem before the snails? Did the problem severed after adding the snails?

First, your situation seems to have been a major ammonium spike that result into a nitrate spike sometime before the algae starts to grow. Then if your snails are dying they will also cause similiar situtation. Count if they are mostly alive or missing.

I only used it for water changes but sometimes I would leave it inside the drum where water is at for a day. What I really think my phosphate is coming from is from leaving the algea clip with algea clipped on my tank for the next day. I was suppose to remove it once there done and I would forget . Second I think since I put new bulbs cuz I had about close to a year I think that Also was a issue and second money was a great issue for me like about 5months ago and I didn't do water change too often . I think it's a combination of all. But I've been on top of it now like crazy. Like I said I put a mp20 , phosban ractor , new lights 14k phoniex , chemip pure elite, 14g change every week and I getting 50 cerith snails to help out. I'm currently having my mh lights on for 6hr is that ok?

 

[NYreefNoob]

i never take my algea clip out, do you rinse frozen foods before feeding ? skimmer sufficient for tank and animals ?

 

[jadakiss]

Hi guys to give u a update on my tank my phosphates went down from .5 to .25 with my API kit even if the API sucks I can c with my eyes that it's going down . I added 6 astrea turbo snails 6 nassirus snails and thanks to reef dweed 50 ceirth today I will be adding . So far turbo snails are doing there job and nassirus moving sand . My skimmer was always skimming wet! I cleane the cup real good and poof started to skim wet but with a green tea like . Before it just looked like water. So far so good will post pics soon.

 

[Awibrandy]

I agree with all that have posted before me... You have yet to find the cause of your problem. Keep seeking. Do rinse your frozen foods. By the way I didn't make any water changes in my tanks for 6 months, and had the opposite responce in my reef. Everything blossomed. Go figure......

 

[jadakiss]

My root of my problem was 1. My lights were about 11 mths old 2. Feeding mysis an did not have any snails for the ones that were falling on the sand and feeding too much 3. I was leaving the clip with algea strip over night 4. Didn't do water change for about 4 mths 5. Instead of me acclamting the new bulbs for the tank I blasted them with 6 hrs 6. Poly filter pad was not hanged for 4 mths 7. Nitatre 20 pm. All of this was the root oft problem but since adding new phosban media every 3weeks changing pad every 2weeks 14g water change every week , adding new bulbs and mp20 and inverts my tank is looking like it suppose . Still need more time but I c whole lot of change. Also put chemi elite.