0 phosphate level?

[Steven27]

According to my fluval phosphate test kit my phosphates are showing 0? I would imagine this is not good? Is this showing 0?

 

[Reef.]

The only po4 test kit I would trust for po4 is the Hanna checker and the Elos high resolution test kit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It does not have sufficient low level sensitivity to give a low level concern. I recommend 0.02 to 0.1 ppm phosphate, and the lowest nonzero level on that kit is 0.25 ppm.

 

[Steven27]

It does not have sufficient low level sensitivity to give a low level concern. I recommend 0.02 to 0.1 ppm phosphate, and the lowest nonzero level on that kit is 0.25 ppm.

So the test kit is useless?

 

[Reef.]

So the test kit is useless?

If wanting a result below .25 then yes.

 

[Steven27]

If wanting a result below .25 then yes.

So essentially it’s not measuring above 0.25 so it’s somewhere below that range? So it’s still kinda a good indicator

 

[ReefGeezer]

Others will disagree, but for me, .25 is more than 2.5 times higher than I want in my tank. I would say it wouldn't be a good indicator for me. If you are going to worry about phosphate, get a Hanna ULR 736.

 

[Reef.]

So essentially it’s not measuring above 0.25 so it’s somewhere below that range? So it’s still kinda a good indicator

yes but you could be at 0.24… 0.25 is very high for po4, no one I know would be happy with po4 as high as that, as Randy said, a range of .02 - 0.1 is probably the best range to aim for.

the two tests I mentioned above are very good, with Hanna checker being miles ahead of the Elos.
Salifert is also good for judging if your lvl is below 0.1 but is next to impossible to judge from the colour if the lvl is zero, so only use that one if you know you have some po4 but want to judge if it’s below 0.1, if you see the slightest hint of a blue colour with that test kit then you are above 0.1, so it’s good for that.

 

[Steven27]

yes but you could be at 0.24… 0.25 is very high for po4, no one I know would be happy with po4 as high as that, as Randy said, a range of .02 - 0.1 is probably the best range to aim for.

the two tests I mentioned above are very good, with Hanna checker being miles ahead of the Elos.
Salifert is also good for judging if your lvl is below 0.1 but is next to impossible to judge from the colour if the lvl is zero, so only use that one if you know you have some po4 but want to judge if it’s below 0.1, if you see the slightest hint of a blue colour with that test kit then you are above 0.1, so it’s good for that.

Any indicators in a tank of a phosphate of 0.25?

 

[Reef.]

Any indicators in a tank of a phosphate of 0.25?

Slow coral growth and algae.

You may not have algae now, it can come out of nowhere, you are always trying to prevent issues before they appear, as once you have an issue it can be hard to fix, as you can only do so much with fish and corals in the tank without harming them, so the aim is prevention, not cure.

 

[Reef.]

Just keep up with your tank maintenance and water changes, then buy a different test kit when that one runs out.

 

[Steven27]

Slow coral growth and algae.

You may not have algae now, it can come out of nowhere, you are always trying to prevent issues before they appear, as once you have an issue it can be hard to fix, as you can only do so much with fish and corals in the tank without harming them, so the aim is prevention, not cure.

This was my tank a couple days ago

 

[Biglew11]

So essentially it’s not measuring above 0.25 so it’s somewhere below that range? So it’s still kinda a good indicator

Not really. I generally want between .03 to .1
With this kit you only know for sure you're between 0.0 .25 ppm not very useful if you want say .05 ppm

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any indicators in a tank of a phosphate of 0.25?

An accurate test result showing it. lol

No observation of a tank can tell you the phosphate reading.