.41 phosphate. Is it time for GFO ?

[wwcgroupie]

Tank is roughly 3 months old and 113 gallons including sump. With 6 fish. I’ve been battling Dino for about two weeks. Everyday I’ve been blasting the rocks and sand bed and every morning I’ve been changing the filter sock. Starting to feel like I’m winning the battle. Thought I should check phosphate and nitrates due to all the stirring up I’ve been doing. Last week my Hannah UL phosphate tester read .49 and nyos nitrate read 3 So I cut feeding in half and today I did a 15g water change. After 3 hours I tested again. Phosphate .41 and nitrates 1

should I use phosphate-E or GFO or both.

while on the subject if I use phosphate-E is my math of 7ml = a reduction of .25ppm in my 113 gallon system correct ?

Phosphat-E 1ml = 1ppm in 4 gallons​

 

[wwcgroupie]

Oh and yesterday I've extended my Refugium light to 24hr vs the 12 opposite DT schedule I’ve been running. It’s 100% sea lettuce (which I hate btw and miss chaeto)

 

[Lavey29]

You need to raise nitrates to 10. I've used phosguard to bring phosphate down previously. I like it because it walks it down slowly over some days so no shock to the system.

 

[wwcgroupie]

10 ? Maybe we’re saying the same thing. My nitrates are here

 

[Lavey29]

10 ? Maybe we’re saying the same thing. My nitrates are here

No, that's part of the reason you have dinos. Your nitrates are very low at 1. Should be 5 minimum but 10 preferred if you have corals in the tank.

 

[wwcgroupie]

I’ve read that a lot, but was focusing on lowering my phosphate with water changes and putting my fish tank on a diet.

so you’re saying feed more. especially dry foods. which would get my nitrates up between the 5&12 which would lower my phosphate and help solve my Dino problem ?

 

[Lavey29]

I’ve read that a lot, but was focusing on lowering my phosphate with water changes and putting my fish tank on a diet.

so you’re saying feed more. especially dry foods. which would get my nitrates up between the 5&12 which would lower my phosphate and help solve my Dino problem ?

Water changes do essentially nothing to lower phosphate. It will lower nitrates though. Feeding more can raise your nitrates level, maybe switch to every other week for water changes. A bag of phosguard in your sump will walk the phosphate number down.

As far as dino cure, getting parameters correct will help. Cut lights to 6 hours with only blue and UV no whites. Dose bacteria like PNS probio to increase your biodiversity.

 

[wwcgroupie]

What if I just does a little nitrate ? Nitrates seems to be the earlier one to control

 

[Doctorgori]

u

Tank is roughly 3 months old and 113 gallons including sump. With 6 fish. I’ve been battling Dino for about two weeks. Everyday I’ve been blasting the rocks and sand bed and every morning I’ve been changing the filter sock. Starting to feel like I’m winning the battle. Thought I should check phosphate and nitrates due to all the stirring up I’ve been doing. Last week my Hannah UL phosphate tester read .49 and nyos nitrate read 3 So I cut feeding in half and today I did a 15g water change. After 3 hours I tested again. Phosphate .41 and nitrates 1

should I use phosphate-E or GFO or both.

while on the subject if I use phosphate-E is my math of 7ml = a reduction of .25ppm in my 113 gallon system correct ?

Phosphat-E 1ml = 1ppm in 4 gallons​

I hate bothering Randy, honestly… I can only imagine the bombardment of pms and msgs he gets daily…
anyway..
but a few threads ago someone suggested you can use lanthium in tandem with gfo… i have done this recently: using half the GFO and dosing lanthium in adjustment and it seems OK so far but my high school chemistry is inadequate to determine any side effects…
as for nitrate and phosphate “ratios” ..if that’s a thing then I’m learning also

 

[Doctorgori]

What if I just does a little nitrate ? Nitrates seems to be the earlier one to control

easier to control nitrate? Not in my experience…is there a chemical you can dose to remove nitrate (like you can with phosphate)?
You mean dose nitrate? perhaps for a coral packed tank, but I dunno..I’m still trying to figure out why you just can’t feed more…I’ll defer..
Regardless, nitrates just recently in the last few years became a boogie man … honestly until recently . I never bothered measuring it, and relied on my refugium and H2O changes to manage it…

but I’m open minded

 

[wwcgroupie]

easier to control in the since I can add it slowly and stop once I achieve the desired result vs GFO or other medias that’s put I place and hope it removes the desired amount..

But you’re right feeding more is by far the easiest and healthy option for now. Auto fish feeder is now three times a day. Plus an extra sheet of nori for the foxface.

I may skip next week water change depending on levels.

I’ll keep y’all posted, thanks again fam!

 

[Dburr1014]

Frozen food is higher in nitrates than phosphate. Dry foods are higher than in phosphate and nitrates such as pellets or flake. So you're going to want to feed more frozen foods.

 

[Lavey29]

What if I just does a little nitrate ? Nitrates seems to be the earlier one to control

You can do that too. I had to double dose neonitro and neophos for several weeks before I got some measurable numbers.

 

[wwcgroupie]

Frozen food is higher in nitrates than phosphate. Dry foods are higher than in phosphate and nitrates such as pellets or flake. So you're going to want to feed more frozen foods.

Thanks you for that correction !!

 

[minus9]

PNS Probio for the win. Why use chemicals when bacteria will do the job and there’s no risk involved.

 

[Lavey29]

PNS Probio for the win. Why use chemicals when bacteria will do the job and there’s no risk involved.

Yes, that natural supplement works great.

 

[wwcgroupie]

I’m not 100% sold on bacteria in a bottle. I am open minded so I’ll give it a read.

 

[minus9]

I’m not 100% sold on bacteria in a bottle. I am open minded so I’ll give it a read.

I tried carbon dosing, rowaphos, etc. it wasn’t until I started using PNS Probio that my PO4 was under control, plus I was able to feed my corals in the process. It’s a more natural way of dealing with nutrients and you don’t run the risks of stripping nutrients to absolute depletion. How to dose PNS

 

[Lavey29]

I’m not 100% sold on bacteria in a bottle. I am open minded so I’ll give it a read.

Me either, but I've been using that stuff for 2 months now and it really cleaned up my sand and tank. My filter sock stays clean for a week now too. It helps remove detritus and will lower phosphate too.

 

[wwcgroupie]

How dangerous are my current number. What I mean is do I have the luxury of time to try raising No3 with feeding frozen foods or should I overnight express PNS ?