Best phosphate reducing additive for mixed reef?

[Sherman]

I dosing DSR Fe + and you can easily adjust the dosage to control the PO4 level you intend.
I use it together with AF phos minus

 

[Genesis 1:10]

I agree with the GFO comments but the first step in reducing nutrients is to reduce adding them. I battled this myself. You probably need to cut down on feeding and examine what you feed.

 

[Velcro]

Chaeto.

 

[Dogtown]

I dosing DSR Fe + and you can easily adjust the dosage to control the PO4 level you intend.
I use it together with AF phos minus

I'm interested in learning more about your experience using DSR FE+. I only know what I read about it. Are you in the US? Where do you get it? Is it affordable? What are the pros and cons over other options for phosphate control?

 

[Sherman]

Use must dowload the DSR calculator

 

[Donovan Joannes]

Bacteria!. Its free and reef safe.

 

[melev]

This is what I've used for the past 10 years.

 

[Tony@D-D]

Lanthium can be tricky to use and requires quite a powerful skimmer to pull out the precipitate.

Personally id go with a Virgin Ferric Hydroxide remover such as tried and tested Rowaphos in a fluidised reactor, a link for more information

http://www.theaquariumsolution.com/files/What is Rowaphos _15.pdf

Best regards Tony

 

[Reeferdood]

I use phosphate e on a BRS dosing pump, dropped directly into the skimmer reaction chamber. I chose to try this to keep the precip off my impellers and could not be happier. I also use BRS HC GFO in a reactor and my levels stay pretty stable using the Hanna ULR.

 

[Bpb]

This is what I've used for the past 10 years.

I recently started dripping this into a 10 micron sock this week. System is 86 net gallons of water sps dominant. I’m trying to reverse my nutrients to improve growth (lower po4, raise no3). My nitrate levels hang out around 0-4 ppm depending on how much I feed and how much vodka I dose. PO4 tends to hang out around 0.12-0.15.

I’ll get this out of the way. I hate using gfo. The reactor is inconvenient and takes too long to clean and change media. Rather not go that route.

I use the Hanna ULR ppb phosphorous meter. Reagents are still good. Ordering more though.

Starting reading 42 ppb

Day 1: 6 drops - test 24 hrs later 42 ppb
Day 2: 6 drops - test 24 hrs later 46 ppb
Day 3: 12 drops - test 24 hrs later 52 ppb
Day 4: 12 drops - test 24 hrs later 50 ppb

What gives. By the math, every 5-6 drops should reduce po4 by 0.05 ppm in my water volume. It isn’t changing, trending UP if anything. What am I doing wrong.

Edit: I’ll follow up by saying I realize I may have po4 bound up in the rock, but previously gfo was able to reduce it and keep it down for a while. Even more aggressive vodka dosing could get it down to 0.04-0.07 ppm. But over time it has just trended up while nitrate stayed low. I feel like even if it’s in the rocks I should be registering SOME change. Especially when other methods successfully reduced it

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks again @Laith !! oh yeah, do you know if the rumor about liquid phosphate removers causing lowered oxygen levels to be true or false? @Elegance Coral ?? I think that I read this from you but not sure if memory serves me correctly here...

I'm not sure what you mean by a liquid phosphate remover, but the only method mentioned in this thread that consumes O2 is organic carbon dosing (such as NOPOX). Macroalgae (e.g., chaetomorpha) will also reduce O2 when not lit.

IMO, I would not have made the statement that lowered pH cannot dissolve lanthanum phosphate, but it isn't likely to be a big problem if it happens since it will just seem like a small amount of extra food adding phosphate to the tank.

FWIW, if phosphate is elevated and nitrate is not, then a balanced method like macroalgae likely won't work because it needs both and may run out of nitrate first.

Organic carbon dosing is not a particularly good choice if phosphate reduction is the primary goal because it is imbalanced to a lot more nitrate reduction than phosphate.

 

[Reeferdood]

I use phosphate e on a BRS dosing pump, dropped directly into the skimmer reaction chamber. I chose to try this to keep the precip off my impellers and could not be happier. I also use BRS HC GFO in a reactor and my levels stay pretty stable using the Hanna ULR.

Update...
Here is how I do it now...

This is slow flow through a 5 micron sediment filter...
Dosing pump run through the apex..
Keeps levels .002 rock solid..

 

[Domo008]

running gfo is best but an occasional small dose of Brightwell Phophat-E works very fast...provided you skim out the newly bound phosphate. In the long run adsorption by GFO is better than additive "bind and skim" because it is cheaper and you are not adding anything...just exporting PO4. Phosphat E is poisonously expensive here in Aust.

What's your experience with phos e? Cloudy water?

 

[Domo008]

I'm not sure what you mean by a liquid phosphate remover, but the only method mentioned in this thread that consumes O2 is organic carbon dosing (such as NOPOX). Macroalgae (e.g., chaetomorpha) will also reduce O2 when not lit.

IMO, I would not have made the statement that lowered pH cannot dissolve lanthanum phosphate, but it isn't likely to be a big problem if it happens since it will just seem like a small amount of extra food adding phosphate to the tank.

FWIW, if phosphate is elevated and nitrate is not, then a balanced method like macroalgae likely won't work because it needs both and may run out of nitrate first.

Organic carbon dosing is not a particularly good choice if phosphate reduction is the primary goal because it is imbalanced to a lot more nitrate reduction than phosphate.

So what do you recommend to lowers and keep low both no3 and phos

 

[ShawnB]

Update...
Here is how I do it now...

This is slow flow through a 5 micron sediment filter...
Dosing pump run through the apex..
Keeps levels .002 rock solid..

Hello, I think I like this Idea to automate Brightwell phosphate E but have a couple of questions for you.

Looks like you posted this back in April, are you still using this method?
I would assume the 5 micron sedimont filter must get clogged fairly easy since a 10 micron filter sock plugs up within hours of dosing Phosphate e directly into sock. How often do you need to change out sediment filter?
You say slow flow. What size pump are you running?
How did you figure how much daily Phosphate E to dose as a maintenance dose?

Thanks

 

[thefuz]

Update...
Here is how I do it now...

This is slow flow through a 5 micron sediment filter...
Dosing pump run through the apex..
Keeps levels .002 rock solid..

+1 on the update for this one @Reeferdood - I'm also curious how you are feeding the source water.

 

[Reeferdood]

Hey guys,
sorry for the late replies. I am not using this method anymore but I will say that it does work. I was using a maxi jet pump to feed the water and a small dosing pump to regulate LC dosing. I just went back to good old HC GFO from BRS.