Can Polyfilter strip Phosphates?

[Reefahholic]

I’d try to get the ratio a little more balanced, but as long as the corals are not pale or having issue’s you’re good. It’s probably being consumed very quickly. I keep getting zero readings even while dosing .04 ppm PO4 daily. The other day I dosed and waited 1 Hr and tested. Boom…finally got a reading! Tested again later that night…zero again. It’s just being consumed too quickly, but it’s in there and my skimmate is too dark to be zero. Corals have good color so I’m not worried about it.

A picture I just found…lol

 

[JayFish4004]

I’d try to get the ratio a little more balanced, but as long as the corals are not pale or having issue’s you’re good. It’s probably being consumed very quickly. I keep getting zero readings even while dosing .04 ppm PO4 daily. The other day I dosed and waited 1 Hr and tested. Boom…finally got a reading! Tested again later that night…zero again. It’s just being consumed too quickly, but it’s in there and my skimmate is too dark to be zero. Corals have good color so I’m not worried about it.

A picture I just found…lol

The funny thing is I actually havent stopped using the polyfilter yet and my phosphates are up - im planning on stopping it soon but Im too scared to do it drastically, especially now that my nutrients are a bit high.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The funny thing is I actually havent stopped using the polyfilter yet and my phosphates are up - im planning on stopping it soon but Im too scared to do it drastically, especially now that my nutrients are a bit high.

Seems normal to me. It isn't doing anything significant in regards to phosphate.

 

[Reefahholic]

The funny thing is I actually havent stopped using the polyfilter yet and my phosphates are up - im planning on stopping it soon but Im too scared to do it drastically, especially now that my nutrients are a bit high.

I think they just pull the fish food, poop, etc out of the water before it can break down and elevate PO4, but doesn’t pull phosphate out of the water column specifically.

I’d just pull it out. There won’t be a drastic change in chemistry. If you need to lower your NO3 put some Siporax in there. It’s pretty effective at removing NO3 as long as the tank husbandry is on point and the reefer dose not have a crush coral bed/ sandbed that is saturated with organics or dead spots in the tank.

 

[AquaLogic]

Nope

POLY-BIO-MARINE, Inc.

POLY-BIO-MARINE - Specialized Water Filtration Systems

www.poly-bio-marine.com

Will Poly-Filter® remove Phosphates in a Fish or Reef Tank?
Yes, Poly-Filter® will sorb Ortho phosphate + Hydrolyzable phosphates + Organic-bound phosphates producing an ultimate Total Phosphorus level of 0.100 mg/L the limit of detection for visual color reactions. No, Poly-Filter® is unique in its function as U.S. Patented sorbent media. Basically, Poly-Filter® sorbs a percentage of the total phosphates per passage through the media. Other Phosphate removal media flocculate and precipitate Ortho phosphate+Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Barium and /or Alkalinity. This means those products actually remove valuable synthetic salt components. Poly-Filter® actually sorbs both PO 4 (ortho phosphate) + Hydrolyzable phosphates without removing Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Barium, Alkalinity or trace elements. The other Phosphate removers either alter seawater chemistry or produce leachable i.e. (Red) Iron Filter leaches ammonia and heavy metals. Activated Alumina leaches aluminum while sorbing bicarbonates and trace metals.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

POLY-BIO-MARINE, Inc.

POLY-BIO-MARINE - Specialized Water Filtration Systems

www.poly-bio-marine.com

Will Poly-Filter® remove Phosphates in a Fish or Reef Tank?
Yes, Poly-Filter® will sorb Ortho phosphate + Hydrolyzable phosphates + Organic-bound phosphates producing an ultimate Total Phosphorus level of 0.100 mg/L the limit of detection for visual color reactions. No, Poly-Filter® is unique in its function as U.S. Patented sorbent media. Basically, Poly-Filter® sorbs a percentage of the total phosphates per passage through the media. Other Phosphate removal media flocculate and precipitate Ortho phosphate+Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Barium and /or Alkalinity. This means those products actually remove valuable synthetic salt components. Poly-Filter® actually sorbs both PO 4 (ortho phosphate) + Hydrolyzable phosphates without removing Calcium, Magnesium, Strontium, Barium, Alkalinity or trace elements. The other Phosphate removers either alter seawater chemistry or produce leachable i.e. (Red) Iron Filter leaches ammonia and heavy metals. Activated Alumina leaches aluminum while sorbing bicarbonates and trace metals.

Fortunately we do not have to rely on manufacturer assertions to properly understand if and how most products work.

The polymer may bind orthophosphate from fresh water, as will any positively charged polymer, but it will not bind significant orthophosphate from seawater. No polymer will. There is too much competition from sulfate and chloride that take up those same positively charged binding sites.

I am a coinventor of sevelamer, the best phosphate binding polymer, and billions of dollars worth of it have been sold for binding phosphate in human medicine for folks with excessive phosphate. But even it cannot bind significant phosphate from seawater at the levels we care about.

Many polymer materials will bind organics, and if those organics contain phosphate, there can be an effect from these materials on the phosphate concentration in the water.

 

[AquaLogic]

Fortunately we do not have to rely on manufacturer assertions to properly understand if and how most products work.

The polymer may bind orthophosphate from fresh water, as will any positively charged polymer, but it will not bind significant orthophosphate from seawater. No polymer will. There is too much competition from sulfate and chloride that take up those same positively charged binding sites.

I am a coinventor of sevelamer, the best phosphate binding polymer, and billions of dollars worth of it have been sold for binding phosphate in human medicine for folks with excessive phosphate. But even it cannot bind significant phosphate from seawater at the levels we care about.

Many polymer materials will bind organics, and if those organics contain phosphate, there can be an effect from these materials on the phosphate concentration in the water.

Thanks, I was hoping you would chime in on this. I thought it probable that this claim was manufacturer nonsense, and it's good to have that verified.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks, I was hoping you would chime in on this. I thought it probable that this claim was manufacturer nonsense, and it's good to have that verified.

The Chemipure folks make a similar claim with a similar deficiency.