Dealing with what I believe to be Phosphates

[Hallowhead]

Howdy,

I've been struggling / fighting algae / dino's etc for the passed 6 months now. I've had un-measurable phosphates with my hanna checker for as long as I can remember at this point.

I have tried several methods against dino's and my most recent being dinox which has worked really well, I continued to dose some phosphates throughout to try to raise my levels to anything but 0. I can't for my life to get higher than zero... no matter how much I dose. I think I have come to the conclusion that... well... my hanna checker may be broken? Any way to easily test that? I guess add some phospate dosage to some salt water and test?

My tank parameters....

salinity: 1.025 - 1.026
alk: 8.5
calcium: 450
phosphate.... 0
nitrate: 2-5
mag: 1375

My tank parameters are very stable however, my phosphate will not elevate from zero no matter what I do... my corals are all beginning to shrivel and appear very close. My once giant euphyllia are now shriveled. I am so lost as to what's going on it's unfair lol.

 

[Hallowhead]

As an update - just took my phosphate dose and added to a small container of fresh salt water and dosed 5ml and it tested above 2.5...

I'm at a loss maybe the low range is broken ?

 

[Hallowhead]

Bump

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Folks telling you to dose phosphate (which is reasonable) should also be telling you it takes way, way more than a calculated amount since most of what you add gets bound rapidly to rock and sand surface.

Just keep dosing.

 

[Hallowhead]

Folks telling you to dose phosphate (which is reasonable) should also be telling you it takes way, way more than a calculated amount since most of what you add gets bound rapidly to rock and sand surface.

Just keep dosing.

Do you recommend mixing a much stronger batch?

I have a 30 gallon tank how much should I calculate per ml dosed ?

 

[sawdonkey]

What tested 2.5, your tank tater or the diluted “dose.”

 

[Hallowhead]

What tested 2.5, your tank tater or the diluted “dose.”

The fresh salt water I spun up and dropped my 5ml of my dose into.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Do you recommend mixing a much stronger batch?

I have a 30 gallon tank how much should I calculate per ml dosed ?

No,., I recommend dosing about 0.03 to 0.05 ppm until you see the level you want 24 h after dosing.

 

[Hallowhead]

No,., I recommend dosing about 0.03 to 0.05 ppm until you see the level you want 24 h after dosing.

So continue to dose daily / bi daily until I see my desired levels 24 hours after dosing?

Dosed 10ml of my solution today

5ml of my solution raises 1/2 gallon from 0ppm to 2ppm so that would raise 30 gallons by .03ppm. I am dosing 10ml a day until I reach ~ .14ppm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So continue to dose daily / bi daily until I see my desired levels 24 hours after dosing?

Dosed 10ml of my solution today

5ml of my solution raises 1/2 gallon from 0ppm to 2ppm so that would raise 30 gallons by .03ppm. I am dosing 10ml a day until I reach ~ .14ppm.

0.14 ppm phosphate seems a fairly high target.

How did you select it?

 

[Hallowhead]

0.14 ppm phosphate seems a fairly high target.

How did you select it?

My tank seemed very strong when I used to read .14.

I'm aiming anything above 0 tbh stable