Hanna phosphorus ulr ppb help
- Thread starter Sam22
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Justin Cook
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2018
- Messages
- 256
- Reaction score
- 272
- Location
- Stone Mtn., GA
- What state or country do you live in
- Georgia
In my experience, I've been continually dosing and haven't hit my ideal range yet so I can't really speak to how stable it'll be. Because I didn't see anything really bad happening in my tank, aside from a few bits of nuisance algae, I've only been dosing 2mL every other day. I tested today and my level is 40 ppb down from a high of 198 ppb. When I saw how high my levels were, I didn't believe it but someone asked me if the solution turned noticeable blue and there was no question, it was definitely blue shortly after I added the reagent.
One thing I would note, it takes a lot more that I though it would. There some conversation about PO4 being bound up in rocks and substrate and releasing it back into the tank water. This would certainly explain what I'm seeing in my tank but some folks don't think it's as big a problem as others make it out to be. Regardless, I'm taking it slow and as long as the levels are going down, I'm happy.
One thing I would note, it takes a lot more that I though it would. There some conversation about PO4 being bound up in rocks and substrate and releasing it back into the tank water. This would certainly explain what I'm seeing in my tank but some folks don't think it's as big a problem as others make it out to be. Regardless, I'm taking it slow and as long as the levels are going down, I'm happy.
Spieg
Valuable Member
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2020
- Messages
- 1,424
- Reaction score
- 1,432
- What state or country do you live in
- Colorado
Once levels get that high, your rock and sand will soak up a lot of PO4. It will take quite a while to get it to stay down as it will release back out of the rock into the water... you'll be fighting/dosing this for quite a while before it will stay in range.
Justin Cook
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2018
- Messages
- 256
- Reaction score
- 272
- Location
- Stone Mtn., GA
- What state or country do you live in
- Georgia
This has been my experience, exactly. I've seen some debate over how much PO4 can be "stored and released" by rock and substrate but the symptoms of it are exactly what I've got going on in my tank right now. To answer your question with my best guess? I'm guessing that I'll be dosing a lanthanum chloride product for quite a while to get things down and stable.
Just take your sweet time and test, test, test.
Go too far, and the aragonite goes empty, your corals are gone and I will walk you through treating dinoflagellates where you will be dosing phosphates. It is a cruel place. A common place but still not where you want to be.
@Sam22 I hope you hear this too. Too much PO4 can be annoying, but too little is much worse unless you have a major heavy nutrient in/out set up where nothing is measurable but something always available.
Just wanted to say thanks for everyone’s help! Thought I’d update I bought some new reagent for my phosphorus checker and tested being super careful and got 143 so 0.43 still super high but a lot better than the 0.7 I originally thought changed the rowaphos last night and will be testing daily from now on. Was just after a last bit of advice is the a rough limit to ppb drop each day eg I’m at 143 today would going down to 103 tomorrow be to quick if a drop. Only using rowaphos not dosing anything
Great advice this would help me control the speed in which it drops defiantly going to do this. What would I recommend as a safe ppb drop daily or weekly so I have a guide to work with not going to try rush dropping it
Uncle99
10K Club member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2018
- Messages
- 10,506
- Reaction score
- 15,974
- Location
- Province of Ontario
- What state or country do you live in
- Canada
With high phosphate, GFO would be expensive.
I would use LC product and some fine sock or filter to bring it down a little each day until you get to .2, then use GFO to pull the rest, but not lower than 0.03ppm.
I would use LC product and some fine sock or filter to bring it down a little each day until you get to .2, then use GFO to pull the rest, but not lower than 0.03ppm.
.05 per day is a common recommendation for PO4 reduction.
Just get REAL careful once you reach .2. You did not get here fast. You should not get "there" fast either.
Just get REAL careful once you reach .2. You did not get here fast. You should not get "there" fast either.
Donseas
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2020
- Messages
- 162
- Reaction score
- 350
- Location
- Millbrae, Ca
- What state or country do you live in
- California
I may be confused. At the beginning you stated you tested with Red Sea Phosphate kit. Now you are testing for phosphorus, Isn't that different. If you want to test to Phosphate you need the Hanna Phosphate Url H1774.
ReefPig
Active Member
I strongly urge you to conduct an ICP test before doing anything radical, particularly if you’re already running GFO.
All of the Hanna Phosphate/Phosphorus checkers can be thrown off by other elements being high.
The best example of this is silicates being high, makes the Hanna read high phosphates. This is because silicates and phosphates are very close to each other from a light spectrum perspective and can ”bleed” into each other on photocell based checkers.
There are others though, there used to be a list on Hanna’s website on the phosphate checker stating what would throw it off, but it applies to all checkers.
I was fighting massive phosphates for ages, and used many tool to help me reduce them. Ultimately I killed a lot of corals and caused dinos. Turned out I didn’t have a phosphate issue, I had a silicate issue, caused by Siporax media.
All of the Hanna Phosphate/Phosphorus checkers can be thrown off by other elements being high.
The best example of this is silicates being high, makes the Hanna read high phosphates. This is because silicates and phosphates are very close to each other from a light spectrum perspective and can ”bleed” into each other on photocell based checkers.
There are others though, there used to be a list on Hanna’s website on the phosphate checker stating what would throw it off, but it applies to all checkers.
I was fighting massive phosphates for ages, and used many tool to help me reduce them. Ultimately I killed a lot of corals and caused dinos. Turned out I didn’t have a phosphate issue, I had a silicate issue, caused by Siporax media.
OP bought the Hanna Phosphorus ULR. I also use it. Very good low range resolution.
This is my first tank and was advised to use rowaphos and change every 4-6 weeks and wasn’t never told it should tumble so it was basically doing nothing since then I’ve been using 2 tea spoons of rowa phos tumbling and change each time the phosphate goes up again but it is coming down just not rushing to drop it in range right now it’s sitting around 53 and was at 133 I believe everything in the tank still looks happy so don’t think I’ve been dropping it to fast. I also know after reading many posts on here I’ll probably have a lot of phosphate in my rock work so it’s gonna be a long process to get it in range and keep it there. I think I was a little heavy on the fish food and reef roofs being a new reefer!!
That is a very interesting observation. I learn something new every day.
I will do my own public service announcement. ICP tests will give you a much lower reading on PO4 than your Hanna will. I have a consistent spread of .07 to .1 difference. ATI and Triton. Every time. I have "normal" ranges of silicates at 131.
