Hey is .30 phosphates too high???

[45ZoaGarden]

That’s what I’m thinking. 0.5 would be way out of the range for healthy corals.

Hanna ULR, perhaps op is reading .005 ppb and not converting to ppm?

Source of number is curious!

 

[Natescorals]

Now Hanna is reading phosphates at .16
Something doesn’t seem right. Water looks a bit cloudy and there is a little red slime algae. Corals also are a little closed up

 

[xxkenny90xx]

e) You are not converting Phosphorus to Phosphates and using the Phosphorus Checker

This is what I was thinking too. Here's the conversion chart

 

[ScottB]

Now Hanna is reading phosphates at .16
Something doesn’t seem right. Water looks a bit cloudy and there is a little red slime algae. Corals also are a little closed up

At .16 you can grow some cyano but not the end of the world.

 

[ScottB]

Now Hanna is reading phosphates at .16
Something doesn’t seem right. Water looks a bit cloudy and there is a little red slime algae. Corals also are a little closed up

How many hours in to treatment are you?

 

[piranhaman00]

Ppm or ppb? Because at .5 ppm you would have a tank full of dead coral.

That’s not true at all, people on here have tanks running close to 1ppm

 

[xxkenny90xx]

That’s not true at all, people on here have tanks running close to 1ppm

Piranah is correct. Stability is the most important factor, not the exact #

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Yes but at exact numbers, it becomes inhabitable.

Piranah is correct. Stability is the most important factor, not the exact #

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Yes but at exact numbers, it becomes inhabitable.

I'm sure that's true, but it would be a much higher number than .5ppm

 

[Rick.45cal]

I suspect that your Hanna checker is defunct, or your reagents are bad. I’d personally get a different test kit and compare your tests.

As for .5 ppm of phosphate leading to a tank full of dead corals, that‘s simply not true. Last I checked my tank was running at 1 ppm of phosphate. Clearly it’s full of dead corals...

 

[piranhaman00]

Yes but at exact numbers, it becomes inhabitable.

Very true! But much higher than 0.5ppm! I remember someone on here had a reef tank at 2.5ppm PO4, I’m sure some are even higher.

 

[Uncle99]

I run phosphate at .15-.25 (or at least that’s what the checker says) for years now, great growth and color, no green algae’s at all.
As stated above, it more the stability than level (within reason) and hobby grade tests have easy 0.04 margin of error....(I think more)

 

[Natescorals]

I’m also using reagents from a different hannna checker could that be a problem?

 

[Natescorals]

I accidentally ordered the wrong reagents. I got the reagents for the Hanna ULR H1736-0. But my device is the H1774. Would this really make a difference? Also I’m lighting the fuge with a cheap grow light I got on amazon for like $10. Just a bare bottom fuge with nothing in it but chaeto.

 

[Natescorals]

That is a bit high.

1. what light do you have for your chaeto

2. Do you have any idea where the phosphates are coming from (ie tap, overfeeding, rocks used previosuly but not cure, etc.)


I am not sure the exact amount of phosphates needed to slow coral growth but I am sure someone else can give you a better answer for that

I have a 32 gallon tank with 2 clownfish. I do feed the clownfish a lot of food. Usually I feed until they stop eating. But I make sure nothing gets left behind to rot. I target feed reef roids twice a week

 

[Natescorals]

I used BRS RODI, and reef crystals, w/Hanna checker and I'm getting .03. I wouldn't jump to buying a rector without discovering what is causing it. How often do you feed, any chance you have a busted magnet, of any other types of metals possible leaching into the system.

I did upgrade to a 2.5 gallon tank fuge. Before I upgraded I completely spray painted the outside of the glass black and drilled a hole in the side of the glass. Then I added a bulkhead with some pvc pipe. Is it possible some spray paint leeched into the tank?

 

[Natescorals]

Also, any chance you have your Waste water and your RODI output lines switched?

I always make sure I don’t make that mistake

 

[Natescorals]

+1 that’s a little high. Same questions and how much media are you using?

I’m using about 4 tablespoons of phosgaurd. 32 gallon tank

 

[xxkenny90xx]

How's the chaeto growing? Reef roids will boost your phosphates. I know this isn't typical but I only target feed roids just before water changes

 

[Natescorals]

Whoa. Something is really wrong here. I'll put out a few guesses:
a) Your cuvettes are not clean -- particularly #2
b) The Checker is busted.
c) You have the Phosphate Checker but are using the phosphorus reagents
d) The opposite of c)
e) You are not converting Phosphorus to Phosphates and using the Phosphorus Checker
f) Somebody took a dump in your mixing barrel

Does the sample turn BLUE when you mix in the reagent?

I am not using the reagents that are linked to the model Hanna checker that I do have. But their still the low range re agents. What’s the difference between phosphate and phosphorus? I’m confused by that. And what do you mean converting it? I thought that you can just get the reading. I didn’t know you had to convert numbers?