High Phosphate Advice

[adumb112]

Hey everyone.
My phosphates are crazy high and looking for some advice on long term fixes/advice.

I have a 25g IM Lagoon, running an Aquamaxx 1.5 HOB skimmer and Chemipure as filtration. I use only RODI and do 5g WC’s every week.
My bio-load is very small with only a pair of clowns and diamond goby. I feed PE mysis, Reef-roids and Reef Energy AB+ every other day.

I thought my Hanna tester was broken because it was reading 0.58, I verified phosphate level was high with a API kit.

I only have LPS/softies and haven’t had any loses other than 1 torch with a barnacle growing in his mouth.

I’ve tried a Refugium, but the Cheato only dies off after 2-3 months.

Now looking at adding a GFO reactor. Anybody running a reactor in the IM chambers or using a HOB?

I’ve been in the hobby for 13yrs and this is my smallest tank I’ve owned and the first time I’ve encountered this issue.

Thanks.

 

[Macbalacano]

I think the major sources of your phosphates are for sure reef-roids and reef energy AB+.

Anytime I feed reef roids in my tank at the recommended dose, it doubles the phosphate!

I have a fuge with Chaeto and works for me, but lots of people on here use GFO.

 

[richiero]

I think the major sources of your phosphates are for sure reef-roids and reef energy AB+.

Anytime I feed reef roids in my tank at the recommended dose, it doubles the phosphate!

I have a fuge with Chaeto and works for me, but lots of people on here use GFO.

I think reef roids is your main source of high PO4. Feed less of it, you can try an algae scrubber or a cheato reactor. If you want to dose something try nitraphos minus from aqua forest once you dial it in it works great take it slow this stuff will bottom out your po4 and no3 super quick.

 

[Greg P]

0.58 PO4 isn't super high, but it's certainly up there. If your corals are happy it's not a big issue.
With the chaeto dying off, wondering what your NO3 is at

 

[adumb112]

0.58 PO4 isn't super high, but it's certainly up there. If your corals are happy it's not a big issue.
With the chaeto dying off, wondering what your NO3 is at

API test kit showed about 30ppm.

 

[josephxsxn]

I envoy smaller tanks at times like this, I would just do a larger water change to knock it down. On the 40gal frag tank this is my primary means of control just large weekly water changes 35-50%. Saddly its not so easy to do a 50% water change as you go over the 100gal line. As others have said the ReefRoids are probably a major contributor.

 

[MentalNote]

I wouldn't be too worried about the phosphates, if algae is not an issue.

If the tank is happy, I wouldn't change anything.
If things start to close up or not fully extend, I would address it.

If running a GFO rector, recommend constant testing Rapidly bottoming out phosphates can lead to issues.

 

[Greg P]

API test kit showed about 30ppm.

OK then. Do some larger WCs to get both #s down
I don't have any info to help with why the chaeto is dying off. Could be the higher N&P, could be flow issues, or lighting too strong/not strong enough. Was kinda hoping your N was low ...

 

[Bradley2448]

Had .70 phosphates in my 90g mixed reef last month, ran a BRS reactor with some GFO, 2 30% water changes over the course of a week, and it’s down to .14. In your size tank dilution as in water changes would help you bring it down fine, but as noted by others nutrient addition will have to decrease or you will always struggle with it

 

[Spieg]

Not a fan of GFO... just not worth the price/hassle for me. If you also have high Nitrates, you might look into a bio pellet reactor, or some other method of Carbon dosing (sugar, vodka, etc...). I have a hard time keeping Phosphate from bottoming out in my tank, but back when it ran high, I used Lanthanum Chloride to knock it down (cheap and easy).

 

[Greg P]

More corals!!
Stuff the tank so they become your filtration. I had enough larger colonies I had to dose both N and P

 

[Greg P]

 

[blasterman]

I have a 20gal and with a heavy coral load and am having to dose phosphate. I spot feed reef roids once a week and when I do I skip dosing phosphate because roids are full of it.

Corals in a low nutrient tank only need to be fed a couple times a week at most. Feeding them more doesnt make them grow faster. I would back way off the roids until phosphate gets a little more inline.