High phosphate - Help

[Oldsman]

Okay fellow reefers, I need your advice and experience. I've been testing all the usual parameters once per week and realized my api tests for PO4 was wonky as everyone points out . I've been seeing 0- 25 ppm colors . I bought the hanna ulr checker and tested again..and it shocked me . Its been reading. 42 ppm !!! I did 3 separate tests over 3 days its been similar results .
Okay the normal specs I need to inform so everyone can guide me .
Its a 8 month old biocube 32 w 5 fish and lps..hammer , frogspawn and a duncan all 2 heads frags . I also have a frag of jack o lantern lepto. They've all been opening but colors are decent , and eating well. I was feeding the corals frozen mysis 3xs per week thinking my results were zero from the api tests .
Alk- 8.2
Calc - 440
Mag 1380
Amm 0
No3 25 ppm
The alk, calc, and mag were tested w red sea titration.
I've done 2 three gl water changes and results stay same

I'm using the stock return pump, and running chem pure elite in the media basket . There was a hydor koralia nano 565 powerhead running until I spotted the exposed wires .
Here's the hanna results tonite
Any help very welcome

 

[Spare time]

First off I think you accidentally said 42ppm rather than 0.42ppm lol.

I would just do some more water changes and get phosphate remover such as phosguard or gfo mixed with carbon in a bag.

 

[Oldsman]

First off I think you accidentally said 42ppm rather than 0.42ppm lol.

I would just do some more water changes and get phosphate remover such as phosguard or gfo mixed with carbon in a bag.

Thank you ,yeah I was typing and phone took over. I've read 0.06 is target so I have a ways to go. Ive been dealing w nuisance algea , and irritated because I'm sure its from overfeeding. I'll pick up some gfo or phosguard and start using it .
Would Brightwells phosphate E be another option anyone would recommend
Thanks for any help..I really want to correct my errors safely for the tanks sake

 

[Spare time]

Thank you ,yeah I was typing and phone took over. I've read 0.06 is target so I have a ways to go. Ive been dealing w nuisance algea , and irritated because I'm sure its from overfeeding. I'll pick up some gfo or phosguard and start using it .
Would Brightwells phosphate E be another option anyone would recommend
Thanks for any help..I really want to correct my errors safely for the tanks sake

You could use phosphate-e. I have not used it but it's popular. You would just need to watch your alk (at least from my understanding)

 

[Reef and Dive]

GFO helps a lot. Even better on a reactor.

If you go to lanthanum route be very careful.

 

[Dkmoo]

8 month is about the right time when yiur rock start leaching po4 back out. Mysis has a lot of P, what's locked up in your rocks and leaching back out is accumulated P from the first 8 months when you kept feeding mysis.

Cut back on the mysis, keep up water change, and ride it out.

 

[Oldsman]

GFO helps a lot. Even better on a reactor.

If you go to lanthanum route be very careful.

Thanks ill keep eye on tank now that I have a better tester
I'm going to the lfs today for gfo and more carbon . Having the biocube , theres not much space for a reactor

 

[Oldsman]

You could use phosphate-e. I have not used it but it's popular. You would just need to watch your alk (at least from my understanding)

Thanks again

 

[Oldsman]

8 month is about the right time when yiur rock start leaching po4 back out. Mysis has a lot of P, what's locked up in your rocks and leaching back out is accumulated P from the first 8 months when you kept feeding mysis.

Cut back on the mysis, keep up water change, and ride it out.

Ahhh live rock acts like a battery...always learning on the reef ! Thanks for your advice
I'm gonna throw a bag of gfo in the media rack and monitor

 

[EuphylliaAddict]

Dose a carbon source everyday and watch it slowly fall, feed a little less also, clean your sump up, and remove any detritus you see in the tank. See if that brings it down by next week. I did everything above and watched it fall to 0.11, so I'll get there by next month hopefully just by using vinegar as a carbon source. Good luck

 

[TheDuude]

I believe you need a Skimmer for Phosphate - E or carbon dosing to be effective at removing Po4 although I am not certain on the Phosphate - E.

Chemipure elite in a Biocube worked for me

 

[Oldsman]

Dose a carbon source everyday and watch it slowly fall, feed a little less also, clean your sump up, and remove any detritus you see in the tank. See if that brings it down by next week. I did everything above and watched it fall to 0.11, so I'll get there by next month hopefully just by using vinegar as a carbon source. Good luck

Thanks , are you using just common white vinegar for your carbon source

 

[Oldsman]

I believe you need a Skimmer for Phosphate - E or carbon dosing to be effective at removing Po4 although I am not certain on the Phosphate - E.

Chemipure elite in a Biocube worked for me

Thanks , I've been running the chem pure bag steady .

 

[EuphylliaAddict]

Thanks , are you using just common white vinegar for your carbon source

Yes, white distilled is great, I use about a gallon a week or something like that, I have a 200 gallon system tho, I also do a weekly water change to dilute anything. I also run a skimmer and refugium, you'll probably starve the marco if you overdose and vinegar will lower your pH. So keep an eye and dose slowly at first, I have a high pH so I can get away with dosing alot and my skimmer is oversized so It can handle the bacteria that gets into the water colomn, you may notice a bacteria bloom as you dose more, just start small and see how the po4 is handled. Good luck

 

[erzwire]

i tried phosphate-e for the first time this week. phosbond/fuge/chemipure/biopellets wasnt doing it for me , my po4 was .36 according to the hanna 713, and i dosed half what phos-e called for, i tested 24 hours later and the 713 said .04 i didnt expect the changes that drastic/fast so careful with it if your alk is high. my nitrates are usually ~1 so i keep my alk ~7.7 and didnt experience any bleaching but glad i didnt dose more and bottom it out. my skimmer did produce a little extra skimate that day or so

 

[Oldsman]

Thanks reefers for your advice !