High Phosphate?

[FairbanksReefer]

Hello, I think I have high phosphate but I read 0 on my hanna checker low range.

The reason I assume I have high phosphate is I get brown algae on my glass very quickly. within a day I will get a film and after 2 or 3 days its pretty thick. The tank is only about 5 or 6 months-ish so I dont really have much algae on the rocks. Most of the coral are doing well other than my hammers, I recently moved one hammer to a different tank because it was dying and now my second hammer isnt looking well.

I am assuming I have high phosphate but the algae is sucking it up so fast the checker isnt reading it. I, just a couple of days ago, dosed phosphateRX. I dosed about 70% recommended dose twice in 3 days, dose with day of rest and then dose again. Seems like I am still getting algae on the glass at the same rate.

Also my reagent of the checker is expired so I dont know if it just isnt working anymore or if the expiration date is more of a recommendation thing but it will still work.

How do I know what my phosphate levels are if algae is stopping me from getting a reading or is it more likely that I actually do have 0? I will reorder more reagent but any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lapin]

0 phosphate is not good. Maybe why hammers are doing bad
Hanna makes Standards to check your meter. Maybe BRS has them

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

maybe you can post a pic of the algae. The only brown algae I know is diatoms, which feeds off of silicates, and there should not be silicates in 6 month old tank. I'm not aware of any other type of brown algae (that would show up in a reef tank)

 

[Lavey29]

When my nitrates and phosphate was really low around 6 month mark, I was having to clean the glass every day or 2. Now thar my numbers are up I clean it once a week.

 

[BriansBrain]

If you have algae growing, you certainly have phosphates. Can you share a picture of the algae? Start with manual removal of the algae with water changes, better flow/blowing detritus of the rock where accumulating, and more CUC like urchins/turbo snails

 

[FairbanksReefer]

If you have algae growing, you certainly have phosphates. Can you share a picture of the algae? Start with manual removal of the algae with water changes, better flow/blowing detritus of the rock where accumulating, and more CUC like urchins/turbo snails

Yes I will get a picture of the algae in a couple of days. I have been scraping the glass super regular, several times a day but I will let a section build so I can get a good photo or two.