High phosphates (.16), normal nitrates (5ppm)

[Biff0rz]

My nitrates have been pretty consistent recently between 5-10ppm. I have noticed my po4 increasing-

12/20 - .02
12/23 - .07
12/26 - .16

I have been feeding slightly more so I can cut back there. Anything else I can do to lower the po4? Also, not sure if this would affect the reading but I tested right after vacuuming the sand bed. Regardless I'll be testing tomorrow to see where it's at.

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Ah that’s not high phosphate

 

[zip70]

Ah that’s not high phosphate

so how much is it considering high?

 

[harveyreefer03]

so how much is it considering high?

proboally above .5

 

[brmreefer]

so how much is it considering high?

In my opinion, anything >0.25 ppm is considered high.

Few options that come to mind:
- GFO
- Aluminum Oxide (aka Phosguard)
- Lanthanum Chloride (use caution and research this one if using)

 

[Fishingandreefing]

so how much is it considering high?

I would say you’re ok if you dont have a sps dominated tank even tho the recommended is around .03. Mind is at around .35

 

[Fishingandreefing]

In my opinion, anything >0.25 ppm is considered high.

Few options that come to mind:
- GFO
- Aluminum Oxide (aka Phosguard)
- Lanthanum Chloride (use caution and research this one if using)

I would say caution for gfo then LC next as caution wise

 

[harveyreefer03]

In my opinion, anything >0.25 ppm is considered high.

Few options that come to mind:
- GFO
- Aluminum Oxide (aka Phosguard)
- Lanthanum Chloride (use caution and research this one if using)

Id say 0.25 is raised and anything above 0.5 is high and can be problematic

 

[I’m Batman]

People are pushing 100ppb... nitrates at 50ppm...

 

[I’m Batman]

Although I can’t get anywhere near that high.... sounds like phosphate got kicked up with the sand bed stir?? Who knows man, Brightwell makes a phosphate reducer that I’m pretty sure some popular people use (could be branding tho). I have a bottle of it in the fish room.

 

[burningmime]

In the BRS/WWC series, WWC said they dose Lanthanum Chloride so that they can control the dose. If you use GFO, there's a good chance it'll absorb all of it and set the phosphate to zero -- which might not be bad short term but long-term could be an issue.

 

[KrisReef]

Cut back on the feeding and let the tank absorb the nutrients.

 

[taricha]

Also, not sure if this would affect the reading but I tested right after vacuuming the sand bed.

this absolutely makes a difference (in my tank and seen others say the same)

 

[Biff0rz]

Cut back on the feeding and let the tank absorb the nutrients.

Thanks, this sounds the most reasonable before busting out gfo or dosing. I probably should have framed my question differently and asked for natural solutions.

this absolutely makes a difference (in my tank and seen others say the same)

Ok, thanks, I'll test again later today and update.

Note - I have no corals in the tank as of today but I plan to have mostly sps. So while it's a fowlr tank at the moment I want to get nutrient balance down (and feeding) before putting corals through swings like this. They can relax in the frag tank for now

 

[Adamantium]

Cut back on the feeding and let the tank absorb the nutrients.

Aren’t nutrients only removed with certain types of media, water changes, or anaerobic bacteria, which most people don’t have in their tanks? Forgive my ignorance, I genuinely don’t know.

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

My nitrates have been pretty consistent recently between 5-10ppm. I have noticed my po4 increasing-

12/20 - .02
12/23 - .07
12/26 - .16

I have been feeding slightly more so I can cut back there. Anything else I can do to lower the po4? Also, not sure if this would affect the reading but I tested right after vacuuming the sand bed. Regardless I'll be testing tomorrow to see where it's at.

Not bad at all IMO i run a little bit higher phosphates.

 

[KrisReef]

Aren’t nutrients only removed with certain types of media, water changes, or anaerobic bacteria, which most people don’t have in their tanks? Forgive my ignorance, I genuinely don’t know.

Biological growth and other life processes will uptake nutrients from the environment.

Water changes remove them and dilute concentrations of dissolved materials. Some of these ("pollutants") we want out but others are needed (nutrients) to sustain life. Nitrogen and phosphate are essential elements for life processes, but they can easily get too high or low in our tanks. Getting the (micro)biological life "in balance" so that nitrate and phosphate uptake by critters keeps these levels "low" is more desirable than trying to manage all of the hosts of dissolved minerals by dilution.

This natural balance becomes really important when you get too tired or lazy to keep up with lifting water change buckets and breaking out another test kit to see where these parameters are. If we can get the tank running "well balanced biologically" it can make keeping things alive and growing a lot simpler (for us) to manage.

Certainly, filtration mediums, well-planned water changes, and beneficial bacterial introductions are very useful tools for keeping a reef tank! I've found that it is more important to get our "hired help" inside the system to do their jobs well if we want to have long term success with the hobby. This approach is also a thing that makes a captive reef tank a lot more like a wild reef. I love snorkeling and have often wondered who is doing the water changes in the Carribbean? Where do they hide the GFO socks, and how do they keep all of thos billions of bacteria strains happy?

You have asked a very good question for a reef keeper to consider. There are many folk on Reef2Reef who have found interesting ways to make all these in-tank processes mimic what happens in the ocean.

 

[Kenneth Wingerter]

My nitrates have been pretty consistent recently between 5-10ppm. I have noticed my po4 increasing

I have been feeding slightly more so I can cut back there. Anything else I can do to lower the po4?

Try PNS ProBio. The live bacteria in this product (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) thrive at normal or even very low NH4/NO3 concentrations because they're diazotrophic (i.e. nitrogen-fixing). On the other hand, they're phosphorus accumulators and can mop up PO4 to the tune of like 15% of their own dry weight. These microbes also happen to be a nutritious natural coral food (corals selectively feed on rhizobia such as these), so in addition to export via the skimmer or water changes some of the PO4 will be diverted directly towards coral growth. https://www.algaebarn.com/blog/salt...al-nutrition-with-purple-non-sulfur-bacteria/

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Not bad at all IMO i run a little bit higher phosphates.

What’s your phosphate level? Does your sps tend to brown out? I am always around .35 and my sps brown out. Is either my high phosphate or low light. I am running a mixed reef so my highest par hitting sps are only around 120

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

What’s your phosphate level? Does your sps tend to brown out? I am always around .35 and my sps brown out. Is either my high phosphate or low light. I am running a mixed reef so my highest par hitting sps are only around 120

My Phosphates are around .20 and my par is around 325 - 400 your par seems a bit low for acros