How do you all keep your phosphates in check

Dilan Patel · Jun 2, 2017

How do you all keep your Phosphates in check. I have heard GFO is not the best thing so I had taken my reactor offline to help my corals out. What are some methods you all use to lower phosphates. I have found the liquid meleves used for phosphates works wonders. What is a range for a sps tank for phosphate levels. I believe it was .025 but lemme know if I am wrong. I am at .1 so i will be dropping it if necessary.

bif24701 · Jun 2, 2017

Cheato

Any level that isn't 0.00 is ok. Nuisance algae is best kept in control with other methods than PO4 limitation. You SPS will suffer far more than whatever it is you are controlling PO4 for.

I use cheato to control algae and occasionally Vibrant and manual removal.

silvernblackr35 · Jun 2, 2017

bif24701 said:
Cheato

Any level that isn't 0.00 is ok. Nuisance algae is best kept in control with other methods than PO4 limitation. You SPS will suffer far more than whatever it is you are controlling PO4 for.

I use cheato to control algae and occasionally Vibrant and manual removal.

I just started vibrant about a month ago , how does your chaeto do with it being dosed? I took all my chaeto out and re-did my fuge and have yet to put any macros in.

bif24701 · Jun 2, 2017

silvernblackr35 said:
I just started vibrant about a month ago , how does your chaeto do with it being dosed? I took all my chaeto out and re-did my fuge and have yet to put any macros in.

When dosing Vibrant cheato will start to recede.
However I strongly advise you to replace your cheato ASAP when the Vibrant treatment is completed. Without the cheato other algaes will have free run of your system and soon take over if you don't have a constant and consistent way to deal with them. Cheato is the best, when Vibrant treatment is done and you have a nice wad of cheato it will prevent any of those nasty algae from coming back.

floridabromo · Jun 2, 2017

I dose NoPox daily

bif24701 · Jun 3, 2017

floridabromo said:
I dose NoPox daily

Yup, another good way. I dose vinegar both get it done.

Salty1962 · Jun 3, 2017

ATS keeps mine down. I use the TA L4.

DarkSky · Jun 3, 2017

I just use GFO. If my PO4 gets above .02ppm I switch it on for a few days and bring it back in line.

RussiReef · Jun 3, 2017

I use GFO and have no problem with it

warby · Jun 3, 2017

rowaphos and mixed algae bed for me.

Cherish.merenda · Jun 3, 2017

I'm curious. Do you know why GFO isn't best for coral? I've never heard that before [emoji15]I use Rowa, but never noticed anything negative, yet.

Alfrareef · Jun 3, 2017

GFO for me. PO4X4 in a reactor.

AdamNC · Jun 4, 2017

Having a nano tank I use Red Sea Reef-Spec Carbon and Purigen in an AC70. Daily dose of NoPoX and have Red Gracilaria Algae behind my rock wall.

bif24701 · Jun 4, 2017

Cherish.merenda said:
I'm curious. Do you know why GFO isn't best for coral? I've never heard that before [emoji15]I use Rowa, but never noticed anything negative, yet.

The GFO isn't the problem. It's that GFO is very effective, so effective that it can strip the PO4 from the water to the point coral's zooxanthellae can not function. This at the very least can irritate the coral for even cause STN/RTN have been reported.

BlennyKravitz · Jun 5, 2017

DarkSky said:
I just use GFO. If my PO4 gets above .02ppm I switch it on for a few days and bring it back in line.

Any issues you think with having stagnant water rusting away in your reactor? I thought of doing this with my biopellets as well but was concerned about water sitting in there without circulating. I guess you could have an Apex cycle the pump for a minute or two every few hours.

I use GFO, biopellets, carbon, 9 mangroves, a chaeto refugium and frequent water changes. I think a little reduction from various sources are better as a whole than sucking it all up with one method. I run undersized reactors and 1G change every 12 hours.

Just my .02