how fast will phosguard drop phosphates

[Miami Reef]

It may or may not be "an issue". but it is a real effect that I measured myself.

Here’s the article Randy made with his experiment with phosguard/aluminum: https://reefs.com/magazine/chemistry-and-the-aquarium-aluminum-in-the-reef-aquarium/

 

[Dave1993]

The slow step is not the removal of phosphate from the water, but the removal of it from calcium carbonate surfaces, some of which may be deeper down in sand and pores and may keep coming out for an extended period.

yeah its leaching from my rock i know that but i need it gone fast so that i can add coral then ill worry about it leaching from my rocks a different day

 

[GARRIGA]

After discussing with Randy, I'm no longer using PhosGuard or if used then along with CupriSorb to remove any trace of aluminum. Now I'm just using Lanthanum Chloride which is easier for me to dial in or just rely on carbon dosing over a longer time. LC for emergencies.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

yeah its leaching from my rock i know that but i need it gone fast so that i can add coral then ill worry about it leaching from my rocks a different day

Just pointing out that if you drop it to 0.05 ppm, and wait 24 h, it might pop back up close to where it started.

 

[MichaelReefer]

another 4 hours later phosphate at 0.41

Dont go too fast....rapid changes are not good.

 

[Dave1993]

Just pointing out that if you drop it to 0.05 ppm, and wait 24 h, it might pop back up close to where it started.

well i know which of my rock is leaching the phosphate should i take it out?

 

[Dave1993]

Dont go too fast....rapid changes are not good.

why?

 

[MichaelReefer]

why?

Because if things are used to numbers being high, and you all of a sudden plummet them it can effect them. You're better off taking it smooth over a number of days then all of a sudden bottoming out your phos in one day.

 

[Dave1993]

Because if things are used to numbers being high, and you all of a sudden plummet them it can effect them. You're better off taking it smooth over a number of days then all of a sudden bottoming out your phos in one day.

i have nothing in the tank

 

[Dave1993]

Just pointing out that if you drop it to 0.05 ppm, and wait 24 h, it might pop back up close to where it started.

took the rock that was leaching phosphate out it was from my tank that had 4.0ppm phosphate

 

[taricha]

Is there a reason to think Fe release from GFO or Al release from phosguard is better or worse side effect than the other?

 

[vetteguy53081]

so my phosphates are 0.6 i want them like 0.05 i don't have anything in the tank so no need to take it slow
i have overdosed the phosguard how fast could i possibly get from 0.6 to 0.05

You want it to be gradual, not fast especially allowing you to monitor level. Too fast and you can end up at Zero and then acquire dino

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

well i know which of my rock is leaching the phosphate should i take it out?

Is there sand present?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Is there a reason to think Fe release from GFO or Al release from phosguard is better or worse side effect than the other?

the dsr method doses lots of iron to bind phosphate, and Red Sea recommends a very high iron level.

 

[Dave1993]

Is there sand present?

yeah

 

[Miami Reef]

Is there a reason to think Fe release from GFO or Al release from phosguard is better or worse side effect than the other?

Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m under the assumption that iron doesn’t tend to accumulate because many organisms that we keep can readily consume and require iron. Randy even recommends dosing iron in tanks housing macroalgae.

Most of the data have a negative correlation between aluminum and organisms.

I could be mistaken, so please enlighten me if my assumption is not correct/complete.

 

[taricha]

the dsr method doses lots of iron to bind phosphate, and Red Sea recommends a very high iron level.

True.
Plenty of successful systems with adding high amounts of Fe and some reasons to do so. Nobody adds high Al on purpose, nor would there be a rationale for it.

Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m under the assumption that iron doesn’t tend to accumulate because many organisms that we keep can readily consume and require iron. Randy even recommends dosing iron in tanks housing macroalgae.

Most of the data have a negative correlation between aluminum and organisms.

yep, organisms like it, and also saltwater kinda holds Fe poorly.
Plenty of solid Fe can be found in my sandbed (precipitated out over time perhaps). And Dan once dosed Fe and measured it rapidly depleting from the water and concentrating in skimmate. (Bound to skimmable organics possibly).

 

[Dave1993]

0.32 phosphates now

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

yeah

The high surface area of the sand may be holding more than the rocks in your tank.

 

[Dave1993]

The high surface area of the sand may be holding more than the rocks in your tank.

maybe but i am hopeful it was just that 1 rock that was only in like 1 or 2 weeks on another note my phosphate is from 0.6 to 0.21 in 24 hours i love phosguard and would recommend it to any 1