How much phosphate is too much?

[CoralClasher]

I don't think the Si test is necessary, the worst that can happen is a longer, heavier bloom if you go overboard and since most tank inhabitants will eat diatoms and once the silicate supply is exhausted the diatoms recede. Plus I found it very easy to visually control the bloom by altering the dose.

Ok got more NeoNitro and silicate today. What should my plan be for dosing? How fast should I raise No3? How much SpongExcel?

 

[Neoalchemist]

Ok got more NeoNitro and silicate today. What should my plan be for dosing? How fast should I raise No3? How much SpongExcel?

As for spongexcel, the first post in this thread will give you the general outline but I and a lot of others found them to be conservative. I ended up starting with double the recommended dose and still ran through a bottle before I was happy with the diatoms. I switched to the bulk stuff after that but by then dinos were gone. So take a look at that thread then decide.
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/365850/

 

[CoralClasher]

As for spongexcel, the first post in this thread will give you the general outline but I and a lot of others found them to be conservative. I ended up starting with double the recommended dose and still ran through a bottle before I was happy with the diatoms. I switched to the bulk stuff after that but by then dinos were gone. So take a look at that thread then decide.
https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/365850/

Little over a week of dosing SI and definitely have diotoms. How long should I keep dosing? And I got my Triton test back today what do you think?

 

[Neoalchemist]

Little over a week of dosing SI and definitely have diotoms. How long should I keep dosing? And I got my Triton test back today what do you think?

#'s look good. Could stand to come up a couple of tenths of po4 but if you can hold there you should be fine. I wonder if the organic group that's in the red is related to dinos. If you are seeing silicates that's great, quite a few people have trouble getting a visible bloom. I would stop dosing and let this bloom burn through the available silicates. By the time you see the diatoms receding you probably won't see any trace of dino. Might want to keep the diatoms going for a couple of weeks or so just to be sure.

 

[Neoalchemist]

So... TNb, I would hazard an educated guess that dosing Neo Nitro is why that is high. But I don't see a reason for concern. Maybe some soft nitrate reduction. Water change , new carbon, normal feeding, stuff like that. No more nitrate dosing unless it drops super far for some reason.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Ok got more NeoNitro and silicate today. What should my plan be for dosing? How fast should I raise No3? How much SpongExcel?

Did you run your tests before you sent a sample to Triton?

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Hi,
I have a dino issue also. My tank is only a 24x18x18 at around 3 years old but the rock is around 13 years old, I only have 3 fish in it so not much food going in or much fish waste. The problem I think I have is, I'm testing a phosphate of zero on salifert, even the higher double amount test and nitrates of 10, maybe a little higher.
I started to notice an issue when my digitata started to pale over the course of a few months then it slowly declined to stn and now I have removed all of the digi. My tank is now mainly lps but they don't look as plump as they used to.
I also noticed that all my snails were slowly dying/disappearing thinking it was the crabs eating them, I assume this is also down to dino.
I have decided to up my feeding to twice a day now as I'm not sure about dosing phosphates yet. Is dosing the easiest route or maybe add another fish, if I go the dosing route what would you recommend to use ? Thanks.

 

[CoralClasher]

Hi,
I have a dino issue also. My tank is only a 24x18x18 at around 3 years old but the rock is around 13 years old, I only have 3 fish in it so not much food going in or much fish waste. The problem I think I have is, I'm testing a phosphate of zero on salifert, even the higher double amount test and nitrates of 10, maybe a little higher.
I started to notice an issue when my digitata started to pale over the course of a few months then it slowly declined to stn and now I have removed all of the digi. My tank is now mainly lps but they don't look as plump as they used to.
I also noticed that all my snails were slowly dying/disappearing thinking it was the crabs eating them, I assume this is also down to dino.
I have decided to up my feeding to twice a day now as I'm not sure about dosing phosphates yet. Is dosing the easiest route or maybe add another fish, if I go the dosing route what would you recommend to use ? Thanks.

Are you having fun yet with Dinos? I'm using NeoPhos and NeoNitro trying to keep phosphate at o.10. I can't grow green hair algae but I had an explosion of vermedit snails. Magnum polisher with diotom powder is really helping control the Dinos numbers. Dino-X and black outs didn't kill the Dinos just killed coralline algae I don't recommend that option. I did get diotoms to grow by using SpongExcel and now my tank looks better than ever.

 

[CoralClasher]

Hi,
I have a dino issue also. My tank is only a 24x18x18 at around 3 years old but the rock is around 13 years old, I only have 3 fish in it so not much food going in or much fish waste. The problem I think I have is, I'm testing a phosphate of zero on salifert, even the higher double amount test and nitrates of 10, maybe a little higher.
I started to notice an issue when my digitata started to pale over the course of a few months then it slowly declined to stn and now I have removed all of the digi. My tank is now mainly lps but they don't look as plump as they used to.
I also noticed that all my snails were slowly dying/disappearing thinking it was the crabs eating them, I assume this is also down to dino.
I have decided to up my feeding to twice a day now as I'm not sure about dosing phosphates yet. Is dosing the easiest route or maybe add another fish, if I go the dosing route what would you recommend to use ? Thanks.

I'm now up to 12 fish and feed three times a day frozen food only and I still need to add phosphate so I don't know if more fish and food really helped just don't starve the system!!

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

Are you having fun yet with Dinos? I'm using NeoPhos and NeoNitro trying to keep phosphate at o.10. I can't grow green hair algae but I had an explosion of vermedit snails. Magnum polisher with diotom powder is really helping control the Dinos numbers. Dino-X and black outs didn't kill the Dinos just killed coralline algae I don't recommend that option. I did get diotoms to grow by using SpongExcel and now my tank looks better than ever.

No I'm not enjoying them,thanks for asking though I think it only mainly on the back filter box now and the sand is cleaner than it has been for ages. I am feeding alot more than I used to and I change it up a little more with frozen, pellet and flake and feed the corals a little to. I did make my own version of the IM gourmet frozen food tube thing, using the tube off an old gravel vac. I kept forgetting the defrosting food until the next day when I could smell it.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I'm now up to 12 fish and feed three times a day frozen food only and I still need to add phosphate so I don't know if more fish and food really helped just don't starve the system!!

I didn't think I was starving it before, as everything was colourful and growing but I think the phosphates that were in there got consumed by everything that needs it now I'm just chasing my tail.

 

[CoralClasher]

I stopped feeding the corals and did the Triton test and found that the corals responded nicely to adding only what was missing.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I might have to get a test done, but on 3 tanks it works out expensive. I might just do my main tank when I've got some spare money.

 

[CoralClasher]

I want to try the full Triton method. In the long run it should be cheaper than what I have done before.

 

[Nicholas Dushynsky]

I'm just going to try and get mine back on track then go from there.

 

[Neoalchemist]

Are you having fun yet with Dinos? I'm using NeoPhos and NeoNitro trying to keep phosphate at o.10. I can't grow green hair algae but I had an explosion of vermedit snails. Magnum polisher with diotom powder is really helping control the Dinos numbers. Dino-X and black outs didn't kill the Dinos just killed coralline algae I don't recommend that option. I did get diotoms to grow by using SpongExcel and now my tank looks better than ever.

So, looks like the Si dosing is working for you. There's definitely some magic in it.
My whole tank seemed to flourish like never before when Si dosing. I'm considering trying it against cyano, since it only seemed to do good things for the tank

 

[CoralClasher]

So, looks like the Si dosing is working for you. There's definitely some magic in it.
My whole tank seemed to flourish like never before when Si dosing. I'm considering trying it against cyano, since it only seemed to do good things for the tank

Yes looking better every day. I've been to this point before thinking Dinos are gone enough to let phosphate drop I know better now not to go below 0.06 but when can I stop using diotom filters? I shut them down for two days so I could bleach the filters and I could see Dinos starting to grow on the glass.

 

[smartwater101]

Hi dudes, actually I have a problem whit Po4, are in 0ppm.

How I ride this whit a product?

My No3 nearly 12 to 16 ppm and have really problem whit cyano, I think the problem was caused of the desbalance !

LoudWolf TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE for dosing Phosphate

 

[Neoalchemist]

Yes looking better every day. I've been to this point before thinking Dinos are gone enough to let phosphate drop I know better now not to go below 0.06 but when can I stop using diotom filters? I shut them down for two days so I could bleach the filters and I could see Dinos starting to grow on the glass.

If you arent using uv and the diatom filter makes an impact you might have to leave it on for a while. I'm still running uv, in the sump now. I haven't seen any dinos since January.

 

[CoralClasher]

If you arent using uv and the diatom filter makes an impact you might have to leave it on for a while. I'm still running uv, in the sump now. I haven't seen any dinos since January.

Just got my second Triton test back. The day I sent the samples I had a Dino bloom. I tested myself the same day.
Alk 145 ppm 8.12 dkh
Ca 452
Mag 1400
Phosphate 0.00 the day before was 0.14
Most of the things that are low are in ChaetoGro except iodine. I did buy the Triton elements to restore the levels. I'm wondering if I should setup a dosing pump for ChaetoGro and how much should I start with?