Impossible phosphate issue

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

@Randy Holmes-Farley @Hans-Werner

Finally. You two are on the same thought on a thread. That's a good thing

Question...
So are you guys saying that the Hanna Phosphous ulr checker is not accurate at all? (As in, don't use it)

Or is it just not any more accurate than the regular Hanna Phosphate checker

Thanks, GoVols

I'm not saying anything about its accuracy. At the low end, I expect (but do not know) that it is as good or better than hobby kits. I'd pick it over the Hanna phosphate checker.

 

[Scott.h]

This might help:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/video.../&utm_campaign=brstv&utm_content=brstv_020317

 

[Hans24hrs]

Are you running it in a bag or are you pushing it through a reactor? I've had really good luck with Kent phosphate sponge. I leave that in there for about three days. It's will pretty much suck every bit of phosphate out of the tank. Then I dump that and switch over the regular GFO. But through a reactor. Big difference in performance. Once you get everything under control by means of appropriate skimming, proper amount of macroalgae, good flow through the rock work, and carbon dosing, Ive found that I only have to use a small amount of GFO, and only replace it every several months. That was coming from phosphates levels way higher than what you are seeing and nitrates somewhere around 50.

Is there detritus built up somewhere? Behind the rocks? In the corners of the sump?

I have really good flow, 4 mp40's and 1 mp60. Also run algae scrubber, and fuge.

 

[GoVols]

@Scott.h @Hans-Werner @Randy Holmes-Farley

Thank You

 

[Hans24hrs]

Yes thank you guys for all the help. Much appreciated

 

[griff500]

It was over a couple of months. I think part of it was trying to aggressive to keep the phosphates levels down. They were over a 2.0 at one point. Most was sps, with some LPS. Very frustrating.

I've had a similar situation. I had got nitrate down to unmeasurable regardless of how much I fed but phosphate was still always reading between 0.7 and .12 and usually at the higher end. I decided that I had to get phosphate down, despite corals starting to really grow well and looking good.

The more I tried to get phosphate down the worse things got and the more corals died, along with nitrate suddenly going up again. Everything was just completely out of balance.

I've gone back to basics and I'm just doing what I did before (pretty much just basic Zeovit carbon dosing and a consistent routine) and waiting for things to strike a balance again. The algae that had returned is dying off again. The anemone that had shrunk down into survival mode has started growing again. It's not there yet but I'm seeing the same signs I did prior to the tank doing well previously, primarily as a result of not trying to fix it...

I have a feeling that if I hadn't tried to address the 'problem' then the phosphate would have got down to where I thought it should be eventually and I've concluded that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.

 

[bif24701]

Phosphate RX will reduce it

 

[GoVols]

I'll and this.
I shoot for certain #'s too but you have to read your corals. Is very easy to starve a tank.
Sometimes my corals look the best with a tad of green algae in the tank so I just let the algae run it's coarse and it also keeps my purple tang busy and happy

I've seen so many reefers post that their lps are bleaching from thier lights. 9 out of 10 times their lps are really dying off from ultra low organics in the water column and they are simply starving to death.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have a feeling that if I hadn't tried to address the 'problem' then the phosphate would have got down to where I thought it should be eventually and I've concluded that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing.

What did you do to address it?

 

[Hans24hrs]

I have been using the redsea nopx in conjuction with algae scrubber and fuse. So far phosphates is holding at 0.12/ 0.13. Hoping it slowly gets down a little more

 

[Westec818]

P uu

 

[tvu]

I've experienced that if you have negligible nitrates the nopox will do nothing for reducing phos. You'll need to balance your nitrate to phos before nopox works in reducing phos.

Try phosphate RX to bring down phos then nopox to keep both Nitrates and Phos is check. Good luck!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have been using the redsea nopx in conjuction with algae scrubber and fuse. So far phosphates is holding at 0.12/ 0.13. Hoping it slowly gets down a little more

Like all carbon dosing, NOPOX is an unbalanced method toward nitrate reduction, and can leave phosphate in the water even when nitrate is used up. The scrubber is balanced and cannot take up this excess. You likely need a method unbalanced toward phosphate removal, such as GFO.

 

[Paul B]

My phosphate is 2.0 and my nitrates are 160. To solve both problems I threw out all my test kits and went out to dinner and had a nice bottle of merlot. The corals seem to like the idea as they are all smiling and doing the macarana. I think those supposed numbers are over rated. Just my opinion of course.

 

[BrettMallette]

My phosphate is 2.0 and my nitrates are 160. To solve both problems I threw out all my test kits and went out to dinner and had a nice bottle of merlot. The corals seem to like the idea as they are all smiling and doing the macarana. I think those supposed numbers are over rated. Just my opinion of course.

Im in the same boat as Paul on this one havent tested nitrates or phosphates in months and even then i use API test kits and never really go by the actual number. More so go by if it was a huge jump a small jump or no real difference. I do however keep track of how much i feed and pay attention to how much algae i have going on. If no algae im not worried about high phosphate or nitrate at all. Something will consume it sooner or later whether it be the critters or something else out competes it.

 

[Hans24hrs]

Like all carbon dosing, NOPOX is an unbalanced method toward nitrate reduction, and can leave phosphate in the water even when nitrate is used up. The scrubber is balanced and cannot take up this excess. You likely need a method unbalanced toward phosphate removal, such as GFO.

I was using GFO and it wasn't doing much. Tried phosguard same thing. The aquaforest phosphates minus helped a little, but not as much as redsea. Going to test everything tomorrow, finally have a day off lol

 

[acesfull44]

My tank crashed in April of last year, and I am just now getting back to square one. I had a phosphate issue, not quite as bad as yours, but honestly water changes with new RO/DI seemed to be the best solution for me. I changed out 80% of my total water volume over a 2 week span, removed 100% of uneaten food, cut back on feeding and light schedule, and since I have had it from .15 to .04 and has stayed there for the last 2 weeks solid with my normal light and feeding schedule. Hope this helps.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was using GFO and it wasn't doing much. Tried phosguard same thing. The aquaforest phosphates minus helped a little, but not as much as redsea. Going to test everything tomorrow, finally have a day off lol

If GFO doesn't work, you aren't using enough, are using it in a way it isn't getting good water contact, or is not being replaced often enough.

In a high phosphate situation it can become depleted in a few hours or less.

 

[Hans24hrs]

If GFO doesn't work, you aren't using enough, are using it in a way it isn't getting good water contact, or is not being replaced often enough.

In a high phosphate situation it can become depleted in a few hours or less.

That is a good possibility. I switched to the ecotech vectra pump, had a reeflo. The manifold I made doesn't get the same water volume. Maybe that is why redsea is working better. Getting full amount vs partial media contact

 

[bif24701]

My phosphate is 2.0 and my nitrates are 160. To solve both problems I threw out all my test kits and went out to dinner and had a nice bottle of merlot. The corals seem to like the idea as they are all smiling and doing the macarana. I think those supposed numbers are over rated. Just my opinion of course.

We all can't be winners Paul! Lol