Is there a post Dino safe phosphate control?

[CoralClasher]

I’m wondering what you guys do for phosphate control well after Dino? I’m over a year past Dino and my phosphate is pretty high 0.84ppm Hanna ULR. I’ve tried GFO a few times but Dino returns.

120 gallons total
ALK 7.3
Calcium 430
Mag 1410
No3 3.4
Phosphate 0.84
No skimmer
Deep sand bed refugium growing soft corals

 

[Who me?]

Phosguard or seagel.... Go easy and test daily.
Also microbacter 7 will help with the dinos

 

[CoralClasher]

What do you think about phosphateRX without a skimmer?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’m wondering what you guys do for phosphate control well after Dino? I’m over a year past Dino and my phosphate is pretty high 0.84ppm Hanna ULR. I’ve tried GFO a few times but Dino returns.

120 gallons total
ALK 7.3
Calcium 430
Mag 1410
No3 3.4
Phosphate 0.84
No skimmer
Deep sand bed refugium growing soft corals

After dino, I used and still use chemipure blue but Elite is even stronger for phos control

 

[Who me?]

What do you think about phosphateRX without a skimmer?

I've no personal experience with phosphateRX, but like bacteria it can most likely be used without a skimmer as long as you have fine mechanical filtration and weekly / frequent water changes for export.

 

[CoralClasher]

I've no personal experience with phosphateRX, but like bacteria it can most likely be used without a skimmer as long as you have fine mechanical filtration and weekly / frequent water changes for export.

Frequent water changes might not possible in the future. My LFS has been having trouble getting salt. Right now I’m preparing for two years of tough times. I might just stock up on phosguard.

 

[wtdenk]

When you've had dinos return in the past after adding GFO, how quickly did the GFO drop your phosphate levels? I'm betting dinos seized upon the sudden change. Feels like you're stuck in a hard place because your phosphate level is alarmingly high, but I'd certainly rather have high phosphates than dinos. Maybe the trick for you is going to be to see how slowly you can decrease your phosphates. GFO probably won't be the answer with how effective it is, unless you use very small amounts.

 

[CoralClasher]

When you've had dinos return in the past after adding GFO, how quickly did the GFO drop your phosphate levels? I'm betting dinos seized upon the sudden change. Feels like you're stuck in a hard place because your phosphate level is alarmingly high, but I'd certainly rather have high phosphates than dinos. Maybe the trick for you is going to be to see how slowly you can decrease your phosphates. GFO probably won't be the answer with how effective it is, unless you use very small amounts.

I can’t remember exactly how fast they dropped but I’m sure it was slow because I did get advise here. Maybe the iron in the GFO has something to do with it. But I also had macros growing in the refugium and now I have no algae.

 

[Screwgunner]

I have a 120 gal. System phosguard will be depleted in 4 days so replace every 4 days . I used alittle over 2/3 cup every time 1cup would be ok for you that is alot of phosphaters.

 

[CoralClasher]

Okay guys tell me if this idea is good or not. I made 30 gallons of new water yesterday and all of my other parameters in the DT are good but the phosphate. I’m thinking of just taking 30 gallons off the top of DT and use phosphateRX in a brute can then filter It with DE filters. I’m thinking I could repeat this daily?

 

[Who me?]

Okay guys tell me if this idea is good or not. I made 30 gallons of new water yesterday and all of my other parameters in the DT are good but the phosphate. I’m thinking of just taking 30 gallons off the top of DT and use phosphateRX in a brute can then filter It with DE filters. I’m thinking I could repeat this daily?

Seems excessive.
Any reason you don't want to just run phosguard for a few weeks?

Also, have you located your source of phosphates? Yours seems high and no matter of removal will do any good if your still introducing high amounts of phosphates from somewhere.

 

[homer1475]

Nothing wrong with GFO, you just need to adjust the amount your using.

For instance, I use 3tablespoons on my 80G system to drop phosphates from .2 to .1 in a couple days.

Just reduce the amount of GFO your using.

 

[CoralClasher]

Seems excessive.
Any reason you don't want to just run phosguard for a few weeks?

Also, have you located your source of phosphates? Yours seems high and no matter of removal will do any good if your still introducing high amounts of phosphates from somewhere.

I’m pretty sure the phosphate is from the Dino battle and now the rocks are saturated.

 

[CoralClasher]

Nothing wrong with GFO, you just need to adjust the amount your using.

For instance, I use 3tablespoons on my 80G system to drop phosphates from .2 to .1 in a couple days.

Just reduce the amount of GFO your using.

For the last two weeks I’ve been changing 5-10 gallons daily and not seen Dino re-emerging. So I maybe really past Dino and just paranoid. I do have some GFO on hand do you think 1/2 cup in a bag would be a good starting point for 120 gallons?

 

[homer1475]

Hard to say how much to use. I found my optimal amount through trial an error.

If your using it in a media bag just placed in your sump, it looses it effectiveness pretty quickly. GFO really needs to be tumbled or it clumps together making it useless.

Only way to know is to try it and find out.

Put some in. run a test to get a baseline. Test in 24 hours to see how much has been removed. then test again in another 24 to see if it's still being removed.

Your fears of getting dino's again shouldn;t be an issue unless you drop phosphates to 0.

 

[CoralClasher]

Okay one more question before I use GFO. If I add more No3 will my tank use more phosphate?

 

[KonradTO]

Okay one more question before I use GFO. If I add more No3 will my tank use more phosphate?

I think that works only if the tank is NO3 limited.. maybe someone with more experience can confirm

 

[Biglew11]

I think that works only if the tank is NO3 limited.. maybe someone with more experience can confirm

true, I've always had the opposite problem of having high nitrates low phosphates. i'm not sure where the numbers would lie for nitrates. 3.4 is low but I don't know if it's low enough to limit phosphate uptake. but it couldn't hurt to try adding nitrates and see what happens to phosphates.

 

[CoralClasher]

How are nitrates created in our tanks? I just tested No3 with Hanna HR 2.3

 

[homer1475]

Normal nitrogen cycle.

Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate > nitrogen gas