Leaching phosphate. Replace sand and rock?

QuinnLee512 · Aug 17, 2022

I have been dealing with phosphates leaching from my rocks and sand for the past 3 months. I have tried lanthanum, gfo, rowaphos, nopox, np pro. It will go down to .07 but then back to over .2 the next day. Just used some chemiclean to get rid of the cyano. Should I consider replacing all the sand? Would this cause a tank crash? Not sure I want to replace the rocks but anything I can do there? My tank has been running since Nov 2021. I used new caribsea dry rock and sand.

mehaffydr · Aug 17, 2022

I would just keep doing what your doing to reduce. A refugium will help. Eventually you will get them down.

EricR · Aug 17, 2022

No answer to your question except to say I "think" I'm having the exact OPPOSITE scenario going on.

Went with half dry/white rock (and new sand) during tank transfer late last year:
I can't get my phosphates over 0.01-0.02 ppm, ever,,, assuming I trust my Hanna Phosphate ULR checker with occasional reality check at LFS with their Milwaukee.

Jekyl · Aug 17, 2022

@Randy Holmes-Farley

MERKEY · Aug 17, 2022

Get an algea scrubber and give a place for the extra releasing nutrients to grow.

Once you get them under control you can dial back the scrubber or stop it all together.

This doesn't work for all but I found it the easiest for us.

QuinnLee512 · Aug 17, 2022

I have tried chaeto twice and sea lettuce once but they always died. I even bought the kessil made for a fuge. Maybe I'll give chaeto another try. I did start looking into an algae scrubber to see how involved it is to install. Might give that a try as well.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 17, 2022

Chemi pure and chemipure elite. Swap it out every 3-4 weeks.
It'll come down.
D

MERKEY · Aug 17, 2022

QuinnLee512 said:
I have tried chaeto twice and sea lettuce once but they always died. I even bought the kessil made for a fuge. Maybe I'll give chaeto another try. I did start looking into an algae scrubber to see how involved it is to install. Might give that a try as well.

That's the great thing about a scrubber...it doesn't care what kind of algea it grows it just uses gives the extra nutrients a place to go.

So even tho nutrients may not be good for chaeto to grow in your tank, the scrubber will always grow what we call nuisance algea and lower your numbers naturally.

Icecap makes it super easy to use one now as they have "insump" models.

Santa Monica also has in sump ones but they are a bit more pricey.

And you can also build your own.

I think @monkeyCmonkeyDo built his own

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 17, 2022

I did I did

Devins diy waterfall ATS

Ok ats are all the rage rn in the hobby. Ive been meaning to do this diy thread on ats. I enjoy diy in the hobby and think its part of building my tanks. Especially custom displays ect. I also believe if you want something done right. You have to do it yourself. Lol. Heres a little write up...

www.reef2reef.com

If you don't have a manifold to run this off of or a T in your return plumbing, you can make a frame out of 1/2" pvc to support it and than plumb a pump to it.
D

QuinnLee512 · Aug 18, 2022

Luckily when I plumbed my tank I built a manifold.

QuinnLee512 · Aug 18, 2022

Is there anything I can do to these rocks to at least get these pieces to stop leaching? I have a few rocks not glued and without corals that I can remove from the tank like this one.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 18, 2022

That rock looks man made which is mostly solid. Not porous. I wouldn't suspect it leaking anything...other than when it cures.
D

QuinnLee512 · Aug 18, 2022

Hmm I only have Caribsea life rock which is what's pictured. So where is all this phosphate coming from then? I don't overfeed. As a matter of fact my auto feeder has been off for the past 3 days. Still reading over. 2 phosphate.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 18, 2022

Foods. Fish poo and pee. Ur hands and arms.
D

QuinnLee512 · Aug 18, 2022

Sure understand those are sources of phosphates but I'm not sure what's causing mine to go haywire after it being fine during the first 6 months. My nitrates are steady at around 5-8ppm. Phosphates yoyo between good (less than .1) to over .2.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 18, 2022

Was ur auto feeder feeding pellets?
D

QuinnLee512 · Aug 18, 2022

Yes. I understand that pellets will have more phosphates than frozen. I haven't fed my fish in 3 days but my phosphate is still over .2.

monkeyCmonkeyDo · Aug 18, 2022

It spikes. Say ur feeder overfeeding or had more pellets in one feeding than the other. Ur still seeing the spike. Hths you to understand.
D

Dan_P · Aug 18, 2022

QuinnLee512 said:
I have been dealing with phosphates leaching from my rocks and sand for the past 3 months. I have tried lanthanum, gfo, rowaphos, nopox, np pro. It will go down to .07 but then back to over .2 the next day. Just used some chemiclean to get rid of the cyano. Should I consider replacing all the sand? Would this cause a tank crash? Not sure I want to replace the rocks but anything I can do there? My tank has been running since Nov 2021. I used new caribsea dry rock and sand.

Why do think the phosphate is coming from the sand and rocks and not from feeding?

is 0.2 ppm PO4 all that bad?

doubleshot00 · Aug 18, 2022

I have never seen a rock like that before. How about a pic of the tank under white or with the lights off.

IMO keep doing what your doing. Tanks take time to mature. But in saying that and since your willing to remove how big is this tank? I have leaching phos in my tank and gfo works just fine keeping it around and under .1.

Dont go chasing for the unicorn number of .03. Not worth the stress.

Buy gulf live rock if you got the cash to burn.