Leaching Phosphates

[charged]

Hoping someone can provide some insight on a Phosphate issue. I never had an issue w/Phosphates until about 2 months ago. My levels are now at .25. I'm running GFO through a reactor and dosing NO3/PO4 for about a month. Levels still have not dropped. Trying to figure out the source I tested my saltwater in my change Rubbermaid Food safe Brute container. That also showed .25. I then mixed my RO/DI water w/salt to my tank and showed 0 phosphates. Is it possible that the Barrel is leaching Phosphates? I've been using it for about 7 years and have had to scrape the inside quite a few times to remove salt deposits.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Phosphate is not in the Brute plastic. I'm going with your test kit giving you funny numbers. What test kit are you using? If you can, have a fellow reefer test your water or take a sample to your LFS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The source off phosphate is nearly always foods. Even if the Brute can leached 0.05 ppm phosphate into the water (or more), you add tens to hundreds of times that amount every day in foods.

I agree it is also not likely to be leaching anything significant after 7 years, even if it did originally.

 

[charged]

The source off phosphate is nearly always foods. Even if the Brute can leached 0.05 ppm phosphate into the water (or more), you add tens to hundreds of times that amount every day in foods.

I agree it is also not likely to be leaching anything significant after 7 years, even if it did originally.

What would explain my pre mixed change water in the barrel being at .25? No food going in there.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Maybe testing testing error (folks report all kinds of hard to explain things that end up being testing error). Maybe something contaminating the barrel (cat peeing in it, which has happened), etc. ). Or maybe it really is leaching.

In any case, it is not the main source to worry about. Stressing over it is like worrying about insulating your home when a window is open.

 

[charged]

I only feed frozen mysis, Spirolina and a homemade blend of fresh seafood that goes through the processor. The Mysis is always rinsed before going in the tank.

 

[larryhaynes]

Could it possibly be the water you were using? Or maybe the salt mix that you're using try waiting a few days and then testing

 

[Maximo]

Would switching from frozen food to pellets decrease the amount of phosphates introduced during feeding or are they worse?

 

[larryhaynes]

I think it all depends on how you go about introducing the food to the aquarium I use pallets 90% of the time because I can control with a lot more accuracy how much food goes in my tank

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I only feed frozen mysis, Spirolina and a homemade blend of fresh seafood that goes through the processor. The Mysis is always rinsed before going in the tank.

Doesn't matter what you feed. Every food necessarily contains substantial phosphate. It is an integral part of organism tissues used to make foods.

Some seafoods may have more than others as phosphate is sometimes added to fresh or frozen seafood to "preserve freshness". But as a percentage of the total present, I'm not sure that makes a huge difference. Anything with bones in it will also have especially high amounts of phosphate.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think it all depends on how you go about introducing the food to the aquarium I use pallets 90% of the time because I can control with a lot more accuracy how much food goes in my tank

As an added comment, from the standpoint of phosphate added to the aquarium water, it is only the total amount of food added, and not so much whether it6 is immediately eaten by something, or jsut sits on the bottom and decays. Fish that eat foods excrete nearly all of the phosphate in those foods.

 

[kevindo123]

My mix tank is doing well. All SPS and LPS are doing well with vibrant colors on all. I have no algae issues and sand bed is clean (thanks to my clean up crew which consist of mostly bristle worms. I have a lot of them. I think I have a balance system however Hanna phosphate measment shows 0.8 to 1.25. My nitrate is at least 10x that. I just want to share my system parameters, having high phosphate may not be bad.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My mix tank is doing well. All SPS and LPS are doing well with vibrant colors on all. I have no algae issues and sand bed is clean (thanks to my clean up crew which consist of mostly bristle worms. I have a lot of them. I think I have a balance system however Hanna phosphate measment shows 0.8 to 1.25. My nitrate is at least 10x that. I just want to share my system parameters, having high phosphate may not be bad.

No, it may not. Some other nice tanks have that as well. But in such systems the algae is likely being kept in check by something else becoming limiting to its growth, such as iron. One possible problem is that such a situation might not be optimal for certain other organisms, which may also be limited in growth by such a deficiency.

Something must also be limiting the growth of zooxanthellae in your corals or they'd likely brown up a bit from increased zoox levels.

Also, some hared corals grow more slowly as phosphate becomes elevated.

Have you tracked how fast yours are growing?