low phosphate

[Dave Reef]

Hi,
I have a mixed reef with only 2 SPS corals. My nitrates are 9.8 but my phosphate is only 0.01 - almost undetectable on the Red Sea Phosphate Pro Kit. I do have a couple of corals that have struggled including trumpets, elegance and acans. Everything else looks great but I think my coral growth is slow.

Should I be dosing Neophos or something to get my phosphates higher or am I ok?

 

[JohnTheReefer]

In my opinion, yes, the levels could be higher if corals are noticeably struggling and all other parameters are in check. I can't speak for other products, but Neophos has worked well for me. Been using it about six months now. Shake the bottle before each use.

 

[TX_REEF]

Feed reef roids! I also suffered from low to zero phosphates for months, fixed it by reducing my skimming (ended up turning it off completely and jsut run an airstone in the sump for aeration) and feeding reef roids 2-3x a week. The corals love it, just hit your LPS with target feeding after lights off when their feeder tentacles come out.

reef roids: https://amzn.to/3yUCqPe
target feeder: https://amzn.to/4aP9k0Y

Here are my happy candycanes and micromussa (acans):

 

[JohnTheReefer]

Feeding reefroids or other food doesn't necessarily fix low phosphate. It also takes longer for food to be converted to phosphate. It's also easier to determine how much Neophos to dose vs how much food to feed to achieve a proper level.

 

[Dave Reef]

If I do dose phosphate. What is my target ppm? I hate green hair algae and don’t have a problem now and want to keep it that way.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’d either feed more (any food) or dose food grade sodium phosphate (not sodium tripolyphosphate).

You may need to dose a lot to reach the target, but I’d aim for 0.03 to 0.1 ppm 24 h after dosing.

 

[Dave Reef]

If I just feed more, won't my nitrates also go up??? I think they are good. My phosphates are low.

 

[Uncle99]

If I just feed more, won't my nitrates also go up??? I think they are good. My phosphates are low.

Yes,
Just dose the po4 to .1ppm ish.
Increasing feeding is a longer term solution.

I’d get a second opinion on your RedSea test.
Mine never worked.

Only Hanna worked for me.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

If I just feed more, won't my nitrates also go up??? I think they are good. My phosphates are low.

I would dose , but many folks are uncomfortable with it, which is why I suggested both options. Nitrate a bit higher is not a big issue.

 

[TX_REEF]

If I just feed more, won't my nitrates also go up??? I think they are good. My phosphates are low.

I found that increased feeding affected nitrate far less than phosphates, specifically reef roids. I actually had to dose nitrate directly to find a balance.