NOPOX with zero phosphates? 2 Qs

[mike550]

Hello! Newbie Q here. I have a 120G reef tank that's been running around 20ppm for the past few months and phosphates recently dropped to zero (per Hanna Phosphate Low Range). I'd like to get my nitrates below 10 to support corals. Current params are:

Salinity: 1.025
Phos: 0.00
Nitrate: 20-ish
Alk: 8.4 dkH
Mg: 1350
Ca: 450

I've tried big water changes, vacuuming sand, feeding less all with no real change. So I added Seachem Matrix a couple of weeks ago to my sump (hoping for Matrix to be a longer term solution). So here are my questions

1. Will NOPOX work with phosphates showing 0.00?
2. Could the Seachem Matrix have pulled down my phosphates?

Thanks in advance!

 

[SPR1968]

If you have a reasonably stocked tank, because of test error your unlikely to actually have zero phosphate.

I use Nopox in my S650 and keep phospate at or around zero, and yes it works because there should always be ‘some’ phosphate in the system. I use it along side rowaphos

As far as Im aware, matrix doesn’t affect phosphate levels, but I have no scientific knowledge on the later. Maybe very small amounts as part of the cellular reactions, but that’s just an ’guess’. This might be a question for ‘Randy’