Phosophate dosing

[Beats001]

Hi folks,

I have nitrates at about 25 and phosophates are currently reading zero on red sea test. I am considering dosing phosophate to bring it up. I am using an Aquaforest product to lower nitrates and phosophate, which works but seems to reduce phosophates faster than nitrates. So I think if i dose phosophate I should get my nitrates down, and balance things out.

Has anyone on here done this successfully?

 

[theMeat]

Yes you need some phosphate for your nitrates to start coming down.
Use water changes to get your nitrates down.
Stop using anything/additive designed to lower nitrates and phosphate.
Simply use coral food to raise phosphate.
Do you have macro growing?
Any algae issues?

 

[Beats001]

Yes you need some phosphate for your nitrates to start coming down.
Use water changes to get your nitrates down.
Stop using anything/additive designed to lower nitrates and phosphate.
Simply use coral food to raise phosphate.
Do you have macro growing?
Any algae issues?

I'd have to do too many water changes to get them down. I think my plan seems sound, it was actually working until my phosophates went too low. I'm wandering if anyone has used an additive to boost phosophates. I can feed heavy but not sure that will be enough. I'm wandering if i can use one of the freshwater phosophate additives for plants.

Thanks for your help

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What product are you using that reduces both but phosphate more than nitrate?

 

[Beats001]

What product are you using that reduces both but phosphate more than nitrate?

I've been using probio s, np pro and nitra phos minus, which are all Aquaforest products. The first two are part of their probiotic method, one is bacteria and the other food for the bacteria. The last one I only used for a few days. My phosophate went from 0.1 to undetectable in about 1.5 weeks. If I had measured sooner I would have stopped dosing, I have now. Nitrates were going down, but have actually gone back up now, presumably because phosophates went to zero.

So I want to reduce my nitrates to between 5 and 10, but based on some posts I have read I need to up my phosophates to get my nitrates down.

If I can dose phosophates then I can go back to using these products, maybe stick to one would be more sensible this time.

What yous think?

 

[Beats001]

What product are you using that reduces both but phosphate more than nitrate?

Just to add to my last post, I got my ati ICP test results in. I have elevated lanthanum and copper.
Could this be binding the phosophate?
Ati recommends water changes to get these down, would carbon help too?

 

[PatW]

I would suggest that you use the Hanna ULR test for your phosphates. It is the only test that is sensitive enough for phosphates. If you determine that your phosphates are still low, you can dose phosphates with Neophos or just dissolve some reagent grade trisodium phosphate from Amazon.

 

[Beats001]

I would suggest that you use the Hanna ULR test for your phosphates. It is the only test that is sensitive enough for phosphates. If you determine that your phosphates are still low, you can dose phosphates with Neophos or just dissolve some reagent grade trisodium phosphate from Amazon.

Nice1 Pat, I'm hoping my red sea phosophate kit is accurate enough, not keen on forking out for the Hanna one. I'll check out the phosophate fertilizers you suggest.

 

[Beats001]

I would suggest that you use the Hanna ULR test for your phosphates. It is the only test that is sensitive enough for phosphates. If you determine that your phosphates are still low, you can dose phosphates with Neophos or just dissolve some reagent grade trisodium phosphate from Amazon.

Would this stuff do the job Pat?
Trisodium Phosphate 500g https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004O1MGRQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ImuACbGSPJPJ0

Thanks