Phosphate Binder in Foods

[Monkeynaut]

Which foods are known to not contain abnormally high phosphate levels?

 

[mcarroll]

It's about the same in all of them.

Exceptions might be:

• dry food – supposedly it may have a slightly higher ratio. (Depends on the specific food!)
• human seafood items – can be preserved with a phosphate solution (Not sure how ofter you'd run into this.)

I don't know any others....anyone else?

(Uneaten food is generally a much bigger problem in most tanks.)

 

[Monkeynaut]

I have been feeding LRS and have phosphate of .1 with the ULR hanna checker and 0 nitrate with the Redsea test kit (confirmed by my lfs also). I am trying to figure out how I have so much more phosphate than I do nitrate...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Perhaps avoid foods that contain bone meal or fish meal. Bones have a lot of phosphate that may dissolve when digested.

I discuss phosphate in foods here:

Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

 

[Monkeynaut]

Perhaps avoid foods that contain bone meal or fish meal. Bones have a lot of phosphate that may dissolve when digested.

I discuss phosphate in foods here:

Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

Randy, why do you suppose I have zero Nitrates and the raised PO4 (.01 to .1 depending on the day).

From the article, which I appreciate, the swings in PO4 are likely from feedings which are inconsistent in both size and frequency.

Is it common for PO4 to lead NO3 in tanks that use cheato?

I have had rapid bleaching and tissue loss with several corals, both SPS and LPS (lights are low measured with a PAR meter). I'm assuming it is due to NO3 levels being undetectable. But I hadn't worried about NO3 initially since I get a green film w/ couple mm brown strings everywhere on my glass rather quickly (maybe that film isn't algae?)

I guess my course of action should be to cut back on Cheato photo period and add GFO.

With a ULNS, which I did not intend to build, what additives do I need?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

It is common for tanks to have bigger phosphate problems than nitrate.

Denitrification in live rock and sand can deplete nitrate and not phosphate.

 

[mcarroll]

Is it common for PO4 to lead NO3 in tanks that use cheato?

I don't know exactly on Chaeto, but there are definitely different ways that algae grown and compete.....some oriented toward growing rapidly and favoring high-nutrients....others growing slower and being better able to compete for low-nutrients. (Probably every variety in between too.)

E.g. If chaeto won't grow, instead try Codium or even Caulerpa if they are available.