Phosphate ICP help

[Smokey the reefer]

Hi guys new on here.
I'm really struggling to understand my ICP Triton phosphate result.
My Hanna and nyos home test reads near zero on both yet the iCP tells me it's 0.309 and that I need to urgently lower it.
How the hell can I gauge when I'm already at zero on home test kit?
I'm wondering if nopox maybe scewing the result somehow but I cannot understand what I can do.
Any help appreciated

 

[lapin]

No pox is carbon dosing. Vinegar/ Vodka stuff. It helps increase bacteria to help reduce nutrients.
The ICP test is total phosphates. Your test kit measures what they call reactive phosphates. Could be 3x different.

 

[nereefpat]

Which Hanna kit? Ultra Low Range one?

 

[Smokey the reefer]

Thanks for the reply guys.
Yes it's the Hanna ULR and I'm really carefull how I use it.
Any idea how I'm supposed to manage that phosphate level if my kits all read zero and I have no algae?I guess just ignore the home kits and run GFO or lanthium chloride 24/7?..just seems impossible to manage going by their reading.its just so far out of whack.

 

[Garf]

Hi guys new on here.
I'm really struggling to understand my ICP Triton phosphate result.
My Hanna and nyos home test reads near zero on both yet the iCP tells me it's 0.309 and that I need to urgently lower it.
How the hell can I gauge when I'm already at zero on home test kit?
I'm wondering if nopox maybe scewing the result somehow but I cannot understand what I can do.
Any help appreciated

Welcome. What corals do you have? Even if it were 0.3ppm, doesn’t seem like a panick parameter change is required. A pic would be good.

 

[nereefpat]

Thanks for the reply guys.
Yes it's the Hanna ULR and I'm really carefull how I use it.
Any idea how I'm supposed to manage that phosphate level if my kits all read zero and I have no algae?I guess just ignore the home kits and run GFO or lanthium chloride 24/7?..just seems impossible to manage going by their reading.its just so far out of whack.

With Hanna ULR reading zero and no algae, I would be careful about running GFO. I would actually ignore the ICP, personally.

 

[Miami Reef]

@Smokey the reefer

There are people who have successful SPS tanks with high phosphates. If you lower your phosphates too fast you can actually kill many of your corals.

Can you send me a sample of your water so I can double check it with my test kits?

I highly recommend not using carbon, GFO, or lanthanum chloride for lowering phosphates. Too much risk of bleaching.

@Charlie’s Frags

 

[lapin]

Thanks for the reply guys.
Yes it's the Hanna ULR and I'm really carefull how I use it.
Any idea how I'm supposed to manage that phosphate level if my kits all read zero and I have no algae?I guess just ignore the home kits and run GFO or lanthium chloride 24/7?..just seems impossible to manage going by their reading.its just so far out of whack.

If the hanna reads 0 you dont need to run anything. Running GFO and the likes will drop your Phos. to the real 0, and you can end up with dino's. Nobody wants that.
Dont mess with success.

 

[J1a]

Icp maybe able to pick up organic phosphate, which will not show up on our home hobby kits.

Edit: saw @lapin 's post #2. Agree totally.

 

[Lavey29]

Hi guys new on here.
I'm really struggling to understand my ICP Triton phosphate result.
My Hanna and nyos home test reads near zero on both yet the iCP tells me it's 0.309 and that I need to urgently lower it.
How the hell can I gauge when I'm already at zero on home test kit?
I'm wondering if nopox maybe scewing the result somehow but I cannot understand what I can do.
Any help appreciated

Formula from hanna: "Multiply ppb phosphorus by 3.066 then divide by 1000 to equal ppm phosphate"

 

[GARRIGA]

Not all need to follow ICP requirements. Sometimes these are too general. Some corals do appear to have low requirements from what others are reporting but I don’t know if I’ll be able to ensure the recommended 0.03 is feasible.

 

[Smokey the reefer]

Thanks to all who replied here.
So my display tank is 9 months old and ive been working to get my parameters on point before moving my SPS from frag tank.
I've had no algae at all until present and it will be an all SPS tank due to the fact I decided to have angels in there.
Look forward to sharing pics on herein the near future.
My concern was Triton telling my to use GFO to rectify an issue that could lead me to a whole new problem with bacteria problems.

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

I would ignore the icp Po4 reading as well.
I would worry more about the zero readings on the Hanna checker, especially if you’re already using gfo and nopox.

Do you have the Hanna checker calibration kit?

 

[Smokey the reefer]

I would ignore the icp Po4 reading as well.
I would worry more about the zero readings on the Hanna checker, especially if you’re already using gfo and nopox.

Do you have the Hanna checker calibration kit?

Yeah I recently bought that kit..it checked out with both curvettes it came with.
I think I'll take peoples advice and just worry about what my test kits say. The reading just confused the hell out of me is all.

 

[nereefpat]

Yeah I recently bought that kit..it checked out with both curvettes it came with.
I think I'll take peoples advice and just worry about what my test kits say. The reading just confused the hell out of me is all.

Are you staying with the nopox (carbon dosing)? Out of curiosity, what are your nitrates?

 

[Charlie’s Frags]

Yeah I recently bought that kit..it checked out with both curvettes it came with.
I think I'll take peoples advice and just worry about what my test kits say. The reading just confused the hell out of me is all.

What’s the Hanna Po4 reading on your frag tank?

 

[Smokey the reefer]

What’s the Hanna Po4 reading on your frag tank?

I actually dose po4 and no3 into the frag as it's fishless so maintain 5 pmm no3 and 0.05 po4

 

[Smokey the reefer]

Are you staying with the nopox (carbon dosing)? Out of curiosity, what are your nitrates?

So my no3 is stable at 7ppm with nopox but was using phos Rx on a dosing pump as nopox didn't bring down po4 to where I wanted it...was only using rowa phos as aluminium came up in the iCP and I wanted to take that out with rows phos

 

[DE FISH]

Melevs reef drops his po4 from high levels to zero and lets them rise I see no issue unlesss you maintain a constant zero reading.

 

[GARRIGA]

Melevs reef drops his po4 from high levels to zero and lets them rise I see no issue unlesss you maintain a constant zero reading.

That’s what I plan on doing with heavy feedings. Easier to blank something out then monitor it until it exceeds requirement then rinse repeat.