Phosphate issue can't get it off 0

[Jonty]

I have recently made some changes to my system and took the tank off AIO Biopellets and added an ARRID 30 reactor and an HP Aquaristic 10000 roller mat filter. I have been struggling to get the ARRID reactor to grow Cheato and am considering taking the Protein skimmer offline. My nitrates are 3-4 and PO4 is a hard 0. I have tried several test kits and the ULR Hanna kit and I always get a zero reading. My corals are suffering and I think I need to get some phosphates into the system ( 300DD mixed reef and 120 mixed reef) I feed heavily LRS twice a day. I am wondering who else might have experienced this and found a solution.

 

[Jstn]

Hi Jonty, it seems lrs is an extremely clean food, perhaps you should try some unrinsed pe mysis, or any of the broadcast food such as oyster feast.

 

[dragon99]

I've had the same problem for couple weeks. I overdosed GFO a few weeks back and hit zero (quickly removed it). Since then I haven't seen PO4 register on Milwaukee, API, or Red Sea tests. I've used flake food (Prime), NLS pellets, un-rinsed PE mysis, and still getting 0. Fortunately everything still looks OK, but I'm curious about any other suggestions for raising phosphates a bit.

 

[Rob's Reef]

I thought 0 phosphate was good, you just want a little bit of nitrates hanging around... hmm

 

[Jonty]

With zero PO4 I experience loss of color and RTN, tips bleaching on SPS, I do not run GFO ,
ALk 7.0
MG 1300
CAL 420

 

[Jonty]

Hi Jonty, it seems lrs is an extremely clean food, perhaps you should try some unrinsed pe mysis, or any of the broadcast food such as oyster feast.

I have been adding PE Mysis unrinsed maybe I need to add more.

 

[Piranhapat]

Like stated feed oyster feast......

 

[favites]

I certainly would not hurt to take your skimmer offline in the interim. You didn't mention your bioload, I have also added fish at times when my reef needed increased nutrient levels. corals dig poop

 

[Jstn]

I have been adding PE Mysis unrinsed maybe I need to add more.

I would try oyster feast, some of the uln food works well too such as zeo aa or Red Sea energy a and b, they claim to not add po4 but seem to keep corals in a fed state.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have recently made some changes to my system and took the tank off AIO Biopellets and added an ARRID 30 reactor and an HP Aquaristic 10000 roller mat filter. I have been struggling to get the ARRID reactor to grow Cheato and am considering taking the Protein skimmer offline. My nitrates are 3-4 and PO4 is a hard 0. I have tried several test kits and the ULR Hanna kit and I always get a zero reading. My corals are suffering and I think I need to get some phosphates into the system ( 300DD mixed reef and 120 mixed reef) I feed heavily LRS twice a day. I am wondering who else might have experienced this and found a solution.

Some people dose phosphate. It is easy to do.

 

[Jonty]

Thanks for coming to the conversation Randy, I just purchased a 1lb of KH2PO4 from
NilocG Aquatics is this the right thing to dose? I realise that I do not know the strength so it will be hard to calculate the dosing. I would appreciate any help on what and how I should dose to help the PO4 levels in my tank?

 

[Jonty]

I will grab some oyster feast today.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, that's a reasonable product to use.

Do you have a scale?

 

[WetWhistle]

I myself like to let things raise naturally and don't like dosing phosphates as you can make the matter worse by overdosing. I have seen quite a few people do this, they try to fix a problem and create another. If you do dose you need to test regularly your PO4 levels so nothing sneaks up on you. Things can get out of hand quickly anytime you are adding something into your system.

I would take the skimmer offline and temporary remove mechanical media like filter floss of filter soc. Halt on water changes for the next few weeks. I would feed foods like Detritus, Oyster fest, Reef snow or AminOmega. Supplemental feeding will add to the energy budget and corals can make there own fertilizers so to speak from the extra food for their metabolic needs. These foods will have some PO4 in them anyway. I find supplemental feeding has a bigger impact on corals then dosing PO4 and is the safer option.

Regardless of the route you take watch you are not adding to much or overdoing it. We don't need to see another help I have GHA thread. lol

 

[Jonty]

Yes, that's a reasonable product to use.

Do you have a scale?

I do have a scale.

 

[Jstn]

At 0.04 PPM assuming 2000 L (500 us gal) you will need 0.08 grams of PO4, since you have KHPO4 (mw =137) and you want the PO4, (mw = 97) you would need around 114 mg of KHPO4.

Randy please double check my math, I did this calculation real quick.

 

[Jonty]

Does this sound right?

"Alright so for a 500 gal system and 1000ml bottle:

Add 5.42405 gm of KH2PO4 to your 1000 ML container. Each dose of 5 ML will raise PO4 0.01 ppm in your 500 gallon systems"

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Does this sound right?

"Alright so for a 500 gal system and 1000ml bottle:

Add 5.42405 gm of KH2PO4 to your 1000 ML container. Each dose of 5 ML will raise PO4 0.01 ppm in your 500 gallon systems"

Just be sure it isn't 5.42404 g lol

Yes, that looks good.

 

[harley3]

reading this thread makes me realize that I really should have paid better attention to math and science in school.

 

[Jstn]

Science is everything