Phosphate Reduction (help)

[Slawman]

Thanks, I have a GFO reactor but never really noticed a difference when its ran versus not...
It’s quite possible the the LC is removing phosphate and then the rock is leaching more out? We have the Hanna Checker that maxes out at 2.5ppm, the ICP text said 2.79ppm so we are definitely high. I thought after a week of dosing we would have come down a little bit but my guess is we’re just not dosing enough or more phosphate is leaching as we go.

Yes you are putting it in a little bit more quickly than you are pulling it out, you must nail the source/s before trying to dose etc. if that is what you decide to do. Food will be your main source potentially followed by rock (you wont know until you test it). You will end up with a seesaw up and down unless you stabilise the input against the output if you know what i mean. Just another thought, have you tested your changeout water? I have had fresh NSW test positive for PO4 in the past as well.......so many variables, one of the things I love about this hobby!

 

[HeinritzReef]

Yes you are putting it in a little bit more quickly than you are pulling it out, you must nail the source/s before trying to dose etc. if that is what you decide to do. Food will be your main source potentially followed by rock (you wont know until you test it). You will end up with a seesaw up and down unless you stabilise the input against the output if you know what i mean. Just another thought, have you tested your changeout water? I have had fresh NSW test positive for PO4 in the past as well.......so many variables, one of the things I love about this hobby!

I’ll have hubby test our fresh saltwater next time... I suppose Phosphate has nothing to do with TDS.... and bonus we have really old pipes in our house (104 year old house).

The challenges and variables are not the most fun, but it definitely keeps the hobby interesting (one of the big reason we love it over freshwater).

 

[Fishingandreefing]

I have been battling high phosphate as well but not as bad as yours. It was at .90 in my 120g. With water changes and dose both phosguard and chemipure, it brought down to around .50 and it’s currently being at that range for the past 2-3 weeks.

I am on the edge of using phosphate RX with the 10 micron filter sock at about 25% dose and see.

any update on your tank?

 

[HeinritzReef]

I have been battling high phosphate as well but not as bad as yours. It was at .90 in my 120g. With water changes and dose both phosguard and chemipure, it brought down to around .50 and it’s currently being at that range for the past 2-3 weeks.

I am on the edge of using phosphate RX with the 10 micron filter sock at about 25% dose and see.

any update on your tank?

After 11 days, we are down from 2.79 to 2.25ppm... so yes still exceptionally high but we want to bring down slowly. No ill effects to fish, we have been dosing directly into the filter sock, seems to make the skimmer go a little nutty. Probably removing the phosphates...

I started our dosing on the low end of the recommendation and then I cut that in half. I gradually brought it up to a full dose (on the low end of the dosing range for quantum phosphate) for a couple days and now we are doing smaller doses again.

Products can work, but proceed slowly/dose is all I would say.
Also watch your Alk and Calcium, it seems as the phosphate is removed the intake of Alk seems to go up. Our tank's Alk dropped during the process because we were not testing that as closely. Now we are bringing it back up.