Phosphate RX VS Phosphate E - Need help reducing phosphates

[jsc]

Anyone have any experience using phosphate e? I was dosing phosphate rx, but my yellow tang gets severely stressed out by it so I will no longer use this - I do not want to take the risk. I've been looking at phosphate e but I am concerned my tang will react the came due to the same chemical makeup of the product.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can lower my phosphate. GFO? What success have you had with more of a "natural" approach rather than using lanthanum chloride.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Queen City Corals]

Hey JSC, A few questions first, what size is your tank, what filter do you have, how many fish, how many corals, what are you feeding, how often are you feeding, and how often are you changing water. My recommendation would be to figure out what's causing your elevated phosphate levels and then working back from that to figure out how to remove them. It's often easier to limit the input of phosphate rather than remove it once it's already in your tank.

 

[jsc]

Hey JSC, A few questions first, what size is your tank, what filter do you have, how many fish, how many corals, what are you feeding, how often are you feeding, and how often are you changing water. My recommendation would be to figure out what's causing your elevated phosphate levels and then working back from that to figure out how to remove them. It's often easier to limit the input of phosphate rather than remove it once it's already in your tank.

Hello, I have a 90 gallon aquarium and run a refugium with a bio brick. My skimmer is a reef octopus essence s-130. Currently have 12 fish in the system - give or take 1 or 2 (trying to remember if i counted them all). I do have some corals in the tank. Mostly LPS, some mushrooms, torches, zoas, and a couple leathers etc. , and a few easier SPS. I typically feed everyday. Either TDO chroma boost and/ or LRS reef frenzy. I try to change 15 gallons every week, but sometimes every other week. Safe to say 3-4 15 gallon water changes are performed every month.

 

[tapeworm123]

My question is do you test nitrate I do agree trying natural methods first is a great option.

 

[jsc]

My question is do you test nitrate I do agree trying natural methods first is a great option.

Yes, my nitrate is elevated as well.

 

[tapeworm123]

How is your filtration? Do you use filter floss or socks. I recommend wet skimming when tank is a little heavy on the nutrients. Filtration style ?

 

[jsc]

How is your filtration? Do you use filter floss or socks. I recommend wet skimming when tank is a little heavy on the nutrients. Filtration style ?

I do not use socks. I would say more of a drier skim. When I tried more or a wet skim the collection cup would fill up in a matter of minutes.

 

[tapeworm123]

Do you feed your fish or the tank ? Is there fish food that just fly around ? It’s important that fish eat every piece of food. Fish eating the particul of food filters out like 90 something percent of the nutrients from food.

 

[jsc]

I will be honest the food is just flying around while the fish go crazy eating it.

 

[tapeworm123]

I use the oral syringe you get from Walgreens, 10ml they are free you just have to ask for them and fish run right up to it and I dose the same amount of food . I feed every other day. I feed on that day I don’t recommend but four times a day I would start off with two smaller feedings. It give my tank time to purge on the day off (bacteria cycle ) it Reilly helped my nutrients and the stability of bacteria in my tank.

 

[jsc]

I use the oral syringe you get from Walgreens, 10ml they are free you just have to ask for them and fish run right up to it and I dose the same amount of food . I feed every other day. I feed on that day I don’t recommend but four times a day I would start off with two smaller feedings. It give my tank time to purge on the day off (bacteria cycle ) it Reilly helped my nutrients and the stability of bacteria in my tank.

Thank you. Hopefully this will help.

 

[jsc]

Hello, I have a 90 gallon aquarium and run a refugium with a bio brick. My skimmer is a reef octopus essence s-130. Currently have 12 fish in the system - give or take 1 or 2 (trying to remember if i counted them all). I do have some corals in the tank. Mostly LPS, some mushrooms, torches, zoas, and a couple leathers etc. , and a few easier SPS. I typically feed everyday. Either TDO chroma boost and/ or LRS reef frenzy. I try to change 15 gallons every week, but sometimes every other week. Safe to say 3-4 15 gallon water changes are performed every month.

Any recommendations @Queen City Corals ?

 

[DrMMI]

I've used both phosphate Rx and phosphate e. Never had an issue with any of my tangs. I dose right into the overflow box so it goes straight down into the sump to be caught in the filter sock or skimmer. In my 100g office tank, I dose about 10-15 drops of phosphate Rx once a week and it works well to keep me around 0.1ppm. In my 260g home tank, the recommended dose doesn't seem to do anything and I'm afraid of overdoing it as icp showed my Lanthanum chloride levels were elevated at one point. So I switched to gfo. It's a bit more work to exchange for fresh gfo every few weeks and a lot less tunable than phosphate Rx or phosphate e, but it's the only thing that seems to work on that tank.

 

[polyppal]

I use phosphate-e, works well. start slow, I used 5ml a day until I hit target and use about 2.5 a day now to maintain. I drip it slowly with a syringe into a filter sock

 

[gbroadbridge]

Anyone have any experience using phosphate e? I was dosing phosphate rx, but my yellow tang gets severely stressed out by it so I will no longer use this - I do not want to take the risk. I've been looking at phosphate e but I am concerned my tang will react the came due to the same chemical makeup of the product.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how I can lower my phosphate. GFO? What success have you had with more of a "natural" approach rather than using lanthanum chloride.

Any help is appreciated.

The simplest method is to use GFO tumbling in a reactor.

Adjust the flow throgh the reactor and the amount of GFO to balance the inputs from food with what the GFO is taking out.

That way you don't limit growth by underfeeding the fish and/or corals.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I'm not sure if you are saying that you'd rather use a "natural" product rather than GFO, but I believe GFO is safer than LC; the main problem I know of is that it's easier to bottom out the phosphates with GFO since you don't dose tiny amounts... If that makes sense.
I agree with testing nitrates since you need nitrates to lower phosphates. You can also try carbon dosing, but I'm not very experienced with that so I can't offer any tips there.
Last comment, which may be the most important... Why do you want to lower phosphates? Are you having problems with algae? Do your corals seem off? Some tanks do well with higher than "recommended" nutrients.
Good luck!

 

[jsc]

I use phosphate-e, works well. start slow, I used 5ml a day until I hit target and use about 2.5 a day now to maintain. I drip it slowly with a syringe into a filter sock

I have a 90 gal with 30 gallon sump. Let’s say I have 70 gallons just to be safe. How much would you start dosing?

 

[jsc]

I'm not sure if you are saying that you'd rather use a "natural" product rather than GFO, but I believe GFO is safer than LC; the main problem I know of is that it's easier to bottom out the phosphates with GFO since you don't dose tiny amounts... If that makes sense.
I agree with testing nitrates since you need nitrates to lower phosphates. You can also try carbon dosing, but I'm not very experienced with that so I can't offer any tips there.
Last comment, which may be the most important... Why do you want to lower phosphates? Are you having problems with algae? Do your corals seem off? Some tanks do well with higher than "recommended" nutrients.
Good luck!

Fish are fine. Corals are off.

 

[jsc]

The simplest method is to use GFO tumbling in a reactor.

Adjust the flow throgh the reactor and the amount of GFO to balance the inputs from food with what the GFO is taking out.

That way you don't limit growth by underfeeding the fish and/or corals.

Does GFO take out other elements as well? Does it strip the water to much?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Does GFO take out other elements as well? Does it strip the water to much?

It only strips the water too much if you use too much.

All phosphate reduction methods will take out some other elements, but lanthanum dosing may be the least in that regard, and growing macroalgae may be the most.