Phosphate Rx

[hdngo]

I have very high nitrate and phosphate in my 90 gallons tank, vodka dosing it for a while now, followed the instructions for vodka dosing. Nitrate is under control, but phosphate still high, can easily go to above 0.5 if not run a lot of rowaphos. I start using phosphate Rx, it help reduce phosphate very quick, less than 0.2 and can reduce even more with more phosphate Rx. But, I have this new brown/white stringy slime building up in low flow area. Is that because i dose too much phosphate Rx and my skimmer is not removing the bi-product that phosphate Rx generated? Do anyone having this problem? Thanks

 

[hdngo]

Video of the slime thing. Thanks

 

[hdngo]

Sorry, I can’t post the video, I’ll post the picture later today. Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Slime is more likely from the vodka than the lanthanum dosing.

 

[hdngo]

Slime is more likely from the vodka than the lanthanum dosing.

Hi Randy, I have the slime thing when I start lanthanum. just to be sure, i also reduce the vodka almost by half(5.5ml to 3ml), but still seeing the slime. That’s why I post it here and hopefully you and anyone else can help me find the root cause. Can the lanthanum lowering phosphate so much, then the vodka are not being consume as the rate before I start lanthanum? Sorry in advance, I am not a chemist, so My question may be crazy . Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t believe anything from lanthanum can directly cause slime. It may have reduce phosphate and thus shifted the vodka to driving a different species of bacteria that is slimy.

 

[hdngo]

I don’t believe anything from lanthanum can directly cause slime. It may have reduce phosphate and thus shifted the vodka to driving a different species of bacteria that is slimy.

Okay, I’ll reduce vodka by half again, then keep at that level longer and see if the slimes go away, and nitrate not going up. Thank you very much Randy!

 

[hdngo]

Is there anything I can dose to remove the slimes or I just have to manually remove it? Thanks

 

[hdngo]

So, I change my dosing to 3ml, instead of 5.5ml, but I check my nitrate to have a good comparison in a week or 2. I see my nitrate is 34.7, it was 28.7 six day ago. So, my question is, why nitrate still go up with too much vodka dosing? Thanks