Phosphate will not drop

[Rjmul]

Phosphate will not drop in my 65 gallon sumpless tank.

Phosphate Reading .25 nitrates 18.5
Zero algae. Just more film on the glass then I'm used to.
Back to back lanthinum chloride and testing. Zero change.
Running phosguard. Zero change.
I might buy some gfo but feels like I'd be wasting my money at this point. I've never had much success with water changing out phosphate so I haven't really gone that route. Also I'm limited to 5 gallon buckets in my apt. usually just one at a time I don't have an RO unit. I use distilled always.

Thoughts ? This is a relatively new system with all live rock and live stock transferred over.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

What brand LC are you using? I used 5ml of seaklear phosphate remover mixed with a gallon of rodi, and my P04 went from 0.44 to 0.21 in 12 hours...

Edit, dripped the gallon slowly over 12 hours.

 

[Rjmul]

What brand LC are you using? I used 5ml of seaklear phosphate remover mixed with a gallon of rodi, and my P04 went from 0.44 to 0.21 in 12 hours...

Edit, dripped the gallon slowly over 12 hours.

Phosphate e

 

[Pistondog]

Phosphate e

I use this as well , diluted 50:1 dripped into the overflow with 5 micron sox.
LC is a chemical reaction and about as sure as it gets.
Check your testing methods before any more LC.
Or po4 is leaching out of rocks
Or you are feeding reef roid or another high phosphates source.

 

[Rjmul]

I use this as well , diluted 50:1 dripped into the overflow with 5 micron sox.
LC is a chemical reaction and about as sure as it gets.
Check your testing methods before any more LC.
Or po4 is leaching out of rocks
Or you are feeding reef roid or another high phosphates source.

No reef roids ever. No reef chili ever. Minimal flake food. 99% mysis and or rods or hikari frozen. Bought about 7 pound old school live rock From LFS. Didn't think it could have that much phosphate in it but who knows.

Only other conclusion I might have come to is I made my own food by mixing already prefabbed frozen fish food and might have added a bit too much marine snow. That conclusion was come to while staring at the ceiling middle of the night.

I fed straight hikari mysis for a few days after that realization, no change.

 

[Pistondog]

No reef roids ever. No reef chili ever. Minimal flake food. 99% mysis and or rods or hikari frozen. Bought about 7 pound old school live rock From LFS. Didn't think it could have that much phosphate in it but who knows.

Only other conclusion I might have come to is I made my own food by mixing already prefabbed frozen fish food and might have added a bit too much marine snow. That conclusion was come to while staring at the ceiling middle of the night.

I fed straight hikari mysis for a few days after that realization, no change.

I think phosphate binds to rock and substrate when elevated in water, then releases/leaches from rock when the po4 water level is less.
Wait a week and remeasure.
If above 0.5 ppm use Lc as described above to lower to 0.1 or so.
Do not use LC below 0.2 ppm, use gfo or other.
Maybe get a hanna checker

 

[Rjmul]

I think phosphate binds to rock and substrate when elevated in water, then releases/leaches from rock when the po4 water level is less.
Wait a week and remeasure.
If above 0.5 ppm use Lc as described above to lower to 0.1 or so.
Do not use LC below 0.2 ppm, use gfo or other.
Maybe get a hanna checker

Testing with hannA. I've used LC below .2 a billion times. Just triple check my math

 

[Pistondog]

Testing with hannA. I've used LC below .2 a billion times. Just triple check my math

I am ignorant of how the phosphate testers work, but if you are not removing the lanthanum phosphate by filtering, maybe that is registering in the hanna.

 

[Rjmul]

I am ignorant of how the phosphate testers work, but if you are not removing the lanthanum phosphate by filtering, maybe that is registering in the hanna.

Was under the impression that only happens when the lanthinum clouds the tank up, which I've never seen myself.

 

[Kodski]

After battling phosphate issues myself and only finally recently getting my numbers down, I have to recommend going with Tropic Marin Elimi-NP. Its working great for me and I just switched from dosing Elimi-Np to NP-Bacto-Balance.

I have to say, this video does an amazing job of explaining the product and reason why you would want to use which product.

 

[Pistondog]

Was under the impression that only happens when the lanthinum clouds the tank up, which I've never seen myself.

The lanthanum binds to the phosphate forming a flocculant,small particles bigger than 5 microns, smaller than 20?. They'll be in your water until they are removed by filter or skimmer, or diluted via water changes. In high density application, it will make the water cloudy.