phosphate

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

Ok....i have been battling a diatom or cyno issue foe about a month now..it gets a few bubbles on it as the day goes on..but its not snotty..it just looks like a thin blanket of brown dust.....my phosphate readings were 0.28 ppm.....i did a few water changes with rodi water from new filters and new di resin.....and started running phosban in a reactor....over a week later my readings were 0.25ppm......i still cant get my levels down......i tested the water straight out of my reactor and got 0.11ppm which is still to high....i make my own fish food and it is strained and rinsed with ro water 3 times before it is frozen and used.....i feed in the morning with mysis mixed with squid and garlic juice and feed a few pellets at night......wanting to get my level down to get rid of the diatoms on my sand bed and get my SPS's to color back up.......they are growing but dont color up like they should.....all my other levels are good
Calcium-450
ph-8.13
Alk-8.12 (2.9) meq/l
Phosphate-.26ppm
Mag-1410
Nitrate-0
Ammonia-0
Temp-78
Salinity-1.027
TDS at RO unit is 000 out
Everything is good but my phosphate....i have tobpick up more salt and mix it up for water change and i will test it for phosphate to see it is coming from the salt mix which is reef crystals.......the tank has been up and running for a year and a half now.....i also run a vertex alpha 250 skimmer...the whole system is a 200 gallon cube with a 75 gallon sump with refuge with cheato ......can anybody help me with why i cant get my phosphates down ? Should i change out my phosban after a week...maybe it is getting depleted.........

JimWelsh · Jan 23, 2015

What test kit are you using to test for Phosphate?

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

I use a hanna

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

Nobody has any input.....

Keithcorals · Jan 23, 2015

Add nitrate and the fuge will take care of it in no time

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

How do i add nitrate

Keithcorals · Jan 23, 2015

This is what I'm using now

Brightwell Aquatics - NeoNitro

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

Isnt there a chance of a cycle

Tuffloud1 · Jan 23, 2015

foxhuntr said:
Isnt there a chance of a cycle

I would also like to know this.

fishroomlady · Jan 23, 2015

obviously randy is the expert but I wouldn't think that adding a bit of nitrate would cause a cycle. Are you getting noticeable algae in the DT?

Reefing Madness · Jan 23, 2015

With your levels up that high, your phosban is going to exhaust quickly, your going to have to test every day once you put a new batch in, when you see that the phosphate number hasn't gone down, then change it out, and continue testing.
Or
Use a Lanthanum Product, IE- Brightwell Phosphate-E, SeaKlear, which I use
Or use GFO, which will do the same thing your Phosban is doing, you'll have to watch it, and when its full it will no longer remove anymore phosphate and you'll have to change it out to keep it going down. The liquid dosing, will create some stringy bound phosphate in the tank that you can remove by hand until you get them down to low levels, then it goes away.

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

Thats what i was thinking as well that my phosban was getting full and needed replaced....i ordered more and it is due to come in monday....hard to believe it takes that long to cross one state....good ol fedex.....

foxhuntr · Jan 23, 2015

Yes i am getting a diatom/cyno bloom on my sandbed and my SPS's wont color up because of the P04

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jan 23, 2015

GFO will likely deplete in a day or two at phosphate levels that high, and it will take a fair amount to bring it down because there will be more bound to rock and sand that will come off as you try to lower the level in the water.

Check the effluent of the reactor, and when it is no longer lower than the tank, replace the GFO. .