Phosphates Disappear in a Few Hours

[Oldcoder]

I have a 100 gallon about 8 Months old. In the last five months I have struggled with raising Phosphates (Dinos continue to be a problem). I use Brightwells Neophos it raises Phosphate by about a 1/3 of what it is supposed to testing 2hours later. I add 24ml every morning and by the next day it is back to zero. Used both Hanna checker and Salifert the results agree as much as I can tell.
There was another thread on here recently where Randy Holmes-Farley suggested that the rock was absorbing the Phosphates and to keep dosing. So that is what I am doing. I have some obese fish from feeding all kinds of food. Some of my lps corals live but do not grow; I target feed them with LRS three times a week they take it in aggressively. I added some leptosoris coral it did not live five days. My Nitrate stays steady at 5 to 10.
So far I have shut down refugium and skimmer no impact on Phosphate.

My question is do I tear down and use different rock I bought Realreef rock from LFS. Do just keep dosing and wait it out? Have others had the problem and found the solution? Are there other things I should be looking at?
Thanks Much

 

[CCauthers]

I am by no means an expert, but adding live sand and/or rock from a mature aquarium may help, as well as adding a bituminous carbon filter as well. Are you using any alcohol, vinegar or sugar based substances?

 

[ReefGeezer]

1. Low phosphate doesn't kill corals. It could inhibit coloration and possibly growth, but it won't kill them. Rapid fluctuations in phosphate levels can cause sensitive corals to be unhappy or even die.
2. Any calcium carbonate based substrate (rock) will bind phosphate, but will not reduce it to 0, so that's not your problem. Algae, corals, many other organisms, and other biological processes use phosphate and could result in very low levels, even 0, but it's not the rock.

What test kit are you using? Many kits will report 0 because their resolution isn't low enough for levels present in reef tanks. I used a Salifert kit for a long time and thought I had 0 phosphates. I started using a Hanna 736 ULR kit and discovered the phosphate levels were present in acceptable levels.

 

[Oldcoder]

I am by no means an expert, but adding live sand and/or rock from a mature aquarium may help, as well as adding a bituminous carbon filter as well. Are you using any alcohol, vinegar or sugar based substances?

nothing is added other than Alk and Calcium do use Carbon reactor every two weeks or so. I was considering adding a small amount of real live rock if I could find some.

 

[NanoDJS]

did you ever feed reef roids ??

 

[ReefGeezer]

Do you have any kind of algae in the system anywhere?

 

[Oldcoder]

1. Low phosphate doesn't kill corals. It could inhibit coloration and possibly growth, but it won't kill them. Rapid fluctuations in phosphate levels can cause sensitive corals to be unhappy or even die.
2. Any calcium carbonate based substrate (rock) will bind phosphate, but will not reduce it to 0, so that's not your problem. Algae, corals, many other organisms, and other biological processes use phosphate and could result in very low levels, even 0, but it's not the rock.

What test kit are you using? Many kits will report 0 because their resolution isn't low enough for levels present in reef tanks. I used a Salifert kit for a long time and thought I had 0 phosphates. I started using a Hanna 736 ULR kit and discovered the phosphate levels were present in acceptable levels.

I use both the Hanna and the Salifert they kind of agree both will show zero. I certainly get the rapid fluctuations though .07 to zero in 24 hours. Didn't know that all rock would bind phosphate though have read about it leeching it. I do get a lot of algae growth on the glass. Tangs go crazy eating it when I scrap it off.

 

[Oldcoder]

Do you have any kind of algae in the system anywhere?

All over the glass Tangs go crazy eating it when I scrap it off.

 

[Oldcoder]

did you ever feed reef roids ??

No I have no Sps corals feed reef frenzy.

 

[TexasReefer82]

Reef Roids is a proven winner for raising phosphates, haha!

Make a reef roids paste and spot feed it using a syringe to your LPS corals. They love to eat it, even lepto and chalice corals will eat it slowly by reeling in their mucus net.

And as a bonus it will ultimately raise your inorganic phosphates but initially it will make all your corals happier by providing organically bound Phosphorus for absorption and consumption.

 

[Oldcoder]

Reef Roids is a proven winner for raising phosphates, haha!

Make a reef roids paste and spot feed it using a syringe to your LPS corals. They love to eat it, even lepto and chalice corals will eat it slowly by reeling in their mucus net.

And as a bonus it will ultimately raise your inorganic phosphates but initially it will make all your corals happier by providing organically bound Phosphorus for absorption and consumption.

okay thanks I even have some of that will give it a try.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Unless it's really heavy, sheet algae on the glass might not explain the drop in phosphate. It does indicate that there is at least some inorganic phosphate available. I'd guess the the phosphate you are adding is being quickly bound by inorganic compounds and doesn't show up in your test.

That said, heed this warning: Low to even 0 inorganic phosphates might not be as bad as fluctuating phosphates. Stability is a big factor particularly in SPS coral health. I'd suggest you test less, save your money on the Neophos, feed heavily, and see what happens over about 30 days. Reef Roids is not a bad thing to include in feedings.