Phosphates high.

[jordan10]

So 2 questions 1 my wife got me the regular Hanna phosphate checker. And I didn't know there was a difference between this one and the URL one so should I return the one she got for the URL one?

And 2 my phosphates are test at 1.06 I know or well I think that's high. Is water changes best and fastest way to bring that down? Tank is bout 75g

 

[IslandLifeReef]

I would recommend the ULR checker. However, with PO4 that high, the ULR will read off the charts. You should consider GFO, Phosguard, or lanthium chloride to bring the PO4 down. PO4 usually is between 0.05 and 0.12 ppm. You are about 10 times the recommended amount.

 

[Lithoman]

do you feed reef roids? when I feed them my P04 skyrockets..

 

[SPR1968]

You need to have something in place to remove phosphate on an ongoing basis and a good target is very low at around 0.03ppm

I personally use Rhowaphos in a reactor and it’s run 24/7. If you have corals in place bring the level down slowly as they may not like sudden changes to their environmen.

You can try water changes but using media of some form will be better

If you can return the Hanna I would, and get the ULR version as that’s what you should be targeting

 

[my.PsychReef]

Just run some rowaphos mate in a reactor. Or you can use phosphate rx. Melevesreef has info on how to use it properly.
In terms of the testkit you can use either. Doesn’t matter as long as the phosphate levels are under acceptable range shouldn’t be a problem.

 

[jordan10]

Thanks I do feed reef roids and I have a skimmer. I was planning on doing 20 gallon water change and picking up some gfo and putting in filter sock. Till I can look into getting some type of reactor and do more research on them.

 

[Lithoman]

GFO in a sock should work.. skip reef roids for a week and test...

 

[IslandLifeReef]

Thanks I do feed reef roids and I have a skimmer. I was planning on doing 20 gallon water change and picking up some gfo and putting in filter sock. Till I can look into getting some type of reactor and do more research on them.

Use about 1/3 to 1/4 of the recommended amount of GFO so that you bring the PO4 down slowly.

Also, what is your NO3 reading? If you are reading at or near 0 ppm NO3, which I would bet your are, your system in NO3 limited. In addition to GFO, you could dose NO3. By dosing NO3, your coral, algae, and bacteria will consume more PO4 while consuming the additional NO3.

I feed ReefRoids and only run a skimmer. My PO4 stays between 0.02 and 0.05 without any additional media to remove it. So, unless you are feeding a large amount of ReefRoids on a daily basis, I doubt that is the major reason for the high PO4.

 

[dadnjesse]

Be careful with GFO lots of people including myself lose corals from stripping the water too fast.

 

[Shawn.B]

i would run some GFO slowly i just got this from KOLAR LABS its onsale right now! https://amzn.to/2SFFWpx

ultimately you will want to be testing with the ULR