Phosphates waaay to low, need advice

[KatyEnochs]

You both are wrong.

The set points maximum calibration is equal to the variation of such standard solutions used to mediate the reaction. It is often theorized that the lowest common denominator is only +/- .04, but that doesn't take into consideration the tectonic plates or earths exact position in space. The variance in degrees of longitude directly relate to the phosphate levels in the tank, making precision very difficult, unless the calibration was done at the same geographical location. Obviously I know I'm right on all of this...obviously ;-)


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[gmoney243]

natural sea water has a phos level of 0.005, so why do they need .03-.05 in a tank? many recommend .01 or less.. RHF recommends <.03, both recommendations put .03-.05 on the high side...

Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Because the ocean feeds 1lb of fod per cubic meter a day. And also the reefs water change 100% several times a day. And all the algae and seaweeds in the ocean that filter the water arent as agressive as gfo as i stated above. The ocean also has tons of bacteria that filter as well. But its because of all the fish and constant available nutrients from the fish.

 

[GHill762]

Because the ocean feeds 1lb of fod per cubic meter a day. And also the reefs water change 100% several times a day. And all the algae and seaweeds in the ocean that filter the water arent as agressive as gfo as i stated above. The ocean also has tons of bacteria that filter as well. But its because of all the fish and constant available nutrients from the fish.

I'm not sure where you got that info (and I'm not saying you're wrong either) but my understanding is that most stony coral (particularly sps) comes from low nutrient "deserts" rather than the nutrient rich environments we put them in when we toss them in our glass boxes..

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[maharsreef]

Ocean reefs are inherently nutrient rich in nature. They. Just have better waste export capabilities than our tanks do. SPS environments are far from desert environments.


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[Nano sapiens]

An oceanic reef's water itself is very nutrient deficient and is often described as 'oligotrophic' (the exception being when a reef receives an occasional, nutrient rich upwelling from the deep ocean).

The reef itself is not nutrient deficient since the nutrients reside in the organisms. To take advantage of this nutrient store, coral polyps typically have a very large percentage of their body mass dedicated to food capture. By mass, per unit area there are far more small organisms rolling over and around the reef then we feed our tanks.

I used to dive a reef in the tropics every few months for years and during most hours the water was very clear with ~ 30-40 ft visibility, but during early morning and especially in the afternoon, visibility would decrease to ~10 ft due to the plankton swarms (produced on the reef itself and some oceanic input). Sometimes, it felt like swimming through a huge bowl of Miso soup

 

[gmoney243]

I'm not sure where you got that info (and I'm not saying you're wrong either) but my understanding is that most stony coral (particularly sps) comes from low nutrient "deserts" rather than the nutrient rich environments we put them in when we toss them in our glass boxes..

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It was either an article or tv show about the reefs. Ill have to look but it was a reputable place. And theres a difference between food and nutrients. Sps areas are veryy low nutrient environments but are rich in food that flows through for fish and corals to eat. If there was no food fish couldnt survive and if theres no fish the corals wont survive.

 

[GHill762]

It was either an article or tv show about the reefs. Ill have to look but it was a reputable place. And theres a difference between food and nutrients. Sps areas are veryy low nutrient environments but are rich in food that flows through for fish and corals to eat. If there was no food fish couldnt survive and if theres no fish the corals wont survive.

That makes sense..

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[EddieJ]

The phosphate that our test kits measure is phosphate that is harmful to corals. So when somebody says they need phosphate, yes they do, but its not what your Hanna test kit is telling you. You want that as close to 0 as you can get. Algae uses the inorganic phosphate in our systems, our corals do not.

 

[dwolson2]

Did you get the lo phosphate or high? You shouldn't get 0 on the low kit.

 

[bct15]

Did you get the lo phosphate or high? You shouldn't get 0 on the low kit.

It is the Hannah phosphate checker, not a Hannah phosphate photometer like I think you are thinking about. I believe the range is the same as the low range phosphate photometer though. 0 - 2.5ppm in .01 ppm increments.


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[gmoney243]

The hanna photometer measures in ppb. Normal hanna colorimeter measure ppm.
The more expensive one is more accurate since it measures ppb.

 

[bct15]

I checked them last night and they are now 0.1 so I brought my gfo and carbon back online. I have been feeding my fish three times a day and my coral very other day. All of the burnt tips are almost gone, which was super fast. Will fluctuations in phosphates cause problems later as I try and get these dialed in exactly? Or are phosphates something that can fluctuate a little bit? I don't add new gfo, just restarted what was already in the reactor since I'm going to change it out this weekend and run a lot less. Also some people said they run their gfo on a timer but I always thought it had to be constantly tumbling, does running it on a timer cause tunneling issues?

I've also been bringing my alk down slowly, trying to get it closer to 8.2 -8.5 range. I also moved my dosing from 3 evenly spaced 20 min intervals to 4 evenly spaced 15 minute intervals, is it better to have even smaller intervals than that? I noticed on colonies tips seem burnt, on some frags growth rim at base seems burnt.


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[danimgale]

I'm confused by this thread... I've always been under the impression that you want your phosphates and nitrates as close to 0 as possible. What have I been missing?

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[KatyEnochs]

I'm confused by this thread... I've always been under the impression that you want your phosphates and nitrates as close to 0 as possible. What have I been missing?

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Corals need the slightest bit of phosphate to live, so to be truly 0.000 can limit growth, but as long as you have 0.006 or something, your fine. It's still really hard to truly have zero, especially if you have fish... And feed them of course.

 

[bct15]

I checked my phosphates today again and the Hanna says 0.00...after two tests, I don't know what is sucking them out. I guess my fuge, skimmer, and gfo is set to "supa fly".

I have lowered my alk to 8.1 and calcium is at 450, the burnt tips are gone on all but one coral.


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[KatyEnochs]

I checked my phosphates today again and the Hanna says 0.00...after two tests, I don't know what is sucking them out. I guess my fuge, skimmer, and gfo is set to "supa fly".

I have lowered my alk to 8.1 and calcium is at 450, the burnt tips are gone on all but one coral.


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Why don't you just take out your gfo all together and only put it in when you start to trend up? I meant, it's not hard to make phosphates, seriously...

 

[Zack]

Hey as long as your corals are improving and doing well i say just go with it bro!

 

[bct15]

Why don't you just take out your gfo all together and only put it in when you start to trend up? I meant, it's not hard to make phosphates, seriously...

I am just going to keep them at zero, I'm intelligent enough to know they are not zero all of the time and they are being used up by everything, since everything has improved i'm just going to stick with the schedule I'm on and not get anymore chalices.


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[steve99999]

You do realize most of us with sps reefs have the other
hanna......phosphorous is the one you want it test in the ppb range.