Phosphates

[Hilltopreef90]

I just cycled a new aquarium and added fish from my old aquarium yesterday after almost 6 weeks of cycling and the nitrite and ammonia levels zero. Out of curiosity I tested the tank for phosphates thinking it would be zero since I’d only just added fish to the tank and they’ve not even been fed yet and my test came out 0.17 ppm is this normal and should I be concerned? I’ve battled with my previous tank and constant algae blooms I dread it happening in a breaks new tank.
I’m running a protein skimmer and have brand new filter socks, I plan to start a refugium with chaeto but wanted the tank to run awhile first.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Can be simply from your water source.
As an insurance, add a small pouch of chemipure blue which will keep Phos and Nitrate in check and polish your water

 

[Hilltopreef90]

Can be simply from your water source.
As an insurance, add a small pouch of chemipure blue which will keep Phos and Nitrate in check and polish your water

I have some purit, would that do about the same thing ? Where is the best place in the sump to place the pouch ?
Also is it normal for the protein skimmer to bubble over when it first starts working? I’ve turned it down as much as possible but it’s still foaming over a little

 

[Pistondog]

No worries at 0.17 now.
Most skimmers want to be in a certain water depth, check yours.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Those look like brand new base rocks, which often come with some amount of phosphate stored in them.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

Those look like brand new base rocks, which often come with some amount of phosphate stored in them.

They aren’t new, they were soaked in a bleach/water solution for a week then rinsed soaked in water with prime added, rinsed then dried before adding to the aquarium and cycling.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

No worries at 0.17 now.
Most skimmers want to be in a certain water depth, check yours.

The skimmer is as deep as it can be in the sump ‍, I can’t really add much more depth to the sump chamber . It’s my first time having an aquarium using a sump and regular protein skimmer my last aquarium was an all in one cube with a hob protein skimmer

 

[Dan_P]

I just cycled a new aquarium and added fish from my old aquarium yesterday after almost 6 weeks of cycling and the nitrite and ammonia levels zero. Out of curiosity I tested the tank for phosphates thinking it would be zero since I’d only just added fish to the tank and they’ve not even been fed yet and my test came out 0.17 ppm is this normal and should I be concerned? I’ve battled with my previous tank and constant algae blooms I dread it happening in a breaks new tank.
I’m running a protein skimmer and have brand new filter socks, I plan to start a refugium with chaeto but wanted the tank to run awhile first.

Do you think the PO4 might be coming from the rocks?

Is your PO4 accurate?

What method did you use to cycle the tank?

The rocks are very green. When did that happen?

 

[Pistondog]

The skimmer is as deep as it can be in the sump ‍, I can’t really add much more depth to the sump chamber . It’s my first time having an aquarium using a sump and regular protein skimmer my last aquarium was an all in one cube with a hob protein skimmer

Too deep will cause the skimmer to overflow.
Check skimmers specified depth range.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

Do you think the PO4 might be coming from the rocks?

Is your PO4 accurate?

What method did you use to cycle the tank?

The rocks are very green. When did that happen?

I’m using a Hanna checker and it’s new so I’m pretty sure it’s accurate
I used microbactor start and a frozen shrimp then microbactor 7 the last couple weeks
If it’s in the rocks what can I do to control it moving forward?

 

[Hilltopreef90]

I’m using a Hanna checker and it’s new so I’m pretty sure it’s accurate
I used microbactor start and a frozen shrimp then microbactor 7 the last couple weeks
If it’s in the rocks what can I do to control it moving forward?

I’m wondering if I should just remove all the rock and start over with brand new rock ?
If I were to remove all the rock and get Carib seas life rock could I just add it or would I have to start the cycle all over?
I dread ending up with algae all over because the rocks are holding in phosphates
Any suggestions or advice ? I’ve put so much time and $$ into this tank already if there’s a way to avoid tossing all the rock and starting over I’m listening

 

[Pistondog]

I’m wondering if I should just remove all the rock and start over with brand new rock ?
If I were to remove all the rock and get Carib seas life rock could I just add it or would I have to start the cycle all over?
I dread ending up with algae all over because the rocks are holding in phosphates
Any suggestions or advice ? I’ve put so much time and $$ into this tank already if there’s a way to avoid tossing all the rock and starting over I’m listening

The po4 will eventually stop leaching, after a couple of months.
0.17 is pretty low to be coming out of the rocks though.
Stay the course, the po4 is most likely from your food.

 

[Miami Reef]

Nooo! Don’t touch the rocks. It’s all part of the process. Just be patient, because it’s going to be ugly.

I like to maintain my phosphates at 0.1. I think it’s a good range to encourage all the new microfauna growth.

Don’t be in such a rush to remove the greens. Algae is great at providing oxygen and the extra nutrients will encourage bacteria and plankton to take refuge.

We all go through this when using fresh rocks. If you want to help speed up the process you can add 1-5 pounds of mature live rock. The microfauna will multiply to the rest of the tank.

Tip: short term chemical fixes rarely solve the actual issue.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

The po4 will eventually stop leaching, after a couple of months.
0.17 is pretty low to be coming out of the rocks though.
Stay the course, the po4 is most likely from your food.

I just added fish and hadn’t even begun feeding them yet ‍‍
I’ll just do the best I can keeping on top of maintenance and water changes, I think I’m just a bit paranoid because I had such a time dealing with algae in my last tank.

 

[Spieg]

If it’s in the rocks what can I do to control it moving forward?

I'd use Lanthanum Chloride to bring the numbers down until they stay down. Eventually the rock will be depleted and this won't be required.

 

[mdb_talon]

I also would bet it is leaching from the rocks. I would not however let that stop you from using the rock or switching it out now. I have hundreds of pounds of dry rock(previously live) sitting dry in tubs. When starting a tank with any of it i normally have higher than desirable phosphates.

I actually prefer the "chemical fix" and initially use lanthium chloride to get rid of the phosphates. Eventually it leaches out enough that phosphates are no longer an issue and no longer need to use chemicals to keep it down.

 

[fushi]

I just cycled a new aquarium and added fish from my old aquarium yesterday after almost 6 weeks of cycling and the nitrite and ammonia levels zero. Out of curiosity I tested the tank for phosphates thinking it would be zero since I’d only just added fish to the tank and they’ve not even been fed yet and my test came out 0.17 ppm is this normal and should I be concerned? I’ve battled with my previous tank and constant algae blooms I dread it happening in a breaks new tank.
I’m running a protein skimmer and have brand new filter socks, I plan to start a refugium with chaeto but wanted the tank to run awhile first.

If it was my tank I wouldn’t be too worried about it.

The phosphate could just be from your fish food or that shrimp you used to cycle (frozen table shrimp can be high in phosphates).

I did notice you tested nitrite and ammonia but did you test nitrate? If your nitrate is also elevated adding a Cheto refugium would help. From my experience macro algae works best when it has both nitrates and phosphates to use and a half decent light.

 

[Dan_P]

I’m using a Hanna checker and it’s new so I’m pretty sure it’s accurate
I used microbactor start and a frozen shrimp then microbactor 7 the last couple weeks
If it’s in the rocks what can I do to control it moving forward?

Hanna Checker is reliable, old or new.

GFO and lanthanum chloride are straightforward methods to reduce PO4 when you are ready.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

I'd use Lanthanum Chloride to bring the numbers down until they stay down. Eventually the rock will be depleted and this won't be required.

What is Lanthanum chloride ?

 

[mdb_talon]

What is Lanthanum chloride ?

It is a chemical that causes phosphate to precipitate. I am far from a chemist and thats the best i can describe it . It is the active ingredient in most liquid phosphate lowering reef products.

However you do meed to capture that precipitate there are reports of it hurting fish otherwise. Whenever i dose i drip into a very fine mesh filter sock. It is very powerful and can easily take nitrates to zero if you use too much. I always start with about 1/4 of recommended dose to reduce my desired amount and adjust as needed.