Proper Phosphate
- Thread starter ziggy2
- Start date
- Tagged users None
Quietman
2500 Club Member
Wow...is that question going to get a lot of different answers! 
. Take a look around on here in phosphate level discussions and the type of tanks they support. That includes type of corals, system methodology, feeding desires etc for various values. <.03 ppm is the most common value recommended. Personally I find <.1 ppm adequate for my LPS/mixed tank but shoot for about .05 ppm. I've seen very successful long term tanks with phosphate well above those values. Nice tester you've picked up, though....direct reading with no math!
. Take a look around on here in phosphate level discussions and the type of tanks they support. That includes type of corals, system methodology, feeding desires etc for various values. <.03 ppm is the most common value recommended. Personally I find <.1 ppm adequate for my LPS/mixed tank but shoot for about .05 ppm. I've seen very successful long term tanks with phosphate well above those values. Nice tester you've picked up, though....direct reading with no math!
The Aquatic Arsenal
2500 Club Member
It does depend on what you are keeping for coral and what kind of system you want to run, but generally speaking somewhere from 0.03 ppm to 0.1 ppm.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
IMO, a good level is 0.01 to 0.03ppm phosphate. Higher can be ok, but lower is undesirable.
Belgian Anthias
Valuable Member
It depends on the other nutrients and building materials available and the way the nitrogen content is managed.
In a closed system using a skimmer, it is normal an unbalance is created between available nitrogen and other essential building materials as most nitrogen is left behind.
Phosphorus starvation is found to be responsible for coral bleaching during periods of increased growth (increased temp?) supported by high nitrogen availability. Based on this info and to limit this risk it is advisable to keep the essential nutrients in balance in a closed system. Temp fluctuations are difficult to avoid in a home aquarium.
If a nutrient unbalance is created, which is a fact in a lot of reef systems, the availability of phosphorus is important.
For example, in such conditions, increasing the organic carbon availability to lower the nutrient levels of nitrogen and phosphorus may create limited phosphorus availability if the dosing is based on the nitrate level. A temp increase will increase fast heterotrophic growth needing more phosphorus, also in the koral holobiont, increasing the risk for phosphorus starvation.
In a system using a phosphorus absorber, phosphorus availability may become problematic if not managed correctly.
On what parameters such a shart should be based?
In nature, coral growth depends mainly on what is going on in the coral holobiont, the supply of organic nitrogen and phosphorus, arranged and supplied by the coral holobiont, in an oligotrophic environment.
The calcification rate by growing corals depends meanly on CO3 availability.
In captivity, in a closed system, the conditions are completely different.
It should not be a problem having 0 phosphate reading in a closed system as long phosphorus is continuously supplied, enough for essential growth. Keeping a measurable phosphate level makes managing the phosphorus content possible.
Belgian Anthias
Valuable Member
There is no reason for treating phosphate and nitrate availability as an emergency. Doing so, the cure may be worse as the disease. In most cases, an abnormal increase of nitrate and or phosphate are the messengers of something is going wrong, it is the result, not the cause.
It is not correct to believe increased phosphorus availability will inhibit coral growth, the opposite is true. In the presence of CO3, high phosphorus availability will increase the calcification rate.
P-enrichment improves calcification in corals, but can deteriorate the firmness of the skeleton. (ShantzAndBurkepile2014) Ref: http://www.baharini.eu/baharini/doku.php?id=nl:makazi:chemie:calcificatie
Anyway, an increased phosphate level will not kill corals.
One should be aware it is not possible to remove nitrate if not enough phosphorus and other building materials are available, not by assimilation, not by denitrification. Trying to do so may create undesired side effects.
A lot of products advised and used for battling different photo-autotrophs, algae, dino's, cynano's, may contain an unknown quantity of organic carbon. One must be aware they are only safe to use if enough phosphorus is present. To know how much phosphorus one has to know how much organic carbon is added. The same for products advised and used for lowering the nitrate level.
My advice is to keep the phosphorus level measurable at all times.
It is not correct to believe increased phosphorus availability will inhibit coral growth, the opposite is true. In the presence of CO3, high phosphorus availability will increase the calcification rate.
P-enrichment improves calcification in corals, but can deteriorate the firmness of the skeleton. (ShantzAndBurkepile2014) Ref: http://www.baharini.eu/baharini/doku.php?id=nl:makazi:chemie:calcificatie
Anyway, an increased phosphate level will not kill corals.
One should be aware it is not possible to remove nitrate if not enough phosphorus and other building materials are available, not by assimilation, not by denitrification. Trying to do so may create undesired side effects.
A lot of products advised and used for battling different photo-autotrophs, algae, dino's, cynano's, may contain an unknown quantity of organic carbon. One must be aware they are only safe to use if enough phosphorus is present. To know how much phosphorus one has to know how much organic carbon is added. The same for products advised and used for lowering the nitrate level.
My advice is to keep the phosphorus level measurable at all times.
Last edited:
