Quick silica phosphate test interference question

[Spare time]

Would roughly 0.3ppm silica cause much of an interference in a hanna ulr phosphate checker? My phosphate were slightly elevated and I believe it to either be this or (more likely) that I haven't pruned back my refugium lately and its choking itself out

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

From the data in the thread below, the answer looks like no.

High Silica interference with PO4 measurement

Tip to @Jason mack who brought it up earlier in a dino thread. I was skeptical, but it seems to be true, and in some cases, it might change how we choose to dose and test etc. This is a combo of data from me and @Rick Mathew Saltwater spiked with different levels of Silica was measured for...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[taricha]

yeah, what we measured (in the linked thread above), and the hanna and hach stated interferences levels for Si were all much higher than that.

 

[Spare time]

Ok sounds good thanks. I think my refugium is often nitrate limited in my tank which is likely my main issue for my phosphates rising (as well as not trimming back the macro algae enough

 

[taricha]

Ok sounds good thanks. I think my refugium is often nitrate limited in my tank which is likely my main issue for my phosphates rising

This is how my system runs by default as well. Algae keeps the system pretty N-limited so PO4 pushes higher than I'd like sometimes.