Safe phosphate level, curing pukani

Lindsay1126 · Dec 14, 2017

Hi everyone,
I feel like lately all I do is post questions, and I really appreciate all the people who have helped me along my journey!
So I bleach bathed my pukani for a few days then gave it an acid bath with muratic acid at a 20/1 ratio. I have had it circulating in rodi water and a heater for a few days. I just tested the phosphates with my hanna checker and it read 0.28, I read in an article anything under 0.3 is ok. Does that mean I can start cycling my tank soon? I plan to change out the water and let it sit as my plumbing still needs to be done on the tank and test again, but if readings are the same should I be safe without worry of horrific hair algae outbreaks? If that is not the case, at what reading would I be safe? Should i wait for it to be 0.0? Thanks for all the help again.

Radman73 · Dec 14, 2017

Lindsay1126 said:
Hi everyone,
I feel like lately all I do is post questions, and I really appreciate all the people who have helped me along my journey!
So I bleach bathed my pukani for a few days then gave it an acid bath with muratic acid at a 20/1 ratio. I have had it circulating in rodi water and a heater for a few days. I just tested the phosphates with my hanna checker and it read 0.28, I read in an article anything under 0.3 is ok. Does that mean I can start cycling my tank soon? I plan to change out the water and let it sit as my plumbing still needs to be done on the tank and test again, but if readings are the same should I be safe without worry of horrific hair algae outbreaks? If that is not the case, at what reading would I be safe? Should i wait for it to be 0.0? Thanks for all the help again.

Do you have it in the tank or bins? If bins, throw some lanthanum chloride in there. You get it from pool stores. It'll pull out the phosphate and precipitate as a white powder type residue that can be dumped out with the water. In my case, my phosphates didn't get above .10 so I tossed my rock in the tank and started the cycle. I've had occasional bouts of GHA but nothing horrific and nothing a little GFO doesn't knock back with the CUC.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 14, 2017

Yes, you can cycle the tank.

Phosphate is complicated, but some very fine SPS aquaria have phosphate much higher than the levels you are quoting. Much lower levels may lead to less algae, but you can certainly proceed.

Radman73 · Dec 14, 2017

I'd listen to Randy over me lol!

Lindsay1126 · Dec 14, 2017

Thank you both. Randy I am pretty sure it was your article

. I still have some time as I am finishing up my DTs plumbing and what not, so we will see where it falls when I am finished. I am trying to take my time. I have just read a lot of horror stories about how long it takes pukani to cure, so I wanted to double check I wasn't missing anything. Thanks again.

ETA: I have it in 2 brute trashcans.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Dec 14, 2017

Radman73 said:
I'd listen to Randy over me lol!

FWIW, i'm not really disputing anything you said. The lanthanum is a fine way to go.

Lindsay1126 · Dec 15, 2017

So I went to my local pool store and they did not have any lanthanun chloride.

Radman73 · Dec 15, 2017

Lindsay1126 said:
So I went to my local pool store and they did not have any lanthanun chloride.

You have an impressively bad local pool store. Not sure if the big box home improvement stores carry it or not. Might want to call ahead or check online first.

Heart of Dixie · Dec 15, 2017

It’s sold in pool stores under the name of Seaklear

Lindsay1126 · Dec 15, 2017

Yes I searched on the forum (for what is was for and name brand) when the guy looked at me like I was crazy, they didn't have it. They didn't have muriatic acid either, which I thought was a pool cleaner (I am not trying to acid dip again, I just noticed as I looked through every label. I am going to see if there are any in a bigger town nearby. Thanks.

Mark Gray · Dec 15, 2017

Lindsay1126 said:
Hi everyone,
I feel like lately all I do is post questions, and I really appreciate all the people who have helped me along my journey!
So I bleach bathed my pukani for a few days then gave it an acid bath with muratic acid at a 20/1 ratio. I have had it circulating in rodi water and a heater for a few days. I just tested the phosphates with my hanna checker and it read 0.28, I read in an article anything under 0.3 is ok. Does that mean I can start cycling my tank soon? I plan to change out the water and let it sit as my plumbing still needs to be done on the tank and test again, but if readings are the same should I be safe without worry of horrific hair algae outbreaks? If that is not the case, at what reading would I be safe? Should i wait for it to be 0.0? Thanks for all the help again.

Wow you really cleaned your rock, the last Puccini rock I put in I just put it in I wanted to glue it when it was dry, Yes I had GHA out break but since I started a fuge 4 months later it has almost gone away. I am just about to set up the new build not sure if I will cure my rock or not

Lindsay1126 · Dec 15, 2017

Mark Gray said:
Wow you really cleaned your rock, the last Puccini rock I put in I just put it in I wanted to glue it when it was dry, Yes I had GHA out break but since I started a fuge 4 months later it has almost gone away. I am just about to set up the new build not sure if I will cure my rock or not

;Shamefullyembarrased My husband says when I decide to do something, I do over do every aspect of what I intend. In my defense my DT has taken a while to get set up, longer than I anticipated. The acid I had read had great results. Since this is my very first SW, reef tank I really want to try to set my self up not to have issues I can avoid. I am a research addict, so I have read so many horror stories of the G&BHA taking over from not getting phosphates in check before display.
I am glad you mentioned the fuge, bc I am setting mine up to be a triton system. So, I will have about a 16 gallonn fuge in my 40gb sump. I guess I shouldn't worry too much as the macro should pull out all the extra.

Mark Gray · Dec 15, 2017

I think you will do fine How big is your tank. I have run salt water for almost 40 years now this was the first tank I have ever set up with all dry rock. I will always use all dry rock from now on, no pests, and I can buy anything I want to have in it, I am waiting for someone to give me a bristle worm or two. On my new build it will be ful Triton also and I may switch this one over some day but the fuge does work but your rock is clean I know it is

Lindsay1126 · Dec 15, 2017

Mark Gray said:
I think you will do fine How big is your tank. I have run salt water for almost 40 years now this was the first tank I have ever set up with all dry rock. I will always use all dry rock from now on, no pests, and I can buy anything I want to have in it, I am waiting for someone to give me a bristle worm or two. On my new build it will be ful Triton also and I may switch this one over some day but the fuge does work but your rock is clean I know it is

I have a 120g (4x2x2). I originally wanted a 180, bc I knew I would want to upgrade, but I would have had to waited another year or so to get the funds to do the 180g. I figured the 120 would give me enough while I'm learning all I can and be a bit easier on maintenance. Plus hubby told me if I waited patiently I could skip the 180 and go straight to 240 or 300! ;Woot Little does he know, I learned patience FROM this hobby

.

Thanks that makes me feel much better about the rock. I really love the look of the pukani. I will probably get it set up by the new year. My daughters birthday is this weekend, then my brother is getting married then Christmas. I am hoping the day after Christmas hubby will help me get things finished up on plumbing and sump.

Mark Gray · Dec 15, 2017

Lindsay1126 said:
I have a 120g (4x2x2). I originally wanted a 180, bc I knew I would want to upgrade, but I would have had to waited another year or so to get the funds to do the 180g. I figured the 120 would give me enough while I'm learning all I can and be a bit easier on maintenance. Plus hubby told me if I waited patiently I could skip the 180 and go straight to 240 or 300! ;Woot Little does he know, I learned patience FROM this hobby.

Thanks that makes me feel much better about the rock. I really love the look of the pukani. I will probably get it set up by the new year. My daughters birthday is this weekend, then my brother is getting married then Christmas. I am hoping the day after Christmas hubby will help me get things finished up on plumbing and sump.

Good deal make a build thread let us look. I was going to do a 300 I could afford it but I have a carwl space under my house so I would need to brace the floor for that much weight maybe some day but I am going to do a smaller version of my dream tank in a 90 lol

Lindsay1126 · Dec 15, 2017

I have a build thread for my 120 in my sig, but for some reason the link wont work. I will defiantly have a huge build thread for my future tank. I love keeping up with my progress. Forum post help me so much, I want to do what I can, even if its not much to this new hobby. I have done FW for years and had that figured out really well, so being a newbie again is kind of weird. Here is my build. I stopped getting any comments. I'm sure it wasn't very exciting to somebody in the hobby.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/building-my-first-120-gallon-reef-tank.337823/page-2#post-4278138