Should I Lower Phosphates

[DraggingTail]

My Salifert test says 0. So, I ordered a Hanna ULR. Is this too high?

My goal is SPS grow out. My LPS are growing fine.


Thanks for your help.

 

[KrisReef]

43 ppb Phosphorus = .123 ppm phosphate. That is "high" but not necessarily the end of the world. What do your nitrates measure?

Tank looks ok.

 

[DraggingTail]

43 ppb Phosphorus = .123 ppm phosphate. That is "high" but not necessarily the end of the world. What do your nitrates measure?

Tank looks ok.

Nitrates are more that 2 but not 4 with Red Sea Pro test kit.

 

[DraggingTail]

Like I said. Looking for optimal parameters for SPS growth.

Alk and Ca are dosed and stable at 12 and 460 respectively.

Thanks

 

[Dine]

I’d control this with weekly water changes. Easy and gradual. Nothing’s crazy high so you don’t want to do anything to over correct. Any algae issues currently?

(that’s assuming the above conversion is correct. I didn’t do the math.)

 

[DraggingTail]

I’d control this with weekly water changes. Easy and gradual. Nothing’s crazy high so you don’t want to do anything to over correct. Any algae issues currently?

I have GHA but not bothersome. However, velvet just killed all my Tangs so I might have. Probably be fishless unless the clowns make it. They seem healthy and stay in the magnificent nem

 

[Thales]

I don’t see a reason to chase that number
Here is my tank, from the couch, raisins on full and dirty glass. . Phosphate. .65

 

[DraggingTail]

I don’t see a reason to chase that number
Here is my tank, from the couch, raisins on full and dirty glass. . Phosphate. .65

Any tips for grow out? How long all that take to grow?

 

[KrisReef]

Here's an old thread that you might check out @DraggingTail

Read the whole thing, it's short and it has some discussion on numbers that hopefully will calm you down.

Nutrient Control...

A lot of you make nutrient control look easy. I receive a little jab every time I see someone post about dosing nitrates and phosphates... good grief! My daughter and I ran a 55g for 4+ years before starting a 125g mixed reef last September. The 55 was always plagued with 30-50ppm nitrates...

www.reef2reef.com

Also: I google Hanna Phosphorus conversion to find the tables to figure ppb to ppm.

The equation ;ppb x 3.066 / 1000 = ppm

So doing the math this time, (and not looking on line at a table, 43 x 3.066 / 1000 =0.131ppm, which is slightly higher than the table I looked at?
Just proves that I probably should have used my glasses.
@Dine

 

[Dine]

Here's an old thread that you might check out @DraggingTail

Read the whole thing, it's short and it has some discussion on numbers that hopefully will calm you down.

Nutrient Control...

A lot of you make nutrient control look easy. I receive a little jab every time I see someone post about dosing nitrates and phosphates... good grief! My daughter and I ran a 55g for 4+ years before starting a 125g mixed reef last September. The 55 was always plagued with 30-50ppm nitrates...

www.reef2reef.com

Also: I google Hanna Phosphorus conversion to find the tables to figure ppb to ppm.

The equation ;ppb x 3.066 / 1000 = ppm

So doing the math this time, (and not looking on line at a table, 43 x 3.066 / 1000 =0.131ppm, which is slightly higher than the table I looked at?
Just proves that I probably should have used my glasses.
@Dine

Ha. I wasn’t questioning you at all. Just realized After I hit reply I was answering a question based purely on math I hadn’t done. I specifically have the phosphate ULR do I DONT have to do that math!

 

[DraggingTail]

Ha. I wasn’t questioning you at all. Just realized After I hit reply I was answering a question based purely on math I hadn’t done. I specifically have the phosphate ULR do I DONT have to do that math!

So, I ordered the wrong Hanna?

 

[Dine]

So, I ordered the wrong Hanna?

No you ordered the slightly more accurate one that requires a little extra math.

 

[DraggingTail]

No you ordered the slightly more accurate one that requires a little extra math.

I was expecting to see .1 .2 etc...

 

[Dine]

I was expecting to see .1 .2 etc...

The phosphate ULR would read that. You got the phosphorus ULR. There are conversion charts. Keep one handy and it’s no different

 

[DraggingTail]

The phosphate ULR would read that. You got the phosphorus ULR. There are conversion charts. Keep one handy and it’s no different
[/QUOTE

Thanks for the help

 

[LARedstickreefer]

I don’t think there’s a magic number for too high and too low. What may be too high for one tank, isn’t for another.

I had all of my Acros stn out of nowhere. ICP showed my phosphate had hit 0.22ppm. That was the only thing that was out of whack. So, for my tank and parameters, 0.22 might have been the culprit. Might not have been, but it was the only one that was really far off of NSW.

I’d cut back on feedings or get a skimmer going to see if that drops phosphate some. I personally shoot for 0.05ppm. If it gets higher, I increase skimming. If it gets lower, I decrease skimming.

 

[DraggingTail]

I don’t think there’s a magic number for too high and too low. What may be too high for one tank, isn’t for another.

I had all of my Acros stn out of nowhere. ICP showed my phosphate had hit 0.22ppm. That was the only thing that was out of whack. So, for my tank and parameters, 0.22 might have been the culprit. Might not have been, but it was the only one that was really far off of NSW.

I’d cut back on feedings or get a skimmer going to see if that drops phosphate some. I personally shoot for 0.05ppm. If it gets higher, I increase skimming. If it gets lower, I decrease skimming.

I have a skimmer and fuge

 

[LARedstickreefer]

I have a skimmer and fuge

How much do you feed? Is there left over food? How often do you feed? Cutting back a bit will probably be enough.

 

[DraggingTail]

How much do you feed? Is there left over food? How often do you feed? Cutting back a bit will probably be enough.

6 days ago I had
Fairy Wrasse
6 line Wrasse
Copper Banded Butterfly
Convict Tang
Yellow Eye Kole Tang
2 Yellow Tang
2 Coral Beauty
2 clowns
3 Cardinal
1 Lawnmower Blenny

I would feed them 3 frozen mysis cubes per day

Now, after my tank is hit with velvet, assuming from the Convict Tang that was added 8 days ago, I am down to 1 clown, 2 Cardinals.

Feeding them one cube but they are not eating. Pretty soon I will be fishless and run that way for a few months.

No more skipping QT.