sps NOT pleased .. phosphate?

specialk · Nov 3, 2014

Hey All -

So I am attacking this as I see fit and I think I know the answer here, BUT I am wanting to see what you other "masters" have to say and if you agree that this indeed may be the problem.

I now have a phosphate problem (as there is hair algae growing)
My sps are growing (skeletons growing very fast) but they are NOT full color and have started to dim and almost look brown. Basically they are losing their color.
Have not switched or changed anything with my LED lighting, the time they are on, nothing has changed.
Nitrates and Nitrites, etc all that stuff is all good. Calcium around 440

I started running high capacity BRS GFO ... I am hoping this will take care of the phosphate problem and eventually bring the sps corals back to good health and color?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 3, 2014

Well, I'm not sure I'd conclude the lack of coloration is due to excessive phosphate, but it might be. Browning might indicate excessive zoox from elevated nutrients.

Have you tried to measure phosphate?

tigerdragon · Nov 3, 2014

What is your ca at? Mag? Alk?

specialk · Nov 3, 2014

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
Well, I'm not sure I'd conclude the lack of coloration is due to excessive phosphate, but it might be. Browning might indicate excessive zoox from elevated nutrients.

Have you tried to measure phosphate?

I have just placed an order for a good phosphate checker .. as I have been in the school of "if you don't have algae, then you don't have phosphate problem. Have algae, then you have a phosphate problem" right now I have one of the generic testing kits and it reads that I do have some phosphates ... but again until I get that really good testing kit I can't give an exact reading

specialk · Nov 3, 2014

tigerdragon said:
What is your ca at? Mag? Alk?

Mag is about 1300 and ALK is about 9.0 -- I am pretty good about the water changes every 2 weeks. About 15% and I have a 125 gallon with around 30 gallons in the sump. Was weird but they corals started looking odd after the hair algae started. I do have some corals that are doing ok but the acros look the worst.

tigerdragon · Nov 3, 2014

I have a green slimer that let me know when my calcium got a little low it was usually all green then suddenly its polyps were green but rest of it was going brown found my ca low got it back where it should be now slimer is back to all green

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 4, 2014

specialk said:
I have just placed an order for a good phosphate checker .. as I have been in the school of "if you don't have algae, then you don't have phosphate problem. Have algae, then you have a phosphate problem" right now I have one of the generic testing kits and it reads that I do have some phosphates ... but again until I get that really good testing kit I can't give an exact reading

FWIW, you can have excessive phosphate and not have an algae problem. It just means it is being limited by something elee, such as iron, nitrogen, or herbivores. I know of one very nice tank with no algae problem and more than 1 ppm of phosphate.

specialk · Nov 4, 2014

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
FWIW, you can have excessive phosphate and not have an algae problem. It just means it is being limited by something elee, such as iron, nitrogen, or herbivores. I know of one very nice tank with no algae problem and more than 1 ppm of phosphate.

Interesting. Thanks Randy .... Well is it a good start for me to start running the GFO and see how things respond and than take it from there?

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 4, 2014

Yes, that's seems reasonable. I'd start relatively slow.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 4, 2014

FWIW, this article gives a different perspective on issues associated with phosphate:

Reefs Magazine - Skeptical Reefkeeping IX: Test Kits, Chasing Numbers and Phosphate

specialk · Nov 4, 2014

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
FWIW, this article gives a different perspective on issues associated with phosphate:

Reefs Magazine - Skeptical Reefkeeping IX: Test Kits, Chasing Numbers and Phosphate

Awesome ! Can't wait to read this ... thanks Randy! You're the man!!

DFW · Nov 4, 2014

I read this article. I don't understand how iron was limited on that reef with iron ships scattered about there. It seems to me that iron would be unlimited there, and therefore algae would have plenty to feed on. But I understood them to say that algae growth was limited by iron.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Nov 4, 2014

Iron is very insoluble in seawater, so the available iron is low even when organisms are not using it up. But in most plsces, they compete strongly for it.

It is higher with a shipwreck nearby, however. That was the point.