Water testing questions

[vanquish79]

I noticed my torch closing up lately during the mid evening hours around 6pm then slowly opening again but I Aldo have a neon green hairy mushroom that is a decent size that has never closed up until today. He is generally the size of a silver dollar but has shrunk to the size of a Nicole, got really vibrant color amd has stayed that size for the past hour. My current test results are:

PH: 8.4
Ammonia: 0
Alkalinity: 8.1
Phosphate: 0.37
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 6
Calcium: 470
KH: 179

I know my phosphates are a little high but I only feed one cube of mysis shrimp a day, bio load is small. I do have a fluval fx2 as the filter until I can get my sump plumbed. Filter was cleaned 4 days ago. Do these numbers seem ok or should I do a water change early?

 

[bushdoc]

There will be many opinions if elevated phosphates levels are detrimental to reef tank, especially corals there and as they might not directly effect many( but not all) corals, they will create good environment for algae growth.
Water changes are not very effective measure to lower phosphates.
I would aim at lowering them at longer run, by either Lanthanum or some form of GFO or refugium.
Other parameters are OK.
No need to check ammonia and nitrites.

 

[PeterEde]

I found my PO4 at .24 recently after wondering why so many of my Zoas and SPS polyps were closed up.
My nems are fine but.
Now working to get PO4 back to < .1
Zoas starting to open again

 

[Dave Clark]

Water changes are not very effective measure to lower phosphates.

Not sure why you say this?

 

[Jekyl]

Need a magnesium reading, lighting being used and even a short video cN help

 

[vanquish79]

There will be many opinions if elevated phosphates levels are detrimental to reef tank, especially corals there and as they might not directly effect many( but not all) corals, they will create good environment for algae growth.
Water changes are not very effective measure to lower phosphates.
I would aim at lowering them at longer run, by either Lanthanum or some form of GFO or refugium.
Other parameters are OK.
No need to check ammonia and nitrites.

My new sump has a refugium I just need to get it hooked up. I was told that my phosphates were ok at the levels but I honestly don't like them that high.

 

[vanquish79]

I found my PO4 at .24 recently after wondering why so many of my Zoas and SPS polyps were closed up.
My nems are fine but.
Now working to get PO4 back to < .1
Zoas starting to open again

My zoas are not closed. They are pretty much open all the time. Except for when the lights go off.

 

[bushdoc]

Phosphates are absorbed by live rock and slowly released back when gradient/concentration changes. You can lower nitrates easily by water changes, but phosphates will rebound.
Below quote from Randy Holmes-Farley:

Water changes do not drop phosphate as much as one expects because there's a large reservoir attached to the rock and sand. That comas back off when you try to drop the levels.

For that reason, water changes are not a good way to reduce phosphate.

If you keep at it with other export methods, such as growing macroalgae or ATS, GFO, aluminum oxide, or lanthanum, you'll eventually be able to bring it down

 

[vanquish79]

Need a magnesium reading, lighting being used and even a short video cN help

I do not have a magnesium reading but when the local store tested it they said it was fine which was a water change ago. Was going to get a hanna tester for it but they are out of stock

 

[vanquish79]

Need a magnesium reading, lighting being used and even a short video cN help

My lighting is ai prime 16hd

 

[vanquish79]

I cannot seem to upload a video

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Not sure why you say this?

Because it's true...?