Accidental Phosphate overdose >5ppm

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Randy, not sure how I made two of these threads. Granted it was 1am my time and was definitely a bit groggy! Once the salt mix is done and I dilute my tank water I’ll keep everyone updated on what the reading is.

Not a problem. :)

 

[Brad_95]

Not a problem. :)

Finally got a reading. After diluting the tank water with 9mL of fresh saltwater with matching salinity, reading came back at 0.26ppm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok, so 2.6. Some tanks do great at 1 ppm, so be careful to not cause a worse problem with a fast drop.

 

[BryanM]

I recently went through this (for like 6 months).

Dosing lanthanum into a 1 or 5 micron filter sock also ends up with the sock plugging up pretty quickly, so you need to clean or replace socks quite often.

I went with the GFO reactor option (I probably got over half my problem dealt with via LC, but its hard to really know). In any case setting up a BRS GFO reactor was very easy, and it is now lowering my phosphate about .05 per day using their high capacity GFO product.. definitely not cheap.

I would also add that while I did lose a few items... Could be to the very high phos, could be something else, the majority of my tank survived. I had dinos and other algae issues and had to vacuum sand a LOT... but the majority of my tank survived.

 

[Brad_95]

Ok, so 2.6. Some tanks do great at 1 ppm, so be careful to not cause a worse problem with a fast drop.

Thanks. I added half dose of phosguard to slowly start bringing it down. Aiming to have the levels back to normal in about a month or so

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks. I added half dose of phosguard to slowly start bringing it down. Aiming to have the levels back to normal in about a month or so

Be sure to rinse phosguard well before use to reduce the fine particles in it.

 

[Brad_95]

So fun update to this, ended up getting in a car accident which kept me away from my system for a month. Good friend of mine fed the fish and topped up the rodi while I was gone. Upon returning, my phosphates completely bottomed out again and have what is probably the worst outbreak of Dino’s I have ever seen. I am actually shocked at how all of it either binded or was consumed within a month.

 

[BryanM]

Dang, sorry to hear about the accident and the dinos :(

 

[Brad_95]

Dang, sorry to hear about the accident and the dinos :(

It’s alright, I’ve dealt with them plenty of times before so I’m not mad about it, just shocked 5ppm phosphates completely binded up or consumed in my system,

 

[gbroadbridge]

Ah. Yes, some people report issues with tangs. It’s pretty hit or miss, with no understanding of the mechanism that results in it.

I read an article recently (maybe sciencedirect) which discussed this is an oblique manner.

Apparently Tangs in particular sequester a significant amount of phosphate in their gill structures.

When exposed to lanthanum chloride, this causes precipitation and gill cell damage resulting in reduced function and possible asphyxiation.

Wish I could find the article - I'll thought I bookmarked at the time ....

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I read an article recently (maybe sciencedirect) which discussed this is an oblique manner.

Apparently Tangs in particular sequester a significant amount of phosphate in their gill structures.

When exposed to lanthanum chloride, this causes precipitation and gill cell damage resulting in reduced function and possible asphyxiation.

Wish I could find the article - I'll thought I bookmarked at the time ....

Interesting and plausible. :)

 

[Reefer1978]

So fun update to this, ended up getting in a car accident which kept me away from my system for a month. Good friend of mine fed the fish and topped up the rodi while I was gone. Upon returning, my phosphates completely bottomed out again and have what is probably the worst outbreak of Dino’s I have ever seen. I am actually shocked at how all of it either binded or was consumed within a month.

Want to try something different? I fully got rid of dynos with just phyto. No chemicals, no UV, very low nutrients (p 0.05, n 1.5). Similar size to your system.

 

[Brad_95]

Want to try something different? I fully got rid of dynos with just phyto. No chemicals, no UV, very low nutrients (p 0.05, n 1.5). Similar size to your system.

Just dose phyto into the tank? Definitely willing to give it a shot!

 

[Reefer1978]

Just dose phyto into the tank? Definitely willing to give it a shot!

I'll send you a PM with details of what I did.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I was dosing Phyto Feast live when I got dinos. :)

 

[Reefer1978]

FWIW, I was dosing Phyto Feast live when I got dinos. :)

Randy I am willing to bet you were nowhere close to my dose :-)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Randy I am willing to bet you were nowhere close to my dose

Certainly possible. I have been dosing at about their recommended rate of 2 tsp per gallon per day, or about 20 mL per day to my system.

 

[Reefer1978]

Certainly possible. I have been dosing at about their recommended rate of 2 tsp per gallon per day, or about 20 mL per day to my system.

I was dosing 16oz per day on a 200g system

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I was dosing 16oz per day on a 200g system

Of the same phyto?

 

[Reefer1978]

Of the same phyto?

That's correct.