Add phosphate with doser then remove it with gfo reactor on timer?

[kwirky]

Is it possible to dose phosphate during the optimal period of the daily photo cycle, based on the best time corals are known to absorb phosphate from the water? Then to keep it from climbing, and reduce the time spent monitoring, remove the phosphate daily, with a GFO reactor on a timer, running during the photo period where corals are known to absorb phosphate poorly? Heavy in, heavy out?

I'm slowly bringing my phosphate down with gfo, testing daily, but I'd like to transition to a maintenance regimen that's less time consuming, and wondering if the above technique would work.

What are some phosphate sources better than potassium phosphate? I wouldn't want my potassium to creep up using a technique such as this. Reef roids in an auto feeder?

 

[blaxsun]

Yes, although this seems like a lot if work… I’m also not sure if you can completely match the GFO reduction rate to the dosing rate.

 

[kwirky]

Yes, although this seems like a lot if work… I’m also not sure if you can completely match the GFO reduction rate to the dosing rate.

Not exactly matching, just ensuring there's phosphate in the water during the best time, then completely stripping it out daily, a reset. Similar to estimate index dosing for planted tanks but with gfo instead of water changes, hence the question about using reef roids instead of kno3, to avoid K buildup.

The idea is to not match, just ensure there's no buildup, cutting down on labor but not having to test as frequently. Heavy in, heavy out.

 

[blaxsun]

You might have more success just reducing the amount of GFO.

 

[kwirky]

You might have more success just reducing the amount of GFO.

Yeah that's my current technique. I'm just trying to brainstorm ways to cut down time spent testing for phosphate and time spent taking my reactor apart to match uptake. I wish there was a product like aquaclear hang on back filters, but magnet mounted for sump use, technically submersible in the sump, just as easy to change Media in by lifting the lid. Kinda like how easy it is to clean the skimmer cup and neck in a little tunze skimmer.

sealed reactors are a pita because they need to be shut down, then disconnected from plumbing, then unscrewed. They're more work than a canister filter, even.

gfo is so powerful that i have to use it in small, short lived amounts. Lots of labor maintaining it, because the ergonomics are so bad, but if maintained the results are good.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’m not aware of data showing that corals take up phosphate mostly during the day. Where did you read that?

why do you want it to go back down at night? Even if you did need to stabilize it day to night, why not dose just as much during they day as they take up?

The potassium addition from potassium phisphate is too small to be concerned with (unlike potassium nitrate) but sodium nitrate eliminates that concern. Foods aren’t ionically balanced, so using a food to boost P won’t be better from that perspective.

 

[kwirky]

I’m not aware of data showing that corals take up phosphate mostly during the day. Where did you read that?

i didn't read it anywhere, that's why i asked. Back to the drawing board, trying to find an easier way to tweak my phosphate regularly. Thanks for the help.