Advice from reef experts needed .....

[czoolander]

So I have a basic question which is as follows......... how should I proceed from here? Increase my phosphate or decrease my phosphate and how to do so?

now some background on what is going on so you have something to go off of

Test yesterday and results from the previous week

1.026 salinity 1.025
77.8 78.2 temp
0.00 0.00 Phosphates been that way since September I had phosphate at .17 and was dosing NOPOX and it slowly decreased down to undetectable but I stopped dosing at 0.03

15.9 and 36.7 Nitrates tested yesterday not sure why I got such a different result 5 minutes apart with my hanna checker Last few weeks were 10-15 with my red sea test kit

8.2 8.2 PH

Calcium 440 Last week 515 and was 510-515 for weeks not sure why the big drop to 440?

ALK 2 weeks ago was 7.5 and I misdosed up to 12.2 This week it tested at 10 . I would like it to settle around 8.5 and then I will dose proper and hold there


I ordered a Phosban reactor and some RHOWAS black powder to put in it . My plan was that since I can visually see GHA that there is phosphate in the tank present but its consuming it before the corals get it. My problem is that I am getting conflicting advice on what to do with phosphate at 0.00 and GHA in the tank.

1) I am hearing to increase feeding , turn off skimmer get phosphate reading on my test

2) I am hearing put in the phosban reactor minimize feedings and starve out the algea

PLEASE HELP

 

[czoolander]

Pictures which might tell the story to. Its hard to get decent pics of the GHA but you can see on the rocks the super dark spots growing in a bunch of the holes, cracks and crevices .....

 

[Pistondog]

I don't think you can starve algae without creating other problems. I would not lower the Phosphate until the nitrate is below 10ppm.
The gha thrives in the ocean where the nutrients are much lower than our tanks.

 

[czoolander]

I don't think you can starve algae without creating other problems. I would not lower the Phosphate until the nitrate is below 10ppm.
The gha thrives in the ocean where the nutrients are much lower than our tanks.

So you are in the camp of I should be increasing my phosphate in the tank ? Something that will register on a test kit ?

 

[Pistondog]

Have you stopped all reduction methods, nopox, gfo for a month to see where po4 stabilizes? If so then add some reef roids a couple times a week.

 

[czoolander]

Have you stopped all reduction methods, nopox, gfo for a month to see where po4 stabilizes? If so then add some reef roids a couple times a week.

I stopped dosing NOPOX back in September once I got under .05 Phosphate

Since I Have GHA in the tank I added Chaeto 3 weeks ago and I have been dosing Vibrant weekly since GHA made its appearance in the tank around October

 

[Pistondog]

Vibrant will also kill the chaeto

 

[czoolander]

Vibrant will also kill the chaeto

I have read conflicting reports and experience on this . So far the vibrant hasn't had any effect on my GHA or the Chaeto .

 

[Pistondog]

I have read conflicting reports and experience on this . So far the vibrant hasn't had any effect on my GHA or the Chaeto .

I used it in a waterbox 10 on gha. It is algae eating bacteria and takes 4 to 6 weeks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I used it in a waterbox 10 on gha. It is algae eating bacteria and takes 4 to 6 weeks.

Though there does seem to be some discussion of whether it contains an algaecide.

 

[Pistondog]

Though there does seem to be some discussion of whether it contains an algaecide.

Be nice to know if that's the case.
The back of the bottle lists bacteria, aspartic acid, vinegar and rodi.

 

[czoolander]

I used it in a waterbox 10 on gha. It is algae eating bacteria and takes

Though there does seem to be some discussion of whether it contains an algaecide

I have also noticed little effect on my GHA and Chaeto in 3 months . It has made improvement on the diatoms however and the water is crystal clear since using vibrant