Could dosing sodium silicate cause a spike in phosphate?

[seahuy]

Hi Randy, i've recently dosed Sodium Silicate as a need to combat dinos on sandbed, i got my bottle from https://a.co/d/84vPqZI, and used your recommended dosage of 1ppm. 93mL per 100gal to get 1ppm (I have a 26gal tank so i just 1/4 .93mL). Im assuming that the 40-42 Baume would be small enough in this case, hopefully.

I first made a small stock solution with a 5mL syringe using 1ml of Sodium Silicate with 4ml of RODI, so i would dose 1ml to get close to 1ppm of silica

So i noticed that when creating the stock solution, the solution is clear, but when i dose into my sump, when it enters my tank water it forms some creamy solids, im guessing its the silica? Is this suppose to happen?

And after dosing 3 days ago, today i tested my phosphate(Hanna ULR) and it has shot up significantly(another story but im trying to get my phosphate down slowly) it went from .48 to .63 while it was trending downward.

Another possible cause is a small dose of KCI, cant imagine KCI raising phosphate levels?

I know theres a lot of factors through the turmoil im causing but want to rule out Sodium Silicate possibly causing some reaction to increase phosphate. Thanks Randy.

EDIT
Thanks guys i found this source after further research : https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-silica-interference-with-po4-measurement.777022/

 

[LOVEROCK]

If using Hanna checker it will sky rocket the reading

 

[seahuy]

If using Hanna checker it will sky rocket the reading

Thanks! i am using Hanna Phosphate ULR, does this mean my phosphate isn't actually high?

Thanks , found this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-silica-interference-with-po4-measurement.777022/

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks! i am using Hanna Phosphate ULR, does this mean my phosphate isn't actually high?

Thanks , found this thread https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/high-silica-interference-with-po4-measurement.777022/

If you only dosed 1 ppm, then by that graph, phosphate will not read high.

It might be contaminated, or coincidence, or a test error not captured by the taricha data ( @taricha).

The cloudiness is likely mostly magnesium hydroxide and is expected from any very high pH additive. It should redissolve as it mixes in.