Dosing Phosphate/Stability

[MangoSentinels]

Hi Reefers,

Been trying to get my tank stable, and my parameters are all good with the exception of phosphate which have seems to have bottomed out from using NoPox. I've tried dosing NeoPhos for the past 48 hours to raise PO4 to .03 ppm but it has been undetectable on my Hannah Phosphate checker. Should I continue to dose NeoPhos or should I do something else like add reef roids? Should I completely stop dosing NoPox? (Been running a maintenance dose of 1 ml a day to keep my nitrates at 5ppm. Trying to fix this issue as soon as possible as it's making my hammer coral unhappy. Any suggestions or general knowledge is appreciated.



50 gallon water volume in the display and 15 Gallon sump.
Tank has been running for 3 years as a FOWR. Just now started introducing coral.
Lighting: Kessil A160WE
Flow: Jebao Gyre SCP-90M

Livestock
2 black clownfish
1 Christmas wrasse
1 colt coral
1 hammer coral

Filtration
Refugium with chaetomorpha
Protein skimmer
Rox carbon in a media reactor.


Calcium: 410
Alkalinity: 10.7
Salinity: 1.025
Temp. 78.8
PH: 8.2
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
Phosphate: 0.00

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

In general, I prefer food grade sodium phosphate for dosing since it is less expensive and has a purity guarantee the Neophos lacks, but it is likely fine to use Neophos and I'd dose more and more until it comes up. It can take large amounts since much of the added phosphate may be binding to rock and sand.

 

[MangoSentinels]

Thank you Randy. I will up my dose until I get a reading. How about the NoPox? Should I stop using it altogether?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Carbon dosing usually does little for phosphate, so if 5 ppm nitrate is your target, I'd keep using it.