Fighting to raise phosphate levels

[DesktopDiver]

I can NOT get phospates above 0.01. I like to do a water change at 20 for the nitrates, but would it be ok to leave for a few days to see if phosphates go up any further? I think there's enough live food and algae in the tank for the crabs and fish to eat, so I could hold off on feeding for a few days to help keep nitrates in check.

I have some reef roids arriving in the next few days, which I am hoping will also help to raise my phosphates.

Or is it not an issue that my phosphates are low? Please help!


I have a Fluval Evo 52l, been running for 7 weeks now, set up with live sand and rock.

Livestock and corals:

3 hermit crabs
1 scooter blenny
1 blue striped pipefish
Pulsing xenia
Green hairy mushroom
GSP
Kenya Tree
Zoas
Firework Clove Polyps

Latest test results:

Spec. Grav. 1.025
Temp 25C (77F)
pH 8
Calc 440
dkH 8.3
Nitrate 20
Phosphates 0.01

Feeding:

Frozen rotifers and brine shrimp - twice a day
Live freshly hatched brine shrimp - as and when
Live copepods - as and when
Nori seawood - twice a week
Pellets for the hermit crabs - twice a week

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Have you tried NeoPhos by Brightwell?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

No water change is fine. Dosing phosphate is inexpensive and easy using food grade sodium phosphate.

Feeding reef rods commonly boosts phosphate too.

 

[Waters]

My go to for raising phosphates is a dropper full of Polyp Lab Polyp Booster followed by a few scoops of coral food (reef roids, reef chili, etc.) Raises it by about .06 in a 180 gallon tank.

 

[ChrisRD]

This stuff used according to Randy's articles and thread posts has worked very well for me.

Amazon product ASIN B00ILIO85Q

 

[ChrisRD]

This calculator (referenced by Randy in one of his threads) is useful for figuring out how much to use:
http://www.theplantedtank.co.uk/calculator.htm
If you use the "Phosphate - from Potassium Phosphate" pull down option, apparently that is close enough for our purposes (again, per Randy).

 

[DesktopDiver]

Great, thanks all. I will hold off on feeding for a few days, and then hopefully when my Reef Roids arrives, that will help bring phosphate up.

If not, I will look into dosing (currently trying to avoid dosing as want to keep the tank as low maintenance as possible).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That’s a fine plan, although I’m not sure using a phosphate dosing solution is any more work and is likely less cost than getting and using a new food. :)

 

[DesktopDiver]

That’s a fine plan, although I’m not sure using a phosphate dosing solution is any more work and is likely less cost than getting and using a new food. :)

Ha, yes, fair point there. If I'm defrosting food and culturing copepods, dosing with phosphate really won't add much more to my day.

 

[Rhetoric]

I might be able victim of marketing here, but I prefer to use reef roids over bottled products.

1/8th teaspoon raises my 20 gallon about .1

I like the idea of feeding my corals and increasing my Phosphate v.s. adjusting my Phosphate perimeter.

Is it just marketing? Both increase Phosphate and "feed" the corals /shrug

 

[MoshJosh]

I stopped feeding Reef Roids cause my Phosphate was uncontrollable. . . so I would give that a try.

Your other question about low phosphates. . . I have run them at or near 0 before and for long periods of time. . . anecdotally my SPS did not care/maybe liked it, but LPS and soft coral growth was slow (though I did not attribute any deaths to low P. . . that I can remember).

 

[Merge_595]

I was having the same issue until I followed everyone's Reef Roid recommendation. Haven't used it in year's actually forgot how much it raises phosphates..the reason I stopped using it years ago..

 

[ChrisRD]

If the previous link doesn't work, try here:
https://www.loudwolf.com/storefront/index.php?route=product/category&path=788
The product is Trisodium Phosphate

 

[rishma]

Reef roids is very effective at raising phosphate in my tank and I use it sometimes for that purpose; however, it is not precise.

Some people may have figured out how much to feed to get a specific result, but I have not. If I want to raise phosphate a predictable amount or maintain it in a specific range, I use trisodium phosphate.

 

[bossman818]

Have you tried NeoPhos by Brightwell?

I use this product. Love it. Better than reef roids.

 

[DesktopDiver]

Reef roids is very effective at raising phosphate in my tank and I use it sometimes for that purpose; however, it is not precise.

Some people may have figured out how much to feed to get a specific result, but I have not. If I want to raise phosphate a predictable amount or maintain it in a specific range, I use trisodium phosphate.

Thank you. Not currently going for a specific number, I'd just like some :grinning-face-with-sweat:

Tank is only a few months old, so taking my time learning what it needs and how to give it that.

 

[DesktopDiver]

I stopped feeding Reef Roids cause my Phosphate was uncontrollable. . . so I would give that a try.

Your other question about low phosphates. . . I have run them at or near 0 before and for long periods of time. . . anecdotally my SPS did not care/maybe liked it, but LPS and soft coral growth was slow (though I did not attribute any deaths to low P. . . that I can remember).

I currently only have softies in my tank, and they do seem to be growing, but I don't know if they would be growing faster if I had some phosphates.

As a newbie, I'm really enjoying all the learning, and everyone is so helpful.

 

[rishma]

Thank you. Not currently going for a specific number, I'd just like some :grinning-face-with-sweat:

Tank is only a few months old, so taking my time learning what it needs and how to give it that.

You’ll definitely get some! Go slow. Be patient. It will work.

 

[MERKEY]

Your tank is new and all the rock and sand is still absorbing phosphate .

So you actually have it in your tank, and one day, it will start releasing from the rocks, and you will be battling high phosphate.

I would hold off on trying to raise phosphate and let your tank settle naturally.

6 months or if you can go a year without adding p04 and n03 nutrient raising or lowering Addatives.

More food or reef roids would be the best way to do it....BUT I still think you should just let it settle how it is.

Dosing normal alk, cal, mag are different and not what I'm talking about.

I know it's hard not to fall into the "dose fix" because all the vendors are telling us to.

Whatever you do, just go slow and make small adjustments.

 

[Pod_01]

one day, it will start releasing from the rocks, and you will be battling high phosphate.

How does that work??? I doubt the rock works like a sponge…

My understanding is that PO4 in the water column is in equilibrium with what is bound to the rock. If PO4 in water column decreases the rock will unbind some PO4 to reach new equilibrium. If PO4 in the water column increases the rock will bind some to reach new equilibrium.