Hanna phosphate checker

[K100286]

Getting reading of zero for both my aquariums. This may be correct but I am doubting it. Is this a quick way to test the to see if in fact the tester is working? I am thinking of mixing some fish food and testing it. If this would work does anyone know about how long it will take for the phosphates to get into the water sample?

 

[K100286]

I did the soak the food to see if I would get a phosphate reading on Hanna checker and sure enough the reading came back as 2.50. Now that's very high. So I know the tester is working. What may be of interest is that I used a very little amount of food yet the reading was off the charts. My take from this is that there seems be be a lot of phosphates in fish food.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

All that test does is say it responds to phosphate, not that it is accurate. The test says nothing bad about the food. Foods generally are the source of phospahte in fish tanks and cannot be fully nutritious without it (proteins, etc.). The issue is dilution. I address that sort of test and interpretation here:

Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

That said, why do you think your tank is not low in phosphate?

 

[K100286]

1. Hanna checker reading was zero.
2. Cheato will not grow and is dying. I am using a pax bellum reactor.

Just received a call from pax bellum and they think that besides the question of the phosphate that I don't have enough baron. They said this has caused the growth in the past. My trition test did show a low baron reading. I have also turned off my gfo reactor.

Thank for your reply.

Dick flanagan

 

[RobBaglieri]

All that test does is say it responds to phosphate, not that it is accurate. The test says nothing bad about the food. Foods generally are the source of phospahte in fish tanks and cannot be fully nutritious without it (proteins, etc.). The issue is dilution. I address that sort of test and interpretation here:

Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

That said, why do you think your tank is not low in phosphate?

Just read the article. Very well written and informative. Thanks.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

1. Hanna checker reading was zero.
2. Cheato will not grow and is dying. I am using a pax bellum reactor.

Just received a call from pax bellum and they think that besides the question of the phosphate that I don't have enough baron. They said this has caused the growth in the past. My trition test did show a low baron reading. I have also turned off my gfo reactor.

Boron for growth of what? I don't think that is at all likely to be limiting the growth of any organisms we keep.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Just read the article. Very well written and informative. Thanks.

Thanks.

Happy Reefing. :)

 

[K100286]

Thanks for your input randy. If the cheato is not growing but is also dying what would cause this. My understanding is that cheato is very easy to grow and I would think the pax bellum would provide the ideal growing conditions. This is very confusing.
Nutrients are coming from 2 feeding a day, coral feeding twice a week, and amino acid three times a week. This is why I should have some phosphate in the system.

 

[K100286]

Randy your article was very informative. Math is certainly necessary in putting everything into prospective. My problem is that I haven't been able to find out why I can't grow cheato. Whether this is related to phosphate or something else I don't know. At this point the aquarium seems to be doing well so I have time to test various alternative's. Thanks for your interest.
Dick Flanagan

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Thanks for your input randy. If the cheato is not growing but is also dying what would cause this. My understanding is that cheato is very easy to grow and I would think the pax bellum would provide the ideal growing conditions. This is very confusing.
Nutrients are coming from 2 feeding a day, coral feeding twice a week, and amino acid three times a week. This is why I should have some phosphate in the system.

Lack of nutrients (N, P), lack of needed trace elements, already dead when you got it and just took a while to turn white, lack of appropriate light, probably others.

 

[RobBaglieri]

Randy your article was very informative. Math is certainly necessary in putting everything into prospective. My problem is that I haven't been able to find out why I can't grow cheato. Whether this is related to phosphate or something else I don't know. At this point the aquarium seems to be doing well so I have time to test various alternative's. Thanks for your interest.
Dick Flanagan

I agree. It takes math for me to completely understand whats going on.