Has anyone tested their plain tap water and found concerning phosphate levels?

[KingLucy1997]

Well, he's not giving the best advice, but it isn't "wrong". The problem is, a 100% water change will not remove all (often not even most) of the phosphate in the water.

I am more wondering if I should be focused on testing for phosphates at all with my planned build. My question to the aquarium guy and anyone reading this is what water parameters (besides salinity and temperature) should I be focusing on for this type of build? Is any testing beyond salinity even necessary? Would I not even need to perform daily water changes? Given the fact that my set up has nutrient hungry species (macroalgae, Zoas, and Xenia’s) could daily water changes actually be harmful because it would deplete the tank of nutrients? How would I know when to perform water changes, if at all? Would I just perform them on a regular schedule, and if so how frequently?
I really appreciate how helpful everyone has been here. Thank you.

 

[KingLucy1997]

Read up on nutrient export in reef tanks. There are a few ways, water changes being one of them (though as mentioned not the most effective), the other ways are through growing macroalgae or an algae scrubber, through carbon dosing (though this is more effective for reducing nitrates), and protein skimming (this removed organic waste before it breaks down into phosphates/nitrates. Your corals and any algae will also consume phosphates, so the idea is to find a balance where your nutrient export roughly matches your nutrient import (usually from feeding your tank’s inhabitants), while maintaining a low level of nutrients so that your corals and desirable algae aren’t aren’t starved.

A protein skimmer really isn’t an option for the tiny and oddly shaped pico aquarium I created. I think attempting to strike a balance by adding some inverts like snails or hermit crabs to provide nutrient import while the macro and soft corals take care of the export. If I attempt to create an ecological balance of nutrient input and output, would water changes only be necessary if there is a sudden excess of nutrients way above normal found in the tank and not be routine?

 

[Tired]

You should make sure you don't have zero phosphates, and since you want corals that love high nutrients, you should try not to have super low phosphates. Beyond that, I wouldn't worry about it.

You won't be able to make a balanced ecosystem. Not in a container that small, and really not in general. Closed ecosystems that have any animals other than tiny springtails haven't been managed at all, in any form, and the few closed containers that do work for any amount of time don't tend to last forever. Opae ula tanks can be run with minimal feeding and extremely infrequent water changes, but those are tiny shrimp and macroalgae tanks, not coral tanks.

What you want to have is a system where you put some amount of food in, and remove some amount of nutrients with water changes. You should have a few snails for cleaning and detritus consumption- try dwarf ceriths. You'll likely be able to hit infrequent feeding and water changes, but you do have fast-growing corals that are going to demand nutrients and trimming, and you'll eventually need to replace trace elements. You might not need to do water changes to remove nutrients, but you still have to replace everything the corals use up.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I live in Minneapolis and did some research to find that the city puts phosphates into their 100 miles of cast iron pipes to prevent corrosion or leaching of heavy metals like lead into the drinking supply. But I also found that only below 0.05 ppm of phosphates is considered safe for drinking water. Should I be concerned? I’ve been drinking this water for most of my life.

I'm not sure where you would have read that, but as an expert on the effects of dietary phosphate (I am co-inventor of a couple of drugs that treat hyperphosphatemia in people), I can tell you that it is definitely not correct unless you have kidney disease or are on dialysis. Any excess phosphate you consume is just peed out.

Foods are filled with loads of phosphate. People typically consume substantially more than a gram a day. That's way, way more than you'd get by drinking huge amounts of tap water, even at 1 ppm.

 

[KingLucy1997]

I'm not sure where you would have read that, but as an expert on the effects of dietary phosphate (I am co-inventor of a couple of drugs that treat hyperphosphatemia in people), I can tell you that it is definitely not correct unless you have kidney disease or are on dialysis. Any excess phosphate you consume is just peed out.

Foods are filled with loads of phosphate. People typically consume substantially more than a gram a day. That's way, way more than you'd get by drinking huge amounts of tap water, even at 1 ppm.

Definitely preferable to lead water! Thanks for putting my mind at ease