HELP! Phosphate is 0.34 in 6 month old tank

[starrynight99]

Hi everyone, my phosphate is 0.34, checked several times with the Hanna Checker. Nitrate is 5.

Tank is 1000 litres and I do 10 percent water change weekly on auto water change. I checked the stored salt water and the phosphate is 0.05. Would that be adding to the phosphate problem? I do feed heavily which I am trying to correct.

I bought a 250mls bag of Phos FX from blue life and just put it in a high flow area in my sump. I have used it for 30 hours so far and haven't noticed a significant difference. All corals and fish are looking good so far. Any ideas what I should do next? Thanks!

 

[I never finish anythi]

It's probably leeching from the dry rock you have used . 0.3 ain't that bad tbh .

 

[starrynight99]

Also, I realised my Hanna tester is Phosphate ULR but the regent I'm using is Phosphate LR. Would that affect the results?

 

[I never finish anythi]

Also, I realised my Hanna tester is Phosphate ULR but the regent I'm using is Phosphate LR. Would that affect the results?

Not sure . But I would use the correct regent for sure

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

If it is high, it's not urgent, but slowly lowering it is a fine plan.

 

[paragrouper]

Also, I realised my Hanna tester is Phosphate ULR but the regent I'm using is Phosphate LR. Would that affect the results?

I expect it would and recommend you correct that and retest before taking any other action.

 

[jda]

I use either Hannah reagent in either test kit and they produce the same results.

Read up on aragonite binding phosphate. They will bind more and more as water level rises... and unbind more and more and water level decreases. It can be hard at first to see water level po4 go down as rock/sand unbind, but it will happen with increased absorption media like GFO, Al Oxide and the like. Aragonite binding phosphate needs to be understood very well, IMO.

 

[Dan_P]

Also, I realised my Hanna tester is Phosphate ULR but the regent I'm using is Phosphate LR. Would that affect the results?

Only a little effect

 

[Dan_P]

Hi everyone, my phosphate is 0.34, checked several times with the Hanna Checker. Nitrate is 5.

Tank is 1000 litres and I do 10 percent water change weekly on auto water change. I checked the stored salt water and the phosphate is 0.05. Would that be adding to the phosphate problem? I do feed heavily which I am trying to correct.

I bought a 250mls bag of Phos FX from blue life and just put it in a high flow area in my sump. I have used it for 30 hours so far and haven't noticed a significant difference. All corals and fish are looking good so far. Any ideas what I should do next? Thanks!

The ‘bag of “stuff” in a high flow area‘ technique can work but much more slowly than a reactor and it is more work to tell if the “stuff” is used up. After a week, you could place the bag with Phos FX in a bucket with a little aquarium water. Swirl the bucket as many times as practical over 24 h and then measure the phosphate to see if the medium removed any phosphate. You could do the test right now and then again in a week.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Increase your nitrates...

 

[Salty_Northerner]

TM Elimi-NP will yield great results for you IMHO. It won't shock the system and dosing would be a breeze for your tank.

 

[bvanfish]

Does anything look bad? If it’s all fine what’s the problem?

 

[starrynight99]

Does anything look bad? If it’s all fine what’s the problem?

thanks, everything looks fine so far!

I did buy a reactor to use the phos fx in but so far after 24 hours, haven't noticed any difference.