Help. Phosphates suddenly drop to zero. Dosing doesnt heelp

[Timfish]

I do have a tuxedo urchin but seems like he just eats coraline and doesnt eat gha lol..

I also may have some spongues between my zoas.. I can remove some of them.

My favorite urchins for algae control are Echinometra rock boring urchins but I don't see them very often. Pin cushion urchins are the most common.

FWIW, my guess is the stuff growing in your zoas is a sponge also. You likely have multiple species of sponge growing under and behind rocks. These sponges do provide an important function in reef systems recycling labile DOC released by corals and algae but if they bother you growing around your corals you can carefully siphon them out with steel straws just be aware they will grow back.

 

[Dom]

So the phosphate going into the system is equally being used by the algae and corals? So what to do? Do I dose or do I just let it be?

You could install a turf scrubber to out compete your tank for the phosphates.

 

[125mph]

Thanks all i think the absorbsion rate is slowing down.

I doses reefroids and Neophos at night and measure 0.08, and by morning its 0.03.

Then when lights on it goes to 0.00 and I dose again and have to dose every few hours while light are on but seems more manageable now.

Getting some diatoms, i had dosed silcas when I was fighting dinos last month but interestingly its coming out now.

Triaodium phosphates arrives tonight.

 

[kin_itsu]

after dosing the Triaodium phosphates, the level of the phosphate had reached the ideal point?

Thanks all i think the absorbsion rate is slowing down.

I doses reefroids and Neophos at night and measure 0.08, and by morning its 0.03.

Then when lights on it goes to 0.00 and I dose again and have to dose every few hours while light are on but seems more manageable now.

Getting some diatoms, i had dosed silcas when I was fighting dinos last month but interestingly its coming out now.

Triaodium phosphates arrives tonight.

 

[125mph]

after dosing the Triaodium phosphates, the level of the phosphate had reached the ideal point?

Not quite. I am dosing every day around 0.09 phosphates. If I dont dose the levels bottom out.

Not sure why my phosphates havet stabilized yet. Might have to do with the previous dino problem.

I feed a lot and have high bio load.

 

[kin_itsu]

Not quite. I am dosing every day around 0.09 phosphates. If I dont dose the levels bottom out.

Not sure why my phosphates havet stabilized yet. Might have to do with the previous dino problem.

I feed a lot and have high bio load.

My tank had the same problem. my phosphate is zero using the hanna test kit. try to get to 0.02. Try to figure out wether the dose can do the job.My coral seem stressed under the zero phosphate, some are bleach from the bottom slowly

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My tank had the same problem. my phosphate is zero using the hanna test kit. try to get to 0.02. Try to figure out wether the dose can do the job.My coral seem stressed under the zero phosphate, some are bleach from the bottom slowly

Dosing is simple and inexpensive using good quality sodium phosphate from a place like Amazon.

 

[kin_itsu]

Dosing is simple and inexpensive using good quality sodium phosphate from a place like Amazon.

Thanks for your advice. Mine is on the way. Maybe it will arrive tomorrow. Should I aim for 0.1 or start slowly from 0.02？

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for your advice. Mine is on the way. Maybe it will arrive tomorrow. Should I aim for 0.1 or start slowly from 0.02？

I’d do an initial 0.05 -0.1 ppm dose and see where things stand 24 h later.

 

[kin_itsu]

I’d do an initial 0.05 -0.1 ppm dose and see where things stand 24 h later.

Before dosing, the total phosphorus was 0.03 mg/L, and after dosing try to raise it to 0.04 mg/L, it dropped to 0 mg/L after 24 hours; however, some corals showed better health, and the brown algae disappeared.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Before dosing, the total phosphorus was 0.03 mg/L, and after dosing try to raise it to 0.04 mg/L, it dropped to 0 mg/L after 24 hours; however, some corals showed better health, and the brown algae disappeared.

I'd personally up the dose a bit. :)