High Phosphates & Low Alk in New Tank

[AlohaReef]

My tank is currently in the "ugly stage". Diatoms. Cycled but still populating that biome, we're less than a month old. I do 20-40% water changes weekly, and yet I'm still seeing pretty high phosphates. I'm mostly keeping nitrates at bay with water changes (less than 20), but I can't quite seem to keep up with my phosphates. I stopped feeding pellets & started feeding mysis just a day or so ago and started feeding only once per day. I only have a small damsel in the tank so only a quarter cube goes in. Should I increase my water changes to 2x per week during this stage? Also, something is consuming alkalinity, because it keeps declining pretty quickly after each water change. I started adding some reef builder because it was easily accessible at my LFS. Does anyone have a calculator for mixing & dosing that?

My current parameters:
Salinity: 1.026
Temp: 78
Calcium:588
Alk: 6.3
Magnesium: 1445
Phosphate: .21
Nitrate: 10.5

Cheers!

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

I think your alk consumption is being driven by beneficial bacteria/fauna/algaes growing and multiplying rapidly. Calcium is pretty high also. Any fish or other inhabitants? Are you still seeing ammonia?

I would stay the course with what you are doing and not worry too much about nutrients at this stage. Let the tank mature and go through it's stages.

Only thing you need to be concerned about now is not letting nutrients go to zero across the board while the tank cycles.

 

[AlohaReef]

I just have 1 small damsel. Ammonia is pretty much non existent & has been for a couple weeks. The tank cycled in a week or so with fish in, chunk of live rock & dr. tims one & only.
I wanted to try to start chipping away at the other parameters since they have been pretty consistent.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I just have 1 small damsel. Ammonia is pretty much non existent & has been for a couple weeks. The tank cycled in a week or so with fish in, chunk of live rock & dr. tims one & only.
I wanted to try to start chipping away at the other parameters since they have been pretty consistent.

Your phosphate and nitrate look fine - not higher at all, ESPECIALLY in a month old tank.