High Phosphates - No Algae

[jacksoje00]

Hello All. I have a 90G DT with TS Saphire 34" sump. Means of filtration are(2) 4" filter socks, Aquamaxx Q1 skimmer, and refugium with chaeto. Other than live rock in the DT, I have MarinePure spheres in the sump. Currently it's a FOWLR system with 6 "larger" fish of 4-6". I feed fairly heavy - 3x/day with pellets and frozen. The tank has been up for ~5 months and I do plan to start gearing up soon for SPS dominant.

I have never done a water change on this tank yet. I check nitrate and phosphate via Hannah checks. Nitrates are consistently 15-20 which I'm happy with. However phosphate has crept up to .52. BUT, I have zero algae in the DT and only need to clean a light haze off the glass once/week. Chaeto is growing well in the refugium and I also have some other brownish colored alge growing in the refugium. I added 2 large turbo snails and they are really cleaning up this brown algae.

My question is, should I start trying to work the phosphate down to ~.03 levels before starting to add some SPS frags with GFO or Chemipure Elite? I'm really trying to keep my equipment simple. I'm very happy with the condition of the DT with no algae. I also need to point out that I run 48" AI Blades only at 20% max currently and realize this could be why I have no algae in the DT.

 

[Spare time]

I'd try and lower it assuming the test value is accurate. I'm betting you have a great clean up crew hence the lack of nuisance algae.

 

[jacksoje00]

Thanks for the reply. I've tested a few times and continue to get similar results. I'll lower a bit a try and get everything stable before adding corals. I have only 8 nassarius snails and about 4 hermit crabs left in the DT. The majority of the hermits died with nothing to eat. I've been in the hobby quite a while and this is the first tank I've had behave like this. I had a very slight diatom bloom at the end of the cycle, but that's it.

 

[TokenReefer]

I would catch Lou Eckus's take on Phosphate uptake by coral before I started altering the values, especially without algae present

Lou Ekus - Water Changes and Additives

Lou Ekus has been actively involved in the marine aquarium industry for over 25 years. He frequently works with aquarists, helping them with system issues bi...

www.youtube.com

 

[bushdoc]

20% of AI Blade might not be enough for SPS proliferation, so you would need to ramp it up. Then you will have competition between algae and SPS.
At certain point you may have to manipulate ( lower) your phosphates and perhaps nitrates too. I would make a plan for controlling those first and then trying SPS.

 

[jacksoje00]

I do honestly think the lack of algae is largely due to the low light intensity. I have 2 AI Blades now - 1 Grow and 1 Glow. I'm planning to add an additional Grow then adjust intensity with a PAR meter. I'll do slow ramp up and go from there. I'm grabbing some GFO tomorrow and planning to try a small amount and see how things go. Thanks again.

 

[sdreef]

Hello All. I have a 90G DT with TS Saphire 34" sump. Means of filtration are(2) 4" filter socks, Aquamaxx Q1 skimmer, and refugium with chaeto. Other than live rock in the DT, I have MarinePure spheres in the sump. Currently it's a FOWLR system with 6 "larger" fish of 4-6". I feed fairly heavy - 3x/day with pellets and frozen. The tank has been up for ~5 months and I do plan to start gearing up soon for SPS dominant.

I have never done a water change on this tank yet. I check nitrate and phosphate via Hannah checks. Nitrates are consistently 15-20 which I'm happy with. However phosphate has crept up to .52. BUT, I have zero algae in the DT and only need to clean a light haze off the glass once/week. Chaeto is growing well in the refugium and I also have some other brownish colored alge growing in the refugium. I added 2 large turbo snails and they are really cleaning up this brown algae.

My question is, should I start trying to work the phosphate down to ~.03 levels before starting to add some SPS frags with GFO or Chemipure Elite? I'm really trying to keep my equipment simple. I'm very happy with the condition of the DT with no algae. I also need to point out that I run 48" AI Blades only at 20% max currently and realize this could be why I have no algae in the DT.

Just curious why no water changes? Do you have sand in your system?

Given it's a new system, your rocks and sand (?) are likely also binding to phosphates. I suspect with time the phosphates of 0.5 may trend up if you don't add additional methods of transport. I personally use water changes and gfo in a reactor. I weigh the gfo before I rinse it and change it out every two weeks consistently. This routine works for my system and my level of nutrient import, but mileage may vary.

Personally, I aim for phosphate of 0.1-0.2, but I've had phosphates higher and many of the acropora in my system were fine. So I would be concerned with a trend more than any one absolute value.

I don't think you need any one phosphate value before you add a sps frag, but I suggest you have a routine that keeps the levels stable. I'm not as familiar with those lights as other may be, but I suspect 20% output may be low for many acros. Seriatopora, stylophora, montipora and other sps may be a little more tolerant until you get things stable.

 

[Makara23]

I would get light and nutrient levels around where you think your acros will be at, let it run a few weeks, then add the corals. It's a lot easier to dial it in now than to fiddle with it after you already have acros in there.

Is at least one of your large fish an herbivore? They might be eating up all new algae growth. I also think 20% intensity from 2x AI blades is not that much light to have algae problems. Once you ramp up to 200+ PAR for acros, you'll probably see more film and nuisance algae, especially in a high nutrient system.

 

[jacksoje00]

Just curious why no water changes? Do you have sand in your system?

Given it's a new system, your rocks and sand (?) are likely also binding to phosphates. I suspect with time the phosphates of 0.5 may trend up if you don't add additional methods of transport. I personally use water changes and gfo in a reactor. I weigh the gfo before I rinse it and change it out every two weeks consistently. This routine works for my system and my level of nutrient import, but mileage may vary.

Personally, I aim for phosphate of 0.1-0.2, but I've had phosphates higher and many of the acropora in my system were fine. So I would be concerned with a trend more than any one absolute value.

I don't think you need any one phosphate value before you add a sps frag, but I suggest you have a routine that keeps the levels stable. I'm not as familiar with those lights as other may be, but I suspect 20% output may be low for many acros. Seriatopora, stylophora, montipora and other sps may be a little more tolerant until you get things stable.

I do have a ~2" sandbed in the display and some miracle mud in the base of the refugium. I just haven't done a water change based on observation alone and currently fish only. And the fact that nitrates are staying <20. I would plan to do a large water change prior to the addition of corals to work trace elements back up. I'm going to add a small amount of GFO today and keep an eye on parameters. Thanks for your input!

 

[jacksoje00]

I would get light and nutrient levels around where you think your acros will be at, let it run a few weeks, then add the corals. It's a lot easier to dial it in now than to fiddle with it after you already have acros in there.

Is at least one of your large fish an herbivore? They might be eating up all new algae growth. I also think 20% intensity from 2x AI blades is not that much light to have algae problems. Once you ramp up to 200+ PAR for acros, you'll probably see more film and nuisance algae, especially in a high nutrient system.

I completely agree with you about the plans for dialing the lights in. Yes, I have a small whitetail bristletooth that does lots of picking. I also expect to be dealing with at least some algae when the lights intensify to the levels of acro needs. Thanks.

 

[Mike1970]

water changes are your friend, sps in 5 month old tank? can it be done yes depending on your skill level. I would start out with some soft corals maybe some LPS that might help with the PO4 i wouldn't turn up the lights until you get the po4 down to .05-.03 the low par would be ok for the softy's i would start this way