How do phosphates negatively effect your aquarium?

[MikeyZo]

So I just wanted to see what the consensus was with people and their phosphate levels. I was never a big numbers chaser, but this one really astounds me. This is a picture of my 14g Biocube Jr LED tank with stock lights. My nitrates are 23 and my phosphates are so high that it goes off the Hanna phosphate ULR range… so it’s over .9

But as you can see, short of color changes to some of my acans and acros, everything is doing well. So what do you see in your tanks with high phosphates?

(And yes, I’m running GFO and dosing Phosphat-E to bring it down slowly. I’d like the coloring to come back lol)

 

[rtparty]

Only a lack of phosphates screws with the system

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

None of the vote choices fit my opinion, so I did not vote, but here is my opinion and examples of tanks that rationalize the opinion:

Randy’s Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges

Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges by Randy Holmes-Farley Almost nothing in the world of reef aquarium chemistry causes as much discussion as selecting and maintaining ranges for nitrate and phosphate. Some aquarists want low targets, some want...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[CHSUB]

Answering your question, “How do phosphates negatively affect your aquarium”.
My answer is they don’t, because…..see picture!

 

[MikeyZo]

None of the vote choices fit my opinion, so I did not vote, but here is my opinion and examples of tanks that rationalize the opinion:

Randy’s Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges

Thoughts on Nutrient Target Ranges by Randy Holmes-Farley Almost nothing in the world of reef aquarium chemistry causes as much discussion as selecting and maintaining ranges for nitrate and phosphate. Some aquarists want low targets, some want...

www.reef2reef.com

Somehow I knew you would have a beautiful article

 

[dvgyfresh]

I went from too much phosphate to too little and caused a little Dinos outbreak , working on increasing it . I think .1 to .2 is a good range to be in

 

[BriDroid]

Answering your question, “How do phosphates negatively affect your aquarium”.
My answer is they don’t, because…..see picture!

Your system intrigues me! Do you run at 0 on both N and P? Are you feeding anything to add N and P to the system? I tried to keep mine really low a while back, dosing amino acids, TM Plus-NP, and Phos-Feed. I was having all kinds of algae issues with that method. I know that the German folks like to run them that way, but it just wasn't working for me. Tell me more, please!

 

[TX_REEF]

Phosphates can negatively impact your aquarium in two ways in my experience:

• lack of (zero) phosphates can cause stunted coral growth or death
• a rapid, significant change (up or down) in phosphates (like nitrates or almost any other parameter) can cause coral unhappiness (polyp retraction, bleaching, polyp bailout) or death

 

[BetterJake]

I understand the idea of not chasing numbers, but in my experience the only real problems have come when phosphate hits true zero. My goal is to keep it closer to 0.1 PPM, since testing always has some margin of error. That gives me a buffer in case I feed a little extra or have a stretch where I am not able to feed as much as usual.

I also think stability is a big factor. A sudden spike from dumping in a lot of food would almost certainly cause issues. But if phosphate creeps up very gradually over the course of months, it seems more likely the tank and its inhabitants can adapt and continue to do well at the higher level.

 

[BristleWormHater]

The only effect I've had from phosphates was not having enough. I struggled to keep my phosphates above 0.01 for a few months at first it was fine then it bottomed out to 0.00 after a water change. Then I got dinos, my feather dusters started to die, and I lost a few corals. Right now they sit around 0.05 but id like to raise them more. As I've raised them my corals look better, my feather dusters are regenerating their crowns and building their tubes again.

 

[CHSUB]

Your system intrigues me! Do you run at 0 on both N and P? Are you feeding anything to add N and P to the system? I tried to keep mine really low a while back, dosing amino acids, TM Plus-NP, and Phos-Feed. I was having all kinds of algae issues with that method. I know that the German folks like to run them that way, but it just wasn't working for me. Tell me more, please!

Thanks, I think haha. It’s not anything revolutionary or groundbreaking, in fact just the opposite. Very simple system outlined by J. Sprung’s book “The Reef Aquarium” with a protein skimmer, filter sock, fish and corals that are feed well, and weekly WC that concentrates on algae and detritus removal. Nutrients levels are generally below hobby test kit levels but are still abundant. I feed this…in picture daily; more than recommended, however when the aquarium was lightly stocked I fed far less than recommended. It’s a process that the hobbyist has to be a big part of…

 

[CHSUB]

my feather dusters

Not to disagree with your observation, but feather dusters are filter feeds and would not gain any nutrients for inorganic no3 and po4.

 

[BriDroid]

Thanks, I think haha. It’s not anything revolutionary or groundbreaking, in fact just the opposite. Very simple system outlined by J. Sprung’s book “The Reef Aquarium” with a protein skimmer, filter sock, fish and corals that are feed well, and weekly WC that concentrates on algae and detritus removal. Nutrients levels are generally below hobby test kit levels but are still abundant. I feed this…in picture daily; more than recommended, however when the aquarium was lightly stocked I fed far less than recommended. It’s a process that the hobbyist has to be a big part of…

Yeah, if you’re feeding all that daily, you have nutrients in the water! Thanks for explaining!

 

[BristleWormHater]

Not to disagree with your observation, but feather dusters are filter feeds and would not gain any nutrients for inorganic no3 and po4.

There is some research to support that polychaetes exist in higher density in areas of the ocean with higher concentrations of nitrate and phosphate. The polychaetes that are linked to these studies are coral boring spoinid worms and spoirobid worms, so not the same as the typical feather duster but similar enough to make me think that there could be a link and my experience supports that. I'll link the Research gate article in a second post.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Not to disagree with your observation, but feather dusters are filter feeds and would not gain any nutrients for inorganic no3 and po4.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233497635_Patterns_of_polychaete_worm_infestation_of_stony_corals_in_the_Northern_Red_Sea_and_relationships_to_water_chemistry

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233497635_Patterns_of_polychaete_worm_infestation_of_stony_corals_in_the_Northern_Red_Sea_and_relationships_to_water_chemistry

The paper is suggesting that those worms may be attacking corals weakened by elevated nutrients, not that they like elevated nutrients directly.

 

[CHSUB]

There is some research to support that polychaetes exist in higher density in areas of the ocean with higher concentrations of nitrate and phosphate. The polychaetes that are linked to these studies are coral boring spoinid worms and spoirobid worms, so not the same as the typical feather duster but similar enough to make me think that there could be a link and my experience supports that. I'll link the Research gate article in a second post.

While I’m not sure the connection, worm of such would feed on particle material, not inorganic no3 and po4. I feed heavy and have what some people describe as a plague of such worms and here is my possible agreement with the paper, maybe? Haha! This Monti in some cases grows over the worm and sometimes in lower light areas the worm seems to win…

 

[BristleWormHater]

While I’m not sure the connection, worm of such would feed on particle material, not inorganic no3 and po4. I feed heavy and have what some people describe as a plague of such worms and here is my possible agreement with the paper, maybe? Haha! This Monti in some cases grows over the worm and sometimes in lower light areas the worm seems to win…

I think I've made sense of it, I increased my phosphate and nitrate by feeding heavier supplemented by a little neophos and neonitro. I feed mysis and brine which leave a lot of particulates in the water hence why the feather dusters did better.

 

[BristleWormHater]

The paper is suggesting that those worms may be attacking corals weakened by elevated nutrients, not that they like elevated nutrients directly.

Yeah, I guess I kinda missed that connection.