How to increase phosphates

Mrx7899

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Over the last month and a half or so my SPS have been losing color in my 38 gallon tank 42 actual gallons and I come to realize that my tank is too clean I've always tested zero for nitrates and phosphates Hanna phosphorus ulr and red sea pro test kits. So I shut down my gfo 2 weeks ago stopped doing 10% weekly water changes only going to do once a month now. Started dosing potassium nitrate my nitrates are 2 now which is where I want them but can not get phosphates up. Been feeding more has not made a difference. Did some research and found brightwell make Neophos which is supposed to raise phosphates but didn't find much about people using it. Should I just wait A little longer and see what happens or is there something I can dose to raise it up thanks
 

Randy Holmes-Farley

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Randy Holmes-Farley

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For the monosodium phosphate what would the mixture be would it be like potassium nitrate where you mix two tablespoons to two cups of ro di

You can dissolve either product to any reasonable concentration you want. But you dose a lot less phosphate than you dose nitrate. I'd wait till you get a specific product to do calculations as there are several possibilities. :)
 

flintian

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Very curious as to what you decided to do? I stopped testing for Nitrates years ago because it was always 0. My tank is almost all softies so I never really thought about it. Recently I started adding SPS and had zero success so.... I decided to test again and was shocked. My Nitrates are literally off the chart 100+. What is even more scary is that I have maintained proper levels of everything else and unfortunately I have kept my Phosphates at .03 for over a year by using Lanthanum Chloride and most recently GFO. NOW, I want to carbon dose and from what I can figure out I need to raise my Phosphates which are now hovering at .15 . I NEED HELP! I would love to hear more ideas on how to raise Phosphates without raising nitrates.

Thanks again to everyone that contribute to these forums, you guys are my hero's
 

Dramad1

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Reviving an old thread....

How can I raise my phosphates levels?

Brightwells Neophos?
Seachem flourish?
Currently undetectable 0.00ppm p04 hanna ulr
And N03 is @ 4.00ppm redsea pro

I'm noticing a large bacterial bloom possibly and or the beginning signs of dinos.
Water is super cloudy, small bubbles appearing on rocks and sand. Reduces at night.

Local reefer let me borrow his uv sterilizer and advised I try and raise my p04 levels.
What product other than feeding heavy can I use? System is a total of 30g
Salinity 1.025 hanna
Temp 77.8f hanna/apex
Alk 8.2 hanna
Ca 422 hanna
Mag 1320 elos
N03 4.00 redsea pro
P04 0.00 hanna ulr

Zoas, Acans and 2 hammers I Tank, 2 clowns and a yellow banded shrimp, multiple hermits, 2 snails.
Ideas, thoughts would greatly be appreciated. Thanks
 

DirtMcGurt

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I've used Brightwell's Neophos successfully but I ran out before I could get my PO4 to stabilize. If it ever really stabilizes...
Before, I had zero NO3 and high phosphates which seems to have caused an algae outbreak. After scrubbing all rocks and cleaning the sand, I did a 50% water change to get phosphates down. Then I added Brightwell's Neonitro. It didn't take much, and my tank was gorgeous for about 3 months. Now my NO3 has creeped up well above 20ppm. I tried adding the Neophos but I could never get a reading for PO4. It's almost like if the NO3 is too high, you have to lower them in order to get the Neophos to stick. I'm not sure if I'm right, or if you just wasted 2 mins reading this lol. Some confirmation would be cool on my theory.
 

DirtMcGurt

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Dramad1, how are your corals doing with all this? My imbalanced NO3 and PO4 seems to have ticked off half my corals.
 

ahiggins

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I’m in the same boat. Nitrates hovering 2-5 ppm and 0.00 phosphate. I have dinos now and doing a black out at the moment to see what happens. I for sure want to start dosing phos soon though
 

DirtMcGurt

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I had dinos before and I believe my N03 was zero and P04 stayed around 0.08. I ended up having to scrub my rocks and do a large water change to kill them off. Also added a UV filter which may have helped. It's a huge jaebo UV filter but it seems to help. Along with dosing to balance my N03 and P04.
 

ahiggins

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I just came out of the blackout. Phosphate ended up being 11ppb before. 30% water change. We shall see what happens when the lights run.
 

Dramad1

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After 2 1/2 months, it seems to be subsiding. Occasionally it try's to show its ugly head.
I ran a uv, super low flow, increased p04 to over 1ppm during this whole time. Let the tank get dirty. Feed more, didnt raise p04 with the flourish after the first 2 initial doses, very strong stuff, just feed more.
I ran the dr Tim's refresh, dosed 1/2 recommended amount to start. I dosed everyother day for 7 doses. Lost a clown fish. Then waited 2 days and dosed dr Tim's waste away at 1/2 dose to start, working my way up to full dosage recommendation for a total of 7 dosed. Water change after the refresh and waste away weeks. Dinos reappeared. Repeated steps above, slowed flow in uv even further, scrubbed rocks in tank daily, turkey basted daily, changed socks twice a week and dosed h202 every other night on the days I didnt dose the refresh or waste away. 1ml per 10g dosage.
Water change again, then one single dose of refresh on the first friday of the month, following one single dose of waste away on the second friday. No other doses until the next month on 1st and second friday. Maintain dosing h202 30mins after lights out daily. Dino free.
Water change last week to help bring p04 down from 0.07. I do not run gfo on the system<---- carbon, barely..... maybe for 3 or 4 days when things smell fishy then remove asap.
Turned skimmer off on first weeks of dosing the dr Tim's refresh and waste away. Seems to be slowly working, occasionally, I see it try to show up in the sand, not the rocks any longer

20190712_190433.jpg 20190712_190217.jpg
 

DirtDiggler2823

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I've been struggling with keeping acans thus far, and I believe a nutrient issue is to blame. My nitrates are at 2 ppm, but my phos is at 0. The highest my phos has been is .03. I dose DIY NOPOX because I did have elevated nitrates, but even when the nitrates were in the 50's, phos was low. I am running a fuge, but my chaeto isn't really growing at all, so not sure where the nutrients are all going. I recently cut my nopox dose in half, and I intend to feed more in an effort to find a sweet spot. Some advice would be amazing at this point. Someone on FB advised me to dose stump killer. Please help.
 

DirtMcGurt

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I used to keep several acans until my last crash and I believe it was my phosphates. Only one acan made it thru the crash and just like you, my P04 had bottomed out. That scan is now back to 100%. Its a beautiful site for an acan lover. I've since started dosing Brightwell's Neophos. It took a few weeks but holding my P04 around 0.04 seems to have helped tremendously. My N03 is around 5-6 and I'm still trying to get that a touch lower with Bio pellets. Since they are supposed to lower N03 more so than lowering P04. If I were you, I'd get that P04 level up and stable. I'm not sure that's your entire problem but it will definitely help. Do you have many fish? What size tank is it?
 

DirtDiggler2823

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I used to keep several acans until my last crash and I believe it was my phosphates. Only one acan made it thru the crash and just like you, my P04 had bottomed out. That scan is now back to 100%. Its a beautiful site for an acan lover. I've since started dosing Brightwell's Neophos. It took a few weeks but holding my P04 around 0.04 seems to have helped tremendously. My N03 is around 5-6 and I'm still trying to get that a touch lower with Bio pellets. Since they are supposed to lower N03 more so than lowering P04. If I were you, I'd get that P04 level up and stable. I'm not sure that's your entire problem but it will definitely help. Do you have many fish? What size tank is it?

90 gallon tank with 40 gallon sump. 4 bulb T5 fixture for lights. Running a fuge, and skimmer, and dosing nopox. I have a coral beauty, tomini tang, 4 clownfish, a couple chromis, some other ins and outs. None that have gone after corals. I have softies that are doing well, and my euphyllia are thriving as well.
 

DirtMcGurt

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You've got a few fish. That's a good source of phosphates. The fish poop definitely helps. I cut my Neophos dosing way back after I got a new tang in my 75. Your N03 is at a good level. I think you'll need to keep it under 5 and try getting P04 up, and most importantly, keep it stable. I think the Nopox will deplete the P04 pretty quickly so you may have to cut back dosing the NoPox even more. I would get some P04 supplement and start dosing it and testing everyday. It sucks at 1st but after a week you get an idea of how your tank is using it. Also, you can try feeding more often. What's you feeding schedule like?
 

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