How to keep stable phosphates above zero?

[Woodbridge15]

I am trying to keep phosphates stable in my tank. I constantly have zero phosphates unless I dose some sort of phosphates. I have been dosing 6ml(0.02ppm) of NeoPhos daily and it still test at 0.00 daily. Once it read 0.01 but back to zero the next day. I test using the Hanna ULR phosphate checker. Today after checking my phosphates it read 0.06? Nitrates were at 8.3 PPM. I do occasionally dose nitrates. The tank is mildly stocked with a sailfin tang, foxface and a few other small fish.the tank is bare bottom. I feed flake food twice a day to try to add more phosphate to the tank.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am trying to keep phosphates stable in my tank. I constantly have zero phosphates unless I dose some sort of phosphates. I have been dosing 6ml(0.02ppm) of NeoPhos daily and it still test at 0.00 daily. Once it read 0.01 but back to zero the next day. I test using the Hanna ULR phosphate checker. Today after checking my phosphates it read 0.06? Nitrates were at 8.3 PPM. I do occasionally dose nitrates. The tank is mildly stocked with a sailfin tang, foxface and a few other small fish.the tank is bare bottom. I feed flake food twice a day to try to add more phosphate to the tank.

How new is the tank?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I am trying to keep phosphates stable in my tank. I constantly have zero phosphates unless I dose some sort of phosphates. I have been dosing 6ml(0.02ppm) of NeoPhos daily and it still test at 0.00 daily. Once it read 0.01 but back to zero the next day. I test using the Hanna ULR phosphate checker. Today after checking my phosphates it read 0.06? Nitrates were at 8.3 PPM. I do occasionally dose nitrates. The tank is mildly stocked with a sailfin tang, foxface and a few other small fish.the tank is bare bottom. I feed flake food twice a day to try to add more phosphate to the tank.

How new is the tank?

 

[Woodbridge15]

How new is the tank?

Little over a year old. With a few lps and SPS coral.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Little over a year old. With a few lps and SPS coral.

The reason for asking relates to if there is newish sand or dead rock that is binding phosphate.

Regardless, you may need to be adding phosphate for an extended period. I recommend food grade sodium phosphate for this purpose.

 

[BriDroid]

When my tank was new, I was adding crazy amounts of trisodium phosphate. I added 0.3ppm daily for about a week before I was able to consistently measure it daily. I still have to add 0.1ppm occasionally if it starts dropping.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here’s the latest DIY recipe for phosphate dosing:

DIY Phosphate Recipe to Safely Raise Phosphate in Reef Aquariums

Sometimes phosphate can be so stubbornly low that the only way to meaningfully raise it is by directly dosing phosphate salts. When you feed foods, you’re adding nitrogen, carbon, and loads of organics. This effect is compounded if you’re trying to offset rocks that initially work against you...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Dan_P]

When my tank was new, I was adding crazy amounts of trisodium phosphate. I added 0.3ppm daily for about a week before I was able to consistently measure it daily. I still have to add 0.1ppm occasionally if it starts dropping.

Both micro and macro algae can be phosphate consumers.

 

[johnnycamp5]

I have the same thing going on with my two 8 month old aquariums

I was rolling along at five nitrates and .05 phosphate till I added some phytoplankton for my Coral

That happened two weeks ago and it’s been there ever since…

 

[johnnycamp5]

Meaning 2 Nitrate .00 phosphate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d definitely feed more or dose phosphate and maybe nitrate.

 

[Bohemian Waxwing]

I’ve found flake food (especially veggie flake) adds a lot of phosphate.

 

[Woodbridge15]

1

How new is the tank?

1.5 years

 

[johnnycamp5]

I’ve decided to stop dozing phytoplankton, until my phosphates are up to as bout .1

I feed my tanks they minimum of three times a day

they were exactly 8 months old on Friday