Parameters

[Newbie1]

This is my parameters.

Dkh - 8.4
Calcium- 400
Salinity - 1.026
Phosphate - .53. (.053?)
Magnesium - 1600
Nitrate - 0
Temperature - 75.1
Reading taken 07-12-2020 2154
I’m doing what changes, I have cut how much I feed. I’m rinsing my music shrimp. I’m using a sock, protein skimmer, algae scrubber. What else can I do to lower my phosphates?

 

[andrewey]

There is a pretty big difference between .053 phosphate and .53 phosphate. I'd nail that down before employing anything further. Assuming you have 0.53 phosphate, here are some options to lower phosphates beyond what you are doing:
Increase photoperiod on algae scrubber
GFO
Lanthum Chloride
Increase WC volume/frequency

In general, before moving to any of the above suggestions, I would look to optimize your turf scrubber. It is likely underperforming if your nitrate is testing at 0. Therefore, you could target just your phosphate or try and get both parameters in line simultaneously.

 

[Newbie1]

Ok the Hanna checker said .53. I run the Scrubber 24/7. And the algae grows like crazy. My scrubber is underperforming? I thought 0 nitrate was good? I don’t get why is high and why one is low.

There is a pretty big difference between .053 phosphate and .53 phosphate. I'd nail that down before employing anything further. Assuming you have 0.53 phosphate, here are some options to lower phosphates beyond what you are doing:
Increase photoperiod on algae scrubber
GFO
Lanthum Chloride
Increase WC volume/frequency

In general, before moving to any of the above suggestions, I would look to optimize your turf scrubber. It is likely underperforming if your nitrate is testing at 0. Therefore, you could target just your phosphate or try and get both parameters in line simultaneously.

 

[Newbie1]

Ok my Hanna checker said .53. I run the Scrubber 24/7. And the algae grows like crazy in it and I have to shave it down about once a week. My tank looks great no hair algae but sometimes I get random looking fluorescent red/orange film that comes and goes. When it comes, it does NOT come off. When it’s on my bare bottom I’m able to scrap it off with a razor, but yea. After reading I saw there are several auto corrections done that made it incoherent. I do water changes and I cut down on how much I feed and how often I feed.



Please let me know

 

[Crustaceon]

Your nitrates are low and phosphates are high because they’re both consumed together in a ratio. When either nitrates or phosphates bottom out, the one that isn’t zero stops being reduced either by algae, bacteria or coral consumption. This is why your phosphates are so high. Also, you don’t want zero nitrates or phosphates. It’ll wreak havoc on corals. That’s the old way of thinking before decent low-range test kits were a thing and everyone assumed they had “zero” nitrates & phosphates but in reality, they probably had 2-5ppm phosphates and .03-.1ppm phosphates.

 

[Newbie1]

Ok, then this might be a loaded question lol, because when I read your comment, I was just shaking my head and it blew my mind lol. How do I raise my Nitrate at the same time bring my phosphate down? stop running my scrubber 24/7? turn my skimmer off?