Phosphate control

[roostersreef]

Phosphate not getting down
My setup 600 litres reef tank is just over a year
With mainly lps corals and about 30 fish that mainly small fish and 3 tangs 3” are fed twice a day with 1 frozen cube of brine shrimp
Water chemistry
Salt 35 ppm tropic marine pro salt
Calcium 450 ppm
Mangnesium 1350 ppm
I use all for reef
Alkalinity 8.5 on Hanna checker
Nitrate 10 ppm
Phosphate 0.20
Temp 78
Water turn over 2 x mp40
2x kessil ap9x 30tuna 20 intense 20 violet
Nyos skimmer 160
My problem is what ever I do I can’t get phosphate to go down or to stay around 0.05
I carbon dose tropic marine Elimi np
I have a fluid reactor with a litre of bacto pellets
I also put 400ml of phosguard on every week
And if I stop using the phosguard the phosphate climbs 0.15 ppm each week
I use an auto top up with ro water that has been tested and has zero TDS also been checked with Hanna checker which is zero
I have also tested the rocks and sand for phosphate to see if they were leaching and got nothing
Although the tank looks fine and corals seem happy apart from one goniopora that never fully extends all corals don’t seem to be growing at all apart from a devils hand that is growing very fast
I just want to get to that sweet spot and don’t
Fancy using buckets of phosguard
But I feet if I dont my phosphate will just keep climbing
I’m now thinking of adding nitrate to see if that might work better with the carbon dosing
If that doesn’t work then I am stumped as to what to do
Or should I just stop chasing numbers and see where it goes

 

[blaxsun]

Two Little Fishies PhosBan works awesome.

 

[BanjoBandito]

I know my "dry rock" from starting leeched phosphates for like 9 months. I run a GFO reactor on occasion, but it'll strip it to 0 in a few hours (small tank), so it's a less than ideal solution. I just ordered some TM Bacto Balance to see if that'll help. Interested to see what input you get.

 

[arking_mark]

Source of phosphate is most likely coming from the 30 fish and feedings. I'd call this probably heavy in for a 600L tank.

So you need heavy out.

1. Mechanical to quickly remove waste from tank b4 it breaks down
2. Refugium to absorb NO3/PO4 through macroalgae growth
3. Coral to take up NO3/PO4 directly and indirectly through bacteria
4. Carbon dosing to increase bacteria to take up PO4 that can be utilized by coral
5. Skimmer to export NO3/PO4 through removal of microflora and such.
6. GFO to absorb PO4

You can also switch up or reduce your foods to lower PO4. Typically speaking dry is higher in PO4 and wet/frozen higher in NO3.

As you're doing most of these, you may find tweaking these areas gets you to a good place. For example, if you are using filter socks, replacing them more frequently, or replacing them with a roller mat may do the job.

 

[Clownfishy]

I have high phosphate and a high fish load but I am now using NOPOX to bring the levels down successfully. If you go down this road, be VERY careful how much you dose as you can get to zero pretty quick. I am dosing a quarter of what the instructions state and test my phosphate daily using the Hanna Low Range checker. Slowly getting the phosphates under control.

My corals (mainly LPS) really don't like phosphate under 0.1ppm so I will not be going below that level.

Hope that helps.

 

[arking_mark]

I have high phosphate and a high fish load but I am now using NOPOX to bring the levels down successfully. If you go down this road, be VERY careful how much you dose as you can get to zero pretty quick. I am dosing a quarter of what the instructions state and test my phosphate daily using the Hanna Low Range checker. Slowly getting the phosphates under control.

My corals (mainly LPS) really don't like phosphate under 0.1ppm so I will not be going below that level.

Hope that helps.

Interestingly enough, I've just started carbon dosing w/ DIY/Homemade NoPox...

500ml distilled white vinger
375ml vodka
125ml water

Measured Level (ppm) ....................Daily Dose ml/100 L (25 gal)
NO3 above 10 ---------------------------------------3
NO3 above 2.5, but less than 10 ------------------2
NO3 above 1 but less than 2.5 ---------------------1

 

[Clownfishy]

Interestingly enough, I've just started carbon dosing w/ DIY/Homemade NoPox...

500ml distilled white vinger
375ml vodka
125ml water

Measured Level (ppm) ....................Daily Dose ml/100 L (25 gal)
NO3 above 10 ---------------------------------------3
NO3 above 2.5, but less than 10 ------------------2
NO3 above 1 but less than 2.5 ---------------------1

I dosed NOPOX a few years back and ignored keeping to the rule not to keep NItrates and Phosphates at zero for any length of time. Then dino's followed and after 1.5 years getting rid of them, I am never again making that mistake!

Moral or the story, don't be an idiot like I was! This is why I am now testing phosphate daily until I have a consistent phosphate level and a consistent dosing level.

 

[arking_mark]

I dosed NOPOX a few years back and ignored keeping to the rule not to keep NItrates and Phosphates at zero for any length of time. Then dino's followed and after 1.5 years getting rid of them, I am never again making that mistake!

Moral or the story, don't be an idiot like I was! This is why I am now testing phosphate daily until I have a consistent phosphate level and a consistent dosing level.

That's why I'm starting w/ 1/3 the recommended dose.

 

[Dan_P]

Two Little Fishies PhosBan works awesome.

It doesn’t take much Phosban to knock down phosphates level.

 

[Wagtribe]

Interestingly enough, I've just started carbon dosing w/ DIY/Homemade NoPox...

500ml distilled white vinger
375ml vodka
125ml water

Measured Level (ppm) ....................Daily Dose ml/100 L (25 gal)
NO3 above 10 ---------------------------------------3
NO3 above 2.5, but less than 10 ------------------2
NO3 above 1 but less than 2.5 ---------------------1

you mix vinegar, vodka and the water (RO?) together and dose from that container? I was dosing RS No3 would like to try DIY mix.

 

[arking_mark]

you mix vinegar, vodka and the water (RO?) together and dose from that container? I was dosing RS No3 would like to try DIY mix.

I'm using this and it works great.