phosphate issues

[Nmaran72]

my tank is 6 months old. its in a fallow period for a little over a month now and the phosphates are still high. i had chemipure in the filter nothing, i had gfo and were high. my readings fluctuate from .3-.5 . what else can i do

 

[Dom]

my tank is 6 months old. its in a fallow period for a little over a month now and the phosphates are still high. i had chemipure in the filter nothing, i had gfo and were high. my readings fluctuate from .3-.5 . what else can i do

One thing at a time...

Tell us why you are running fallow?

 

[Nmaran72]

One thing at a time...

Tell us why you are running fallow?

i got the velvet. this opened my eyes to quarantine.

 

[Dom]

i got the velvet. this opened my eyes to quarantine.

Deal with the disease first. Worry about water parameters once the tank is disease free and able to take on inhabitants.

Yes; quarantining can save you a lot of grief. The additional expense in an expensive hobby can be a deterrent, but in the end, quarantining saves money.

How long have you been fallow for?

 

[clm65]

Have your phosphates always been high? What kind of rock are you using? Certain types of rock (I.e., pukani) seem to contain high amounts of PO4 and will leech it out over time. You may consider lanthanum chloride, such as Phosphate Rx or Phosphate-E, to bring it down.

 

[Nmaran72]

Have your phosphates always been high? What kind of rock are you using? Certain types of rock (I.e., pukani) seem to contain high amounts of PO4 and will leech it out over time. You may consider lanthanum chloride, such as Phosphate Rx or Phosphate-E, to bring it down.

The rock I used was old live rock that was dry for over a year. I bleached and cured it. I’m feeling this is the issue. Stuff still leaching in the wc. Very frustrating

 

[clm65]

The rock I used was old live rock that was dry for over a year. I bleached and cured it. I’m feeling this is the issue. Stuff still leaching in the wc. Very frustrating

I’m certainly no expert. I’ve been fortunate to never have to go through a fallow period (knock on wood). But I have been dealing with high phosphates, much higher than yours. Above 2.5. IMO, now is a good time to get them under control, before you add fish back in and start feeding more. I would seriously look into lanthanum chloride. It may take a while to get the phosphates out of the rock, but this would be a good way to do it.

 

[HAMMERofGold]

my tank is 6 months old. its in a fallow period for a little over a month now and the phosphates are still high. i had chemipure in the filter nothing, i had gfo and were high. my readings fluctuate from .3-.5 . what else can i do

I'm not sure what kind of filtration you are using but that could also be the issue. If you dont have a sump, you need one. If you have a sump, you might want to look into biopellet reactors. I installed a biopellet reactor in my sump when I experienced a similar phosphate spike, and it worked magically.

 

[Nmaran72]

I'm not sure what kind of filtration you are using but that could also be the issue. If you dont have a sump, you need one. If you have a sump, you might want to look into biopellet reactors. I installed a biopellet reactor in my sump when I experienced a similar phosphate spike, and it worked magically.

That tank is an all in one. I was running 2 media baskets and a tunze 9004 skimmer in it. I have a refugium basket with a light on it but I just can’t seem to get the cheato to grow.

 

[HAMMERofGold]

That tank is an all in one. I was running 2 media baskets and a tunze 9004 skimmer in it. I have a refugium basket with a light on it but I just can’t seem to get the cheato to grow.

Ah, those all in one tanks can be hit or miss on their filtration. Obviously chamber size in your filter section is a big factor for what your options are. Refugiums are really cool, I think we all want to have a refugium in our tank if we can. But frankly (IMO), their ability to effectively combat issues like high phosphates is dependent on the age/stability of the refugium(how much macro algae is growing), and the size of the chamber (which limits the amount of macro algae you can have).

To me, it seemed really variable and no guarantee it would work at the rate I needed it to. Not to mention the compartment was too small to have a big, impactful refugium. So I went with the technical option. The bio pellet reactor had a small enough footprint to fit in my chamber. Productivity of that reactor was not related in any way to the size of the chamber, and I could dial the intensity up or down based on my weekly water tests.

Check them out, it was a game changer for me.

 

[Nmaran72]

Ah, those all in one tanks can be hit or miss on their filtration. Obviously chamber size in your filter section is a big factor for what your options are. Refugiums are really cool, I think we all want to have a refugium in our tank if we can. But frankly (IMO), their ability to effectively combat issues like high phosphates is dependent on the age/stability of the refugium(how much macro algae is growing), and the size of the chamber (which limits the amount of macro algae you can have).

To me, it seemed really variable and no guarantee it would work at the rate I needed it to. Not to mention the compartment was too small to have a big, impactful refugium. So I went with the technical option. The bio pellet reactor had a small enough footprint to fit in my chamber. Productivity of that reactor was not related in any way to the size of the chamber, and I could dial the intensity up or down based on my weekly water tests.

Check them out, it was a game changer for me.

Thanks

 

[Nmaran72]

Ah, those all in one tanks can be hit or miss on their filtration. Obviously chamber size in your filter section is a big factor for what your options are. Refugiums are really cool, I think we all want to have a refugium in our tank if we can. But frankly (IMO), their ability to effectively combat issues like high phosphates is dependent on the age/stability of the refugium(how much macro algae is growing), and the size of the chamber (which limits the amount of macro algae you can have).

To me, it seemed really variable and no guarantee it would work at the rate I needed it to. Not to mention the compartment was too small to have a big, impactful refugium. So I went with the technical option. The bio pellet reactor had a small enough footprint to fit in my chamber. Productivity of that reactor was not related in any way to the size of the chamber, and I could dial the intensity up or down based on my weekly water tests.

Check them out, it was a game changer for me.

Thanks