Phosphate testing 0

[stevenVDB]

Been struggling for a month with fluctuating and high phosphates 0.18-0.26.

Today I bought a new lot of Hanna reagent and the conclusion is that I’ve been using a bad lot for a month.

In stead of my phosphates are at 0.19 today they are actually at 0.00. Tested today with a bad lot and a new one.

Any advise on how I can slowly increase my phosphates.

 

[maxs]

What’s your salinity? I found if my salinity is off then everything is off. Assuming your salinity is in normal range I would consider neophos from brightwell aquatics

 

[EnterName]

Been struggling for a month with fluctuating and high phosphates 0.18-0.26.

Today I bought a new lot of Hanna reagent and the conclusion is that I’ve been using a bad lot for a month.

In stead of my phosphates are at 0.19 today they are actually at 0.00. Tested today with a bad lot and a new one.

Any advise on how I can slowly increase my phosphates.

I would try another test kit just to make sure and replace the batteries of the HannaChecker even if it doesn't display the low battery warning yet.

If you actually need to add phosphate you can use monosodium phosphate:

DIY Phosphate Dosing Recipe

Sometimes phosphate can be so stubbornly low that the only way to meaningfully raise it is by directly dosing phosphate. 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 by...

www.reef2reef.com

I dose phosphate daily using dosing pumps and can only advice you to test daily when dosing until you are absolutely sure that phosphate doesn't keep accumulating. In the beginning, substrate and rock might bind a lot of phosphate, but once the equilibrium between dissolved and bound phosphate shifts, dosing will have a larger effect and you might overshoot.

 

[stevenVDB]

What’s your salinity? I found if my salinity is off then everything is off. Assuming your salinity is in normal range I would consider neophos from brightwell aquatics

Salinity is fine ar 35. Tank is 5 months old

 

[EnterName]

What’s your salinity? I found if my salinity is off then everything is off. Assuming your salinity is in normal range I would consider neophos from brightwell aquatics

Salinity is fine ar 35. Tank is 5 months old

Did you start with lots of dry rock or dry sand by any chance? Those can take quite a long time to saturate sufficiently until the equilibrium between dissolved and bound phosphate allows for detectable phosphate levels.

If you are still going through the ugly phase or experience some other type of algae growth, it's also possible that the phosphate consumption is very high.