Phosphates driving me crazy!

dvgyfresh

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
4,132
Reaction score
9,830
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi everyone , I was hoping I could get some input on why my dam phosphate is so high in my reef tank. I have a 40 gallon with hob filter/skimmer various corals , 2 clowns, 1 Spanish hoggish, blue devil damsel, scooter blennny, splendid dottyback, long spine urchin, and 2 cleaner shrimp.

I have been feeding one cube of marine cuisine daily.

My parameters are, alk 11 dkh, mg 1400, calc 425
0 ammonia, 5 nitrate, 0 nitrite ph 8.1 and phosphate of 2ppm. I did recently add chaeto to my DT to help with nitrates and phosphate as I have just battled Dino’s and my nutrients were crazy. Everything seems to be ok besides my phosphate, I’ve tried nopox, phosguard to no effect on phosphate. I have ordered some GFO to help but what should I be doing in the meantime or stop doing because my phosphate seems ever increasing.

Thanks

CAB6E814-9993-4D08-8292-42686AF0863D.jpeg
 
OP
OP
dvgyfresh

dvgyfresh

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
4,132
Reaction score
9,830
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Picture of tank (just now taken, gotta clean glass). Forgot to mention salinity is 1.025 and I’m running UV 24/7

image.jpg
 

One Reefing Boi

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 29, 2020
Messages
868
Reaction score
640
Location
New Jersey
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
how old is the tank? What are your lights like? You could try reducing feeding or add some more CUC like snails to the tank. I was battling algae and added a bunch of snails and it is now gone pretty much 2-3 weeks later. Granted, mine was not nearly this bad. Tanks go through this ugly phase (if they are newer) and there isn't much you can do about it besides wait it out. In terms of phosphate my personal go-to for nutrient control is just water changes and feeding less/more (depending on what I am trying to do)
 
OP
OP
dvgyfresh

dvgyfresh

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
4,132
Reaction score
9,830
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I’m running two hipargero 30w LEDs above the tank for 12 hours daily blues as 100% for ten hours then 10% for two and then white goes no higher than 50% intensity , tank is 5-6 months old (including tank transfer). Like I said I had Dino’s and like no other algae so I fed like crazy and increased nutrients and now I have a bunch of GHA and it seems I have the opposite problem of too little nutrients now
 

rapid

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
683
Reaction score
714
Location
Latrobe
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Get a better test kit to start never trust them kits they have lead me wrong before

Get ur self a Red Sea or salfreit test kit
 

Hectorg214

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 27, 2020
Messages
213
Reaction score
102
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been having the same problem here. Seems like I'm always having to clean the back of the tank. Don't know what's causing it.
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 3 to 5 ppm
Calcium 425
Alkalinity 10
Phosphates .25 ppm

PXL_20201016_230907504.jpg
 

HanKami

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
18
Reaction score
4
Location
White Plains
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What I Would do, I would cut the time white led are on for about 5 hours in your 12 hour daily cycle , the second thing I would do since your have a 40g is get a 50g bag of reef crystals and do a 5 gallon water change once a week for 4 weeks or until the bag is done with RO water. remember you have to get rid of the bad water to control out problems. it could be just a light adjustment fix tho.
 

Gordonm

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 24, 2020
Messages
267
Reaction score
79
Location
Who cares
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What I Would do, I would cut the time white led are on for about 5 hours in your 12 hour daily cycle , the second thing I would do since your have a 40g is get a 50g bag of reef crystals and do a 5 gallon water change once a week for 4 weeks or until the bag is done with RO water. remember you have to get rid of the bad water to control out problems.
Stop feeding the cube daily
 

stephj03

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
1,210
Reaction score
1,026
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Does it dip at all right after dosing Phosguard?

You need to find a better test to confirm your reading (Hannah ultra low would be best).

But you're kinda right on schedule for some GHA IMO. Maybe get a seahare and a couple of Mexican Turbos to mow it down.

It's likely your rocks bound up all the phosphate you introduced while fighting dinos and now they are leaching back out.

Or you added some dry rock during the transfer.

If your corals are ok don't stress on it. They'll hate you for lowering it too fast if you do.
 

Hincapiej4

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Messages
1,262
Reaction score
1,284
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have been having the same problem here. Seems like I'm always having to clean the back of the tank. Don't know what's causing it.
PH 7.8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrates 3 to 5 ppm
Calcium 425
Alkalinity 10
Phosphates .25 ppm

PXL_20201016_230907504.jpg

It's your phosphates.
 

HanKami

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
18
Reaction score
4
Location
White Plains
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Could my lighting schedule be causing the algae build up?

Screenshot_20201016-184738.png
I would say yes, your white lights looks like they are on to long, if you ramp your white light from 9AM 0% to your max of 80% at Noon then ramp down to 0% 3PM that could help your algae problem. However if you have corals That demand a lot of light start whites at 8am 0% to your max of 80% at 2pm. then ramp down to 0% at 8pm. your white light diagram should look like a triangle. just a suggestion try it out for a week after cleaning you glass and see if anything changes.
 

Daddy-o

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
2,685
Reaction score
3,900
Location
Redwood City, Ca. 94062 (San Francisco Bay Area)
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I just started dosing Lanthanum chloride
 

Pistondog

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Messages
5,265
Reaction score
9,405
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi everyone , I was hoping I could get some input on why my dam phosphate is so high in my reef tank. I have a 40 gallon with hob filter/skimmer various corals , 2 clowns, 1 Spanish hoggish, blue devil damsel, scooter blennny, splendid dottyback, long spine urchin, and 2 cleaner shrimp.

I have been feeding one cube of marine cuisine daily.

My parameters are, alk 11 dkh, mg 1400, calc 425
0 ammonia, 5 nitrate, 0 nitrite ph 8.1 and phosphate of 2ppm. I did recently add chaeto to my DT to help with nitrates and phosphate as I have just battled Dino’s and my nutrients were crazy. Everything seems to be ok besides my phosphate, I’ve tried nopox, phosguard to no effect on phosphate. I have ordered some GFO to help but what should I be doing in the meantime or stop doing because my phosphate seems ever increasing.

Thanks

CAB6E814-9993-4D08-8292-42686AF0863D.jpeg
1 cube per day does not seem unreasonable.
Why are you running uv?
The nuclear option for phosphate is lanthanum chloride, Phosphate-e.
Use it with caution, don't reduce the phosphate level by more than 0.5 ppm/ day. I dose it diluted 50:1 into my return and use a 5 micron sock to catch the flocculant. Read about it.
Reef roids are a high source.
The rocks and substrate are phosphate sponges and will release more po4 after lc treatment. Eventually, you'll catchup.
 

Daddy-o

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 7, 2017
Messages
2,685
Reaction score
3,900
Location
Redwood City, Ca. 94062 (San Francisco Bay Area)
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
The Marine Cuisine is a messy food. I feed it occasionally but the bits are sooo small, I feel a lot gets wasted and rots. I would cut the feeding down to maybe half a cube a day (mysis is good) and perhaps a small piece of seaweed later in the day. If you feel you must give them a whole cube everyday, try half a cube in the morning and half in the evening. I started turning my pumps off before I feed so the fish could get the food before the powerheads blow it all into the rock crevices to rot.
Cheers! Mark
 
OP
OP
dvgyfresh

dvgyfresh

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
4,132
Reaction score
9,830
Location
SoCal
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Does it dip at all right after dosing Phosguard?

You need to find a better test to confirm your reading (Hannah ultra low would be best).

But you're kinda right on schedule for some GHA IMO. Maybe get a seahare and a couple of Mexican Turbos to mow it down.

It's likely your rocks bound up all the phosphate you introduced while fighting dinos and now they are leaching back out.

Or you added some dry rock during the transfer.

If your corals are ok don't stress on it. They'll hate you for lowering it too fast if you do.
I honestly haven’t seen a change in the phosphate reading using phosguard it’s very strange
 

stephj03

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
1,210
Reaction score
1,026
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is likely due to the limited acuity of the test kit you are using.

You really need to invest in or borrow a hanna low range.

I've also heard ok things about the red sea pro kit.
 

Hincapiej4

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 28, 2020
Messages
1,262
Reaction score
1,284
Location
Portland
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Confirm red sea pro kit is OK, rather use a hanna or another digital phos test. Your phos should be no higher than .12 ish. Ideally .03 to .05. But that's my opinion
 
Back
Top