phosphates how high should they be?

[SkyAurelia]

i have been keeping a reef tank now for about 3 and half years maybe 4 i lost track, from the start i was told nitrates and phosphates are bad bad bad remove them all, so i set up my tank just for that, now i have pretty much 0 nitrate and rising phosphates, so i started to question why water changes would not lower my phosphates and they just kept going up, i decided it was time to do more research, it would seem now i am finding info that is the exact oppasite of the original info, now i am being told i need nirates, i need phosphates, i understand now they are both needed for porper coral health and growth, but what i cant figure out is how much nitrate and phosphate i should maintian in my tank,

right now my pom pom xenia seems very happy, my green star polyp seems very happy, and my haitian anemone seems very happy, but i have a duncan that is not looking very happy.
i have seen alot of conflicting info on where my levels should be.

currently my phosphate is around 0.30 is that to high?
my nitrate is about 5ppm i am having to does the tank and add it manually because the biofiltration removes it so fast.

(i have a thick substrate tried to go for a bioactive tank and might even have suceeded but not sure)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Those values seem ok to me and fit with my suggestions:

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/randy’s-thoughts-on-nutrient-target-ranges.1087/
. What targets seem reasonable? Of course, that depends on all the other factors at play, such as types of corals, availability of ammonia, particulate foods, etc. However, for a mature mixed reef, this would be how I personally would run it:

• Let nitrate float between 5 ppm and 50 ppm. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above 50 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by organic carbon dosing, turf or macroalgae, etc.
• Below 5 ppm, I’d begin to dose ammonia or feed more. The target level might drop lower if dosing ammonia, just like the heavy in/heavy out scenario where nitrate may not be as needed.
• Let phosphate float between about 0.06 ppm and 0.3 ppm. This range is higher than I’ve recommended in the past. I’d use gentle export in this range, such as growing macroalgae.
• Above about 0.3 ppm, I’d begin to focus more on reducing it, by turf or macroalgae, or a binder such as GFO or lanthanum (has its own risks to tangs). If a binder: GO SLOW. Turf and macroalgae will typically be slow enough.
• Below 0.06 ppm, I’d begin to dose sodium phosphate or feed more to get the level

 

[SkyAurelia]

i dont have much marco algea right now i have one macroalgea and then the corals i listed, i am running phosgaurd for the last few weeks trying to lower the phophates, but with that info in mind, maybe i should add more nitrate to get it up to around 10 to 15ppm and you think i should be adding ammonia? i only have 1 clown in the tank 2 3 strip damsles and a few hermits, a conch 2 emerald crabs, maybe what i have is not making enough ammonia? i have been feeling like i should add more fish for a while now lol

 

[SkyAurelia]

any paticuler macro types you can suggest i would love to get some more just not sure what im looking for, sense i dont even know what the one i have is called lol its jsut some kinda weird pink leaf thing, i know itsd not a mushroom coral the one of those i had died on me when my old light failed

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t think you need to do anything at the moment.

 

[SkyAurelia]

I don’t think you need to do anything at the moment.

can you elaborate on that?

 

[BryanM]

Your ranges are fine right now.

I'd monitor phos, and if it starts going higher then I'd start to take action.

 

[exnisstech]

Maybe have a read on ammonia dosing. I used to dose N and P but switched to ammonium bicarb with better results. I don't have to dose as often.

Here's Randy's article
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-for-low-nitrate-systems.987087/

@Miami Reef was kind enough to put together a dosing chart here

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-ammonia-dosing-chart.1123913/#post-13794439

 

[SkyAurelia]

alright thank you for the info i will give it a read, i am mainly curious about it because my duncan coral has not been coming out very much.

 

[Reef Puncher]

just a heads up water changes lower nitrates, they barely lower phosphates. truth is i dont know why phosphates dont go down, i always assumed it was free floating molecules in water just like nitrates. afterall we test by pulling the water. why in the world doesnt it go down equally with nitrates?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

can you elaborate on that?

I mean your levels do not suggest to me a need to take any specific action to alter them. Nothing wrong with adjusting them, but if it were me, I would not do anything to drop phosphate.

 

[SkyAurelia]

im just trying to figure out what i should be adjusting cause to me it looks like my corals are growing super super slow, my duncan lately wont fully come out, and the one macro algea i have, i have had it for 2 years now and its not really growing at all.