PO4 and NO3 imbalance

[Hans-Werner]

I don´t think that 0.04 ppm phosphate is much. Scleractinians show net uptake of phosphate with 0.02 ppm phosphate or higher. Below that concentration they show a net loss of phosphate which means without food they die from phosphate starvation. 0.04 ppm phosphate is still in the range of natural (low) concentrations. I don't understand how this can be called high or even too high.

 

[Stigigemla]

I have read an article of Phosphate nutrition on the Great Barrier Reef. They measured both organiclly bound and inorganic phosphat at 6 places from norht to south.
The astonishing thing was that the total phosphate was about 0,06 ppm in all places but the inorganic varied from 0,06 down to 0,02.
I think it can have been in Plos1 or maybe somewhere in gov.au
I have searched a few times without finding it again.

 

[Jonowilliams]

You have plenty of both N and P for algae growth, ev water column, and may have even more down in the sand. "Imbalance" is not contributing to it.

Just tested the tank again and the results are

PO4 0.08
NO3 50

I've had no PO4 remover in the system for some time now.

Are you saying PO4 is maybe a little high in conjunction with the NO3 being very high is feeding the algae?

Sorry if this is dumb but what's EV water column?

Other than water changes that can be very costly, very time consuming and relatively useless is there any suggestions to help lower nitrate?

Thanks

 

[Jonowilliams]

When my tanks begin to look like that I just change the media in the DI part of the osmosis. After two weeks they are normally gone. But I do the change earlier before it is that much. I believe that kind of algae needs silica.

All filters have recently been changed, they do get changes frequently and my tap water is very hard at over 400

 

[Jonowilliams]

Flow in this area of the tank low ?? I had red cyno a while back in a few spots and all it took was a good clean of all my water flow pumps and power heads and some new direction of their flow and inside two weeks all gone

It's over the entire tank tbh.

Flow is 2x CP40s and a Koralia (can't remember which one)

I did have more but I dropped the magnets and can't retrieve them so they're in the sump to stop debris collecting.

I've more pumps on the way and I'm going to remove the CP40s and Koralia and aim for 25,000lph turn over from them so roughly 35x turn over then another 10x turn over from the sump return.

 

[Jonowilliams]

The tank was set up in April this year, 90% of the rock came from my previous tank that was set up April the year before.

Ask rock was completely dead when I got it from a growfe reefer that had stored it for over a year.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Do you have growth of green algae? If so it is best to put some Chaetomorpha (Chaeto) algae into the filter and give it adequate Illumination. This may help to remove nitrate. Also a pellet filter or organic Carbon dosing may help reduce nitrate.

 

[Jonowilliams]

Do you have growth of green algae? If so it is best to put some Chaetomorpha (Chaeto) algae into the filter and give it adequate Illumination. This may help to remove nitrate. Also a pellet filter or organic Carbon dosing may help reduce nitrate.

Just what's on the sand bed and I get it on some of the rocks but it also has bubbles in it.

Indo have chaeto and caulerpa currently lit by an 125w CFL grow lamp