PO4 deficiency

[anthonygf]

I also cut my water changes to once 10% every 2 months for the past 10 months and my nutrients are stable at a good number.

 

[Char.toombes]

Keep using the skimmer, just let the effluent flow into a filter box or media. I have been doing this for years to keep my nutrients up. The large detritus particles will get caught by the filter and the liquid with the good nutrients will go back into the water column. This way you can keep the oxygenation going.

I’m not sure how to implement that on my skimmer but I’d be willing to give it a try. Definitely like the idea of keeping my ph up in the 8.2-8.4 range.

 

[anthonygf]

I’m not sure how to implement that on my skimmer but I’d be willing to give it a try. Definitely like the idea of keeping my ph up in the 8.2-8.4 range.

I have my skimmer in the 10 gallon sump next to a home made filter box, if your cup has a drain hole like mine just use a rigid hose or rubber elbow from an auto parts store, that is where I got mine. My filter box is just a cereal storage container with filter pads and the skimmer effluent is draining into the filter box. I do have hole at the bottom of the container for flow and a few holes at top to let me know when the filter pads need changing.

 

[anthonygf]

I only run my skimmer when the DT tank lights are off, the skimmer creates lots of micro bubbles and I like that because the micro bubbles help polish the water. From what I read the micro bubbles will attach to the particles in the water and keep them free floating so the filter has a better chance of capturing them. I read this somewhere and now use it because I do notice cleaner water as compared to not using.

 

[Reef.]

I actually just picked up the HI736 from my LFS. I’m aware of the conversion too but I don’t see my tank ever being over 0.5ppm so hopefully this helps get this thing dialed in

hoping that’s a typo

I would be interested to see what your lvl is according to the Hanna compared to the salifert.

 

[Char.toombes]

hoping that’s a typo

I would be interested to see what your lvl is according to the Hanna compared to the salifert.

I’m saying that more as lifetime of the tank, but of course that’s very extreme. I’m aiming to keep nitrates in the 10-15 range so no more than .15 PO4. I understand trying to keep a 100:1 ratio per some of reading online and BRS stuff.

 

[Reef.]

I’m saying that more as lifetime of the tank, but of course that’s very extreme. I’m aiming to keep nitrates in the 10-15 range so no more than .15 PO4. I understand trying to keep a 100:1 ratio per some of reading online and BRS stuff.

I wouldn’t get too hung up on the Redfield ratio, apparently the ratio was never meant to be applied to nitrate/phosphate in a reef tank, it only describes the relationship to phosphorus and nitrogen in living organisms.

 

[Char.toombes]

After picking up the HI736 I took readings lastnight and dosed my tank with Neophos up from 0.03 to 0.07. 24hrs later I retested and bottomed out again at 0. So I dosed more Neophos to put me back up now at 0.085 and will see how that fairs tomorrow.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

After picking up the HI736 I took readings lastnight and dosed my tank with Neophos up from 0.03 to 0.07. 24hrs later I retested and bottomed out again at 0. So I dosed more Neophos to put me back up now at 0.085 and will see how that fairs tomorrow.

Neophos is pretty weak and expensive.

You may need to dose quite a lot over time and food grade sodium phosphate from places like Amazon is a good choice with higher purity assurance than Brightwell provides.

 

[ReefSlice]

I have the same size tank and same problems. I was dosing 10 ml+/day for months before I started consistently getting a reading. One day my po4 read .05 the next day and slowly crept up to .1, so I started backing off on the dosing. Now I dose 4-5 ml/day to maintain .03-.07 po4 and test once a week. Just find the dose that keeps you detectable 24 hours later and keep at it. The testing every other day for months is annoying but my corals have been exploding in growth as my po4 becomes more stable and constantly detectable.

 

[Char.toombes]

Neophos is pretty weak and expensive.

You may need to dose quite a lot over time and food grade sodium phosphate from places like Amazon is a good choice with higher purity assurance than Brightwell provides.

I will look into it! Thank you Randy!

I have the same size tank and same problems. I was dosing 10 ml+/day for months before I started consistently getting a reading. One day my po4 read .05 the next day and slowly crept up to .1, so I started backing off on the dosing. Now I dose 4-5 ml/day to maintain .03-.07 po4 and test once a week. Just find the dose that keeps you detectable 24 hours later and keep at it. The testing every other day for months is annoying but my corals have been exploding in growth as my po4 becomes more stable and constantly detectable.

I’m just glad I finally think I know what has been slowly killing my LPS and SPS frags and now I can put a game plan together to overcome it. Spent a lot of money and time trying to eliminate variables one at a time so this is the next one!

 

[Char.toombes]

Neophos is pretty weak and expensive.

You may need to dose quite a lot over time and food grade sodium phosphate from places like Amazon is a good choice with higher purity assurance than Brightwell provides.

Just taking a glance at Amazon for the sodium phosphate, would lab grade be what I’m looking for? Example:
Laboratory-Grade Sodium Phosphate, Monobasic, Anhydrous, 500g - The Curated Chemical Collection https://a.co/d/hV2pOXZ