Post Dinos... Rising Phosphates, falling Nitrates! Low ALK, Calcium, and Magnesium

BetterJake

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I have defeated dinos!

Part of the battle to defeat dinos was no water changes. However, I'm struggling trying to figure how to maintain correct levels of Calcium, ALK, Mag while lowering phosphate and without lowering Nitrate too much as to not have the dinos come back.

What should I do?

Nitrate: 14
Phosphate: .37
Alkalinity: 7.8
Calcium: 300
Magnesium: 1080

My initial thoughts...
1. Phosguard to reduce Phosphates to .15
2. Dose elements to get Alk, calcium, mag to match RedSea Blue bucket salt ratios.
3. Water change and dose Nitrate as needed if it get's too low again?
 

bushdoc

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You answered your own question perfectly.
Phosguard, ChemiPure or GFO.
 

sfin52

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Once dinos are gone. You can resume water changes. Becareful not to bottom out nutrients. Just give it a couple of weeks and than resume water changes
 
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BetterJake

BetterJake

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Once dinos are gone. You can resume water changes. Becareful not to bottom out nutrients. Just give it a couple of weeks and than resume water changes
Thanks! Makes sense. That's my main worry, I actually like doing WC's just deathly afraid of taking down nutrients too much. The dinos may be gone but they still give me nightmares
 

Treefer32

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Nitrates are exactly where I'd want them. I'm not sure on the overall volume. Smallish tanks I'd consider GFO. GFO is expensive and better used to maintain phosphates than to lower them. After all, if they get lowered, well, you don't want the GFO to keep lowering them. The other things I'd consider are lanthinum chloride (also repackaged and sold as Phosphate E). This is highly efficient at removing phosphates as a one time thing. I used dosing small doses daily for 6 months to lower phosphates from .55 down to .05. I stopped dosing once they were below .1 and now they're stable between .03 and .15 without any dosing.

The other option and this would be more for the long game. Get your magnesium up (I'd do this through water changes to maintain proper ratios of alk and calcium). Then add in a algae turf scrubber or chaeto refugium. They will primarily consume trace elements, phosphates, and it's a natural habitat for things like pods to breed in.

I would do that over GFO. Sure more up front cost to setup and some logistics to setup. In the end it would maintain your phosphates without maintaining GFO or other chemicals.

Some options to look into, you have to do what's best for your maintenance routines and for your livestock.
 

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