Really high Phospates - no2 no3 normal.

[NicholasP]

Hello everyone, i finally added my first softies. I did my regular water test today and my po4 was at 3mg/L. NH4, No2 No3 were all normal, but phosphates are high. All i have is 2 clownfish, 1 hermit, 1 astrea and 2 zoa plugs and one disco in a 250l+46l sump tank.
I installed a diy refugium with a 25w blurple grow lamp and a bunch of chaeto. My disco seems healthy and all the polyps from both zoas open completely and look happy. Will the refugium suffice and slowly lower the po4 or should/can i do something for the phosphates immediately? I dont want to use lanthanum chloride, im really scared i might mess up and kill my inhabitants.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I'm going to go with testing error if everything is happy and no other parameter is testing out of the norm.

What are you using to test?

Unless you mean .3 and not actually 3. If its .3 you are fine.

 

[NicholasP]

I use tropic marine saltwater tests. No, it's 3mg/L. The moment I dropped the second reagent in the glass tube it turned a dark blue immediately. But everything seems to be doing fine

 

[fishyjoes]

If your phosphate is too high you might consider the foods you are feeding. Some can be much higher in phosphate than others.

I have found this paper by Randy Holmes-Farley very helpful

Aquarium Chemistry: Phosphate And Math: Yes You Need To Understand Both

Foods are by far the most important source of phosphate in most aquariums. In considering whether sources of phosphate other than foods are important, one must carefully look to the actual amounts involved to determine whether other sources are even worth trying to minimize.

reefs.com

It's linked to from this wider topic post, which is also very helpful

Phosphate in the Reef Aquarium

The phosphorus atom is one of living matter’s basic building blocks. It is present in every living creature and in the water of every reef aquarium. Unfortunately, it is often present in excess in reef aquaria and that excess has the potential to...

www.reef2reef.com