Whats consuming Phosphates in my tank?

Ober_Reef

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I’m going to try and make a longish story short here. So my tank randomly started showing snotty goop on my rocks and I assumed it was Dinos because my tank has been low in Nitrates and Phosphates from the start. I instantly started dirtying my tank, I stopped water changes, let my skimmer run without the plug in the filter cup, and even started dosing NeoPhos and NeoNitro daily. Luckily this whole time I was on paternity and could put the time into it. Next I ordered a microscope to ID the Dinos and make sure I was fighting the right way and it turns out I have Chrysophytes. Based off the research I have done I no longer need to run a dirtier tank so I did a five gallon water change and my normal test today after an hour of rock scrubbing and I showed zero phosphates. I tested twice to be sure and I have been slacking on my phosphate dosing since returning to work but what could be going on here? I do not have any other nuisance algae that I have seen.
 

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With chrysophytes, I would keep nitrate above 0 and phosphates in an acceptable range.


As for phosphates, what test kit do you have? Literally anything alive will consume it, as well as calcium carbonate rock.
 

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Like dinos, chrysophytes love clean tanks. Keep the tank dirty and no water changes. Every living creature uses phosphorus to some degree. There are a million things consuming it in your tank

Chrysophytes scrub off easy enough but IME it leaves the door open for dinos to move in easily.
 
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Ober_Reef

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With chrysophytes, I would keep nitrate above 0 and phosphates in an acceptable range.


As for phosphates, what test kit do you have? Literally anything alive will consume it, as well as calcium carbonate rock.
Thanks for your response, yes after battling what I thought were Dinos for about a month I don’t ever plan to run that low nutrient again. I have Red Sea and Hanna but I really only use Hanna.
 

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Thanks for your response, yes after battling what I thought were Dinos for about a month I don’t ever plan to run that low nutrient again. I have Red Sea and Hanna but I really only use Hanna.


Which hanna model is it?
 
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Ober_Reef

Ober_Reef

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Which hanna model is it?
I have the Phosphate Ultra Low Range Model. Also I get and thought about what everyone is saying about everything utilizing phosphate but the reason I made the post is I literally have been feeding like crazy(corals and fish), haven’t run any major filtration for a month or more, and haven’t done a water change. It’s just surprising for me that it would be zero.
 

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