Briefly I have a 120 GAL mixed reef that is not particularly heavily loaded. it's a crashed tank i am resurrecting. I have have had 0 NO3 and PO4 and have been dosing Brightwells products. I have the Nitrates up to 5, but the Po4 is still zero. using Hanna testing for both. I poured some PO4 additive into the test tube and it did change color so I think it is working properly. On the Brightwell stuff it says if the PO4 doesn't come up you are carbon limited. I thought carbon dosing was done to bring PO4 and N03 DOWN.
I have dosed a lot of the brightwell product and I have a lot more algae (even lots of bubbles coming off of it), and better color in my Miyagi Tort, but everything else looks the same or worse. Something is amiss.
PH is between 8.1 and 8.2, Salinity 35ppm, Alk (Hanna tester) 9.1-9.3, Ca 460. Oddly my Mg just tested way high, like 1500 after being low and my dosing.
Thoughts? Explanation as too why carbon dosing would help an inability to bring up P04 levels? I thought carbon dosing increased bacteria and brought it down (incidentally my water is for sure not as crystal clear as it once was).
I have dosed a lot of the brightwell product and I have a lot more algae (even lots of bubbles coming off of it), and better color in my Miyagi Tort, but everything else looks the same or worse. Something is amiss.
PH is between 8.1 and 8.2, Salinity 35ppm, Alk (Hanna tester) 9.1-9.3, Ca 460. Oddly my Mg just tested way high, like 1500 after being low and my dosing.
Thoughts? Explanation as too why carbon dosing would help an inability to bring up P04 levels? I thought carbon dosing increased bacteria and brought it down (incidentally my water is for sure not as crystal clear as it once was).