Tank was running at 0.35ppm phosphates and 0 nitrates, due to a refugium that I've had since it cycled. I just got my Hanna checker for phosphates recently so I had never measured it before. I did a 15 gal water change today to bring it down, but it's still at 0.28ppm.
I read that chaeto is supposed to be able to control both nitrates and phosphates. Is it starving from no nitrates, and is that why it's not removing the phosphates?
Another possibility is that I'm overfeeding, because I feed twice a day.
Unless it's something completely different that I'm not aware of...
Refugium:
5 gal refugium with chaeto, 6 hours of purple grow light each night (changed to just 3 hours yesterday), aragonite bed
5 lbs. of rock
DT details:
20 gal with 2 juvenile clowns and 2 fire shrimp, aragonite bed, 12 hours lighting with sunrise and sunset
Protein skimmer, Aquamaxx Bullet-1
10lbs. of rock
No unusual algal growth in DT
All other measured params seems OK:
Temp: 79.2 deg F
Salinity, SG: 1.024 (raised to 1.025 in water change)
Ammonia: 0.01ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
dKH: 11.2
Ca2+: 400ppm
Normal behavior in tank inhabitants.
Occasionally dose calcium for coralline algae (don’t have it yet but want to stay in a good range).
I read that chaeto is supposed to be able to control both nitrates and phosphates. Is it starving from no nitrates, and is that why it's not removing the phosphates?
Another possibility is that I'm overfeeding, because I feed twice a day.
Unless it's something completely different that I'm not aware of...
Refugium:
5 gal refugium with chaeto, 6 hours of purple grow light each night (changed to just 3 hours yesterday), aragonite bed
5 lbs. of rock
DT details:
20 gal with 2 juvenile clowns and 2 fire shrimp, aragonite bed, 12 hours lighting with sunrise and sunset
Protein skimmer, Aquamaxx Bullet-1
10lbs. of rock
No unusual algal growth in DT
All other measured params seems OK:
Temp: 79.2 deg F
Salinity, SG: 1.024 (raised to 1.025 in water change)
Ammonia: 0.01ppm
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
dKH: 11.2
Ca2+: 400ppm
Normal behavior in tank inhabitants.
Occasionally dose calcium for coralline algae (don’t have it yet but want to stay in a good range).