Phosphates are 1.67 - advice needed

[1112-425XL]

I agree with Rowaphos. Also, I have had good luck with Elimi-NP & weekly water changes.

 

[bj274]

I would recommend y’all to check on the adverse affects of using GFO. I just stopped using it as it strips trace elements as well. Better off controlling them in a different way and being a little high

 

[Shawn H!]

Rowa phos also works fantastically. In my experience it also has a higher capacity than regular gfo. It isn’t cheap though, but it really does a good job.

I second that! Rowa worked for well me!

 

[schooncw]

Gfo was my control method for a while before I researched lanthium chloride
You need to do a lot of reading before taking this route as it’s powerful stuff and will surely be a cheaper option at those levels
Here’s what I did after a lot of reading and worked for me

I bought agent green LC and diluted it 50% for greater control , hooked it up to a doser and dripped 1ml per hour for x amount of hours needed to find a steady amount of reduction .

I plumbed the airline from the doser into the skimmers body with a hard pipe on the airline to keep it down in the body , I use filter wool in the baffle tightly packed to catch any crystals that the skimmer didn’t catch ( never saw any in the wool) , some use 5 micron socks but they’ll clog quickly and I don’t feel it’s necessary because it won’t get passed your skimmer
I have a caluerpa forest in the next chamber for added protection of any escape and by the time water reaches your return it should be free of any deposits
You will read reports that it’ll kill your tangs but imo it may if the lc gets in your display so use whatever you can to reduce that risk
Go slow until you start to see a reduction of say .05-.1 per day and in a few weeks you’ll find the maintenance dose needed

I will never introduce LAN into any system of mine again. I researched it exhaustively, used 5 micron socks but still probably added too much too fast. The 120 LPS dominant system I experimented with, is 30 or so years old and very heavily rocked, which had/has bound PO.
Thing is, my corals are thriving when PO is a constant 1.0 and I have no nuisance algae. My problem was that I have been in the hobby for all of my 64 years, in the aquatic industry for many years and coral is just not supposed to thrive when PO is a constant 1.0 and NO3 at 45-75. At least, that was always the prevailing paradigm. I did not realize just how many successful high nutrient systems-and coral farms-that are out there.
What was weird, is that the euphyllia was fine but all of my leathers struggled and never really came back.

 

[schooncw]

I like this better than gfo. I really struggled with gfo in a phosban 150 reactor. I used brs high capacity. It always clumped up. Day 1 I’d have the little surface ripples and by day 2 or 3 it was clumping

This stuff doesn’t clump and I find it’s easier to use. Rowa is probably more effective and faster. I’ve never used it.

Just throwing out an alternative that worked for me and was easy

Some frown on aluminum based product like Phosguard.

 

[Charles Zinn]

Hi all,

Current numbers:

Sal - 1.028
ph-8.11
temp - 78.3
alk - 9.95
ca - 373
N - 4.6
P - 1.67

All testing was done with Hanna and run 3 times each, these are the averages.

working to get the salinity down tonight.

My tank is 145 gals TSV and is 4 years old. Tank is currently LPS dominant and has always done great with LPS. My goal is to have an SPS dominant tank and SPS have always struggled in my system. For 3.5 years my nitrates and phosphates were stuck at 0. I have started feeding more heavily over last 6 months and things got dirty, now my nitrates seem to be in a better place but phosphates are way too high.


What is the best course of action to lower phosphates from this level to .02 -.1 range? Is it GFO? (I have a reactor and can set that up easily) or is it some other treatment?

The fish are all tangs and a Goby so just want to know what the safest and most productive course of action would be here.

Thanks for any help

Stop feeding so much, possible water change, put some sps chunks in tank do you have any mp 40s? opposite ends put on nutrient export

 

[Charles Zinn]

Stop feeding so much, possible water change, put some sps chunks in tank do you have any mp 40s? opposite ends put on nutrient export

Skim wet til sal drops to 1.-24 to 1.026 charcoal in bag or reacttor

 

[Charles Zinn]

Are you feeding a lot of nori?

 

[VintageReefer]

Some frown on aluminum based product like Phosguard.

You want water to flow through it. You don’t want it tumbling like gfo

Many frown on gfo because it absorbs too many things, or because it can clump resulting in wasted product

Many frown on Lanthanum due to risk of killing tangs

Many frown on plain carbon claiming it can contribute to hlle

Everything has a possible risk. Some more than others. I don’t feel Phosguard (or gfo) used properly and in proper amounts is unsafe at all.

 

[blstravler]

Highly recommend using Phosphate RX. Easier and much cheaper than using Rowa Phos. I switched about a year ago and have had no issues whatsoever. I’ve also figure out the exact does for my tank to remove X amount of phosphate. Just need to be careful with yellow tangs.

 

[schooncw]

You want water to flow through it. You don’t want it tumbling like gfo

Many frown on gfo because it absorbs too many things, or because it can clump resulting in wasted product

Many frown on Lanthanum due to risk of killing tangs

Many frown on plain carbon claiming it can contribute to hlle

Everything has a possible risk. Some more than others. I don’t feel Phosguard (or gfo) used properly and in proper amounts is unsafe at all.

Nor do I and I use carbon, GFO and Phosguard 24/7.

 

[scotty333]

Highly recommend using Phosphate RX. Easier and much cheaper than using Rowa Phos. I switched about a year ago and have had no issues whatsoever. I’ve also figure out the exact does for my tank to remove X amount of phosphate. Just need to be careful with yellow tangs.

It’s a liquid binder? What’s the chemical?

 

[VintageReefer]

It’s a liquid binder? What’s the chemical?

Lanthanum chloride

 

[jkobel]

Stop feeding so much, possible water change, put some sps chunks in tank do you have any mp 40s? opposite ends put on nutrient export

The advice of stop feeding as much comes up and is interesting and I get it. I think my question is what is "too much"?

For 3.5 years my nitrates and phosphates were 0 and the advice was "feed more". I have 4 tangs, a couple of clowns, a goby, a couple azures. I always fed 4-5 frozen cubes a day and its always been gone within 5 mins.

About 6 months ago i upped that to 6 cubes a day but all food was still gone in 6-7 mins but phosphate is too high. What are you all feeding and how much/often? do you have a formula you use to as a guideline?

 

[jkobel]

Are you feeding a lot of nori?

1 4x4 square approx every day, they devour it. Is that significant?

 

[VintageReefer]

I’m new to tangs but was told they should have nori almost constantly available during day hours for grazing

Wonder if this is true

 

[jkobel]

I’m new to tangs but was told they should have nori almost constantly available during day hours for grazing

Wonder if this is true

when there is no nori present they are constantly nibbling on rocks and glass, anywhere there is algae

 

[lwien01]

In general yes. But the risk is bottoming out. I have been experimenting with the effectiveness of Phosguard on my system for a month, and know what 10 scoops does. I did 14 tsp knowing it would have a stronger effect without bottoming out to zero

first, find the source of your phosphate issue. The underlying problem will start by looking at your r/o deionization water filter. get anion,
cation, micron sediment filter, and a carbon filter that removes chloramine and heavy metals. Also, get a separate canister that removes silicates from the water.
To find it, go to www.spectrapure.com and tell them your phosphates are running extremely high. acceptable phosphates in a reef tank should be running @ .01-.03.
There is no quick fix to this as oligotrophic water introduced into your tank through water changes will bring those phosphate levels down.
consider adding chemipure elite bags into your sump as well

good luck

Hi all,

Current numbers:

Sal - 1.028
ph-8.11
temp - 78.3
alk - 9.95
ca - 373
N - 4.6
P - 1.67

All testing was done with Hanna and run 3 times each, these are the averages.

working to get the salinity down tonight.

My tank is 145 gals TSV and is 4 years old. Tank is currently LPS dominant and has always done great with LPS. My goal is to have an SPS dominant tank and SPS have always struggled in my system. For 3.5 years my nitrates and phosphates were stuck at 0. I have started feeding more heavily over last 6 months and things got dirty, now my nitrates seem to be in a better place but phosphates are way too high.


What is the best course of action to lower phosphates from this level to .02 -.1 range? Is it GFO? (I have a reactor and can set that up easily) or is it some other treatment?

The fish are all tangs and a Goby so just want to know what the safest and most productive course of action would be here.

Thanks for any help