Phosphate in a 30gal

Eric_n_Ga

Eric_n_Ga

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Any idea why I'm always fighting a high phosphate number . Not trying to hit a number really . Just not liking .2 all the time . Seems to be a bit high . Per Hannah checkers

Adjusted fuge light to 14hrs a day from 8hrs hoping that would help ...not much change . Harvesting chaeto every couple days . Like a baseball size chunk .

Only feeding a half cube of food a week in 2 drained servings .

5gal water change religiously every sun .

Starting to think it's just a matter of a small tank and fuge combo ? Any ideas
 
I know @anit77 really liked a Brightwell Product when he dealt with phosphates. I do know PO4 can be a real pain to deal with because it can work it's way into rocks and leach out when you do a water change. You can lower the level in the water column but it some right back to the level the rocks were at. You certainly are removing PO4 but just not fast enough. The Brightwell Product, Phosphat-E, works by binding and allowing the skimmer to remove it. If you don't have a skimmer, you might try running a small amount of GFO. Be careful here though because lowering PO4 too fast can screw things up too.
 
jcook54 said:
I know @anit77 really liked a Brightwell Product when he dealt with phosphates. I do know PO4 can be a real pain to deal with because it can work it's way into rocks and leach out when you do a water change. You can lower the level in the water column but it some right back to the level the rocks were at. You certainly are removing PO4 but just not fast enough. The Brightwell Product, Phosphat-E, works by binding and allowing the skimmer to remove it. If you don't have a skimmer, you might try running a small amount of GFO. Be careful here though because lowering PO4 too fast can screw things up too.
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Running a skimmer 24/7 . I use phosphate e when it gets this high. Drops down for a few days and back up .
 
How long has it been that high? Usually it takes a while for phosphates to really get soaked in to the rocks. If Phosphat-E does lower the levels, I'd be tempted to make it part of my regular routine until the levels stable out at a lower level. Or you could throw a bag of Seachem's Phosguard in one of the back compartments to see if that helps. I've used it in the past when phosphate levels have gotten too high but it's always been in conjunction with GFO so I can't speak to exactly how well it works. Given the choice between the two, GFO is the way to go but a media bag in a compartment is much easier to deal with than a separate reactor for GFO. I have put GFO is a media bag in the past but I don't think it works very well when used like that.
 
jcook54 said:
How long has it been that high? Usually it takes a while for phosphates to really get soaked in to the rocks. If Phosphat-E does lower the levels, I'd be tempted to make it part of my regular routine until the levels stable out at a lower level. Or you could throw a bag of Seachem's Phosguard in one of the back compartments to see if that helps. I've used it in the past when phosphate levels have gotten too high but it's always been in conjunction with GFO so I can't speak to exactly how well it works. Given the choice between the two, GFO is the way to go but a media bag in a compartment is much easier to deal with than a separate reactor for GFO. I have put GFO is a media bag in the past but I don't think it works very well when used like that.
Click to expand...
Have chemi pure elite in the media tower now . Pretty much keep a bag in there all the time now .
 
Here's another question.

Refugium , chaeto, phosphate .

Macro grows and uptakes the nutrients , I remove the macro ..I know it's not going to be instant but shouldn't it lower the phosphate level . ...or is it holding phosphate while still in the fuge is that phosphate that's been uptaken still being measured ? I mean we are talking 200 ppb so ?

It's a small fuge . I guess I could try removing more ? Not sure what would have a better effect . Having more growing or removing more at a time ?
 
What's in the macro is not being measured. I think more growing would remove more phosphate but there's probably a sweet spot, if it gets too packed it won't grow as much and some could get released if there is any die-off.
 
Refugium, macro, PhosphatE, chemipure - all of these things help with nutrient export but you're still adding Phosphate somehow and usually it's the food but you're not feeding that much. My next guess would be phosphates leaching from the rock. Finally, is there any chance you're adding it in the water without knowing it? What are you using as far as water goes? Have you tested a batch of freshly mixed saltwater? I'd also be tempted to run another test or two with something like a Salifert kit. Salifert isn't great when the PO4 is really low but at 200 ppb, it should be a nice pretty blue.
 
I would keep using the phosphatE into the skimmer or into a filter sock. The fuge will strip all the NO3 and there'll PO4 left. Then cyano will start.
 
jcook54 said:
Refugium, macro, PhosphatE, chemipure - all of these things help with nutrient export but you're still adding Phosphate somehow and usually it's the food but you're not feeding that much. My next guess would be phosphates leaching from the rock. Finally, is there any chance you're adding it in the water without knowing it? What are you using as far as water goes? Have you tested a batch of freshly mixed saltwater? I'd also be tempted to run another test or two with something like a Salifert kit. Salifert isn't great when the PO4 is really low but at 200 ppb, it should be a nice pretty blue.
Click to expand...
Oh it's blue alright :clapa:
 
Eric_n_Ga said:
So ....can I treat the jug before it goes in the tank ? I was about to do a huge water change
Click to expand...
You'd have to pour the water through a filter sock so you don't dust the tank over.

You need to get an RODI or find a new place to get water. I have a small RODI I'll sell ya cheap but it needs all new filters.
 
I have 2 rodi units ..lol neither hooked up . I just "ass umed" store water would be held to higher standards. Guess I'll be hooking a rodi unit
 
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