Phosphates

[cshack5405]

Ok I know what causes it but how can I lower my phosphate level? Just take some tank water out and add RO water?

 

[johniii]

Cshack5405;869396 wrote: Ok I know what causes it but how can I lower my phosphate level? Just take some tank water out and add RO water?

Run gfo in a reactor. Use less change more

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[nickg]

NO!!! Don't remove tank water and add RO water. You must make salt water to add for water changes. If you only add RO water you will lower salinity eventually making water freshwater...

 

[edulover]

Phosguard and dose No3PO4-x.

 

[jimmystephens]

Water changes! Gfo reactor. Also can be high because of over feesing or type of food you use

 

[cshack5405]

Ok so just more frequent water changes thanks!!

 

[jimmystephens]

Number 1 is water changes. At least 10% a week. But with high phos id do 25%

 

[cshack5405]

Yeah I did atleast 10%-20% Tuesday I think I'm going to do another saturday then next Friday also. Then I'm gonna get my water tested again. does that sound good??

 

[mcphock]

Vodka dosing. Cheap and effective!

 

[rodasphoto]

McPhock;869486 wrote: Vodka dosing. Cheap and effective!

After you are done dosing you forget about having a phosphate problem in your tank. Just don't dose to much at once or it could have bad side effects.


Seriously though start off dosing a little then ramp up slowly.

 

[cshack5405]

How o I do vodka dosing I have heard about it but am not quite sure how to do it

 

[jimmystephens]

I wouldnt vodka dose. U have a problem somewhere. With ur water. Either not using rodi or need to change filters and do water changes in tank. Ive had tanks for 10yrs and never vodka dosed. Not saying it doesnt work (it seems to) but wouldnt advise to do it in ur case

 

[mcphock]

Dosing vodka is no different that running GFO, or using Polyfilter, etc to extract phosphate from the water. Doing water changes is critical to your tank's health, but it is a cost and time inefficient way to remove phosphate. It's the same reason people dose calcium and other additives rather than rely strictly on water changes.

 

[picoreefguy]

McPhock;869587 wrote: Dosing vodka is no different that running GFO, or using Polyfilter, etc to extract phosphate from the water. Doing water changes is critical to your tank's health, but it is a cost and time inefficient way to remove phosphate. It's the same reason people dose calcium and other additives rather than rely strictly on water changes.

id only partially agree with that. while dosing vodka is similar to running gfo or polyfilter in that it removes nitrates and phosphates it differs in almost every other aspect. people who vodka dose usually do so because they either feed heavily or have a high bioload that gfo may not be able to keep up with not because there is anything wrong with running gfo (theres also nothing wrong with carbon dosing). but with vodka dosing you are giving the bacteria a source of carbon and forcing the proliferate which takes nutrients like no3 and po4 and in turn you would need to run a large skimmer to help remove the excess bacteria. and also it feeds unwanted bacterias such as red slime and you dont need any of that with gfo. and the reason most people dose calcium and alk is because their coral growth demand exceeds the nutrients that regular waterchanges can supply.

sorry to go off on a tangent but my point was that jimmy is right before you go off doing either you should find the source of the problem first and see if it is resolvable and if not then pursue other means of removing the phosphate

 

[ripped tide]

I am sold on GFO. Most effective and timely method I have found for either maintaining phosphate or rapid removal. I have one of the large sea systems reactors that I fill with a half gallon of gfo and let it roll.

 

[ralph atl]

Ripped Tide;869592 wrote: I am sold on GFO. Most effective and timely method I have found for either maintaining phosphate or rapid removal. I have one of the large sea systems reactors that I fill with a half gallon of gfo and let it roll.

:up:

Edit: Carbon dosing isn't for someone that has not researched such topic thoroughly, I agree. Even GFO (one of the most effective means of removing phosphates) takes some understanding to avoid any caveats....