Phosphourus question

[TheLadyDragon]

i know with phosphourus in the tank will cause algae blooms, so i guess my question is what is the best way to get rid of the phosphourus? should i just switch to RO fully? if i do that i need a buffer so what would be the best kind?

 

thanx for putting up with my noob question

 

ashley

[dickwayne]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.p...threadid=184554

 

This thread is long, but it has just about every angle you could think of covered. It's well worth taking the time to read.

[TheLadyDragon]

uuugg

its not leting me access to it, even when i joined it

is there another way you can get it to me?

 

thanx

 

ashley

[dickwayne]

Go to Reef Central, and do a user name search for boobookitty. Then look for a thread that is entitled Nitrates and phosphate and pH, oh my... (It's not my thread!)

I read through this four page thread and it was really useful.

 

Rich

[chufa]

A lot of phosphorus problems are misinterpreted, and people want to artificially fix it when people are the source of the problem (myself included).

 

I tested my water. It was high in phosphorus. I had algae, of course. Then I blamed it on my distilled water source. But I tested it, and it was zero, so it was not the water. I tested it on my lab, BTW, which does professional phosphate testing which is more accurate and sensitive than commercial kits.

 

The source of the phosphate then? Food. I cut back on the feeding, and the phosphates are lower. So overfeeding is probably the main cause of excess phosphate, IME.

[onthefly]

I second Chufa's response! Food was my biggest source as well. Since I use medical DI water (Nothing but H2O) food was the only way I could be getting it. Once I cut back the feedings, PO4 dropped considerably and my algae problem went away.

 

As for lowering your PO4 levels (BTW phosPHATE, not phosPHORUS is the problem), get some phospahte sponge by Kent or Seachem. It will reduce your levels really quick. Make sure you change it frequently, otherwise the sponge will get saturated and begin to leach PO4 back into the system.

[Masoch]

Just to play devil's advocate ...

 

Don't cut back on food. Your critters need it to survive. Change what you feed, perhaps. The more highly processed the food, the more phosphates it will have -- it's used as a stabilizer in prepared food. Lightly processed = going to your grocery store, buying some fresh shrimp, squid, and scallops. Coarsely chop by hand, then pop in blender with some nori and / or marine vitamins. Freeze in thin sheets, pop into freezer bag. Thaw some out when you feed.

 

Better for your fish than flake, and can also be fed to corals.

 

Also ... get a cheap HOB refugium with a light (DIY or used for even cheaper). Get a cheap light and grow caulerpa in it. Dose a small amount of iron daily and hair algae and cyano will be outcompeted shortly.

 

And, finally, drip kalkwasser into your tank. It supposedly precipates phosphates (and heavy metals, for that matter). From personal experience, kalk + refugium = melting hair algae. My skimmer's sludge is hair algae green, and my critters are happy and well fed.

[chufa]

If overfeeding is the problem, then you have to cut back on food. you have to strike a balance between feeding enough and not overfeeding (which WILL lead to problems, regardless).

 

Caulerpa in a refugium opens up a whole new can of worms also.

[fishbabies]

phosphate removers work well too

 

they come in powders encased in coffee filter type material, granules, or pads/floss.

 

phosphate is not removed instantly like carbon can remove traces of stuff....so you need to leave your media in longer.

 

pads are easiest to use if you have a hob filter...just cut it to match the size of the filter floss used for your media inserts.....try and prevent as much water bypass as possible

 

salt mixes and carbons are known to contain phosphates as well