Phosguard not lowering phosphates?

[ThorReefer]

So I noticed that one of my torches was browning out, and losing its vibrant color, so I tested my phosphates and they were up to 130 ppb. Well my nitrates and all other parameters were within normal limits, so I decided to add some phosguard to get those phosphates down. Well I bought a 3 pack of Phosguard packets, and have been testing with a PPB  Hanna phosphate checker. Well each of those Phosguard packets are supposed to treat 60 gallons (my total water volume is 20 gallons), and I have now used all 3 of them and left them in for quite some time (about a month) in a media tower with probably 100-150 gph going over it. And my phosphates have only dipped to 100 PPB. I also have Chaeto that I cut down about 75% probably once a week. I am just not sure how I can have such huge amounts of phosphates that won't go down when I have used 9 times the phosguard for my system, and have chaeto growing like mad, and only feed once every other day.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks for your help.

[sadie]

How old is the test kit, can those little packet things expire?

[BioCube Newb]

has the phosphates always been high?

[ThorReefer]

11 hours ago, sadie said:

How old is the test kit, can those little packet things expire?

Test kit is brand new. And I don’t think they can expire...no expiration date on them...

 

11 hours ago, BioCube Newb said:

has the phosphates always been high?

 

Honestly im not too sure. The answer is probably. I just started testing them and they were high. Tank has been running 2 years

[banasophia]

18 hours ago, ThorReefer said:

So I noticed that one of my torches was browning out, and losing its vibrant color, so I tested my phosphates and they were up to 130 ppb. Well my nitrates and all other parameters were within normal limits, so I decided to add some phosguard to get those phosphates down. Well I bought a 3 pack of Phosguard packets, and have been testing with a PPB  Hanna phosphate checker. Well each of those Phosguard packets are supposed to treat 60 gallons (my total water volume is 20 gallons), and I have now used all 3 of them and left them in for quite some time (about a month) in a media tower with probably 100-150 gph going over it. And my phosphates have only dipped to 100 PPB. I also have Chaeto that I cut down about 75% probably once a week. I am just not sure how I can have such huge amounts of phosphates that won't go down when I have used 9 times the phosguard for my system, and have chaeto growing like mad, and only feed once every other day.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Hi, You mention phosphates 130 ppb... is it actually phosphorus 130 ppb? Are you using the Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker? I believe there is a conversion you need to use when using the Hanna ULR Phosphorus checker to convert phosphorus ppb to phosphates ppm, so 100 ppb phosphorus = 0.307 ppm phosphate. Not too bad... 

 

Also, see below for the PhosGuard directions... not sure if you checked 4 days after adding, but seems to be important. I use a different method to keep my phosphates in check with the heavy feeding in my tank, but 0.307 isn’t terribly high, so I’m not sure how aggressive you need to get to reduce them... depends on your system/livestock. 

 

 

[FlytheWMark]

I actually have the opposite problem with Phosguard, it can strip too much phosphate out too quickly.  I typically run it for a few days and remove it as I don't want my phosphates to sit at 0 very long.

[mcarroll]

On 9/29/2019 at 2:16 PM, ThorReefer said:

So I noticed that one of my torches was browning out, and losing its vibrant color, so I tested my phosphates and they were up to 130 ppb.

I'm docking you five points for making me look up the conversion to ppm.  Don't let it happen again.  😉:

 

130 ppb = 0.399 ppm

 

That's not really all that high so that is should be a problem, and shouldn't cause browning or paling, which is sounds like your describing both.  Can you post a picture of the coral?  (Use a flash if you don't have a camera that can handle the blue.)

 

Check out these coral/tissue/dino photos of Euphillias grown under all the various permutations of high and low nitrates and phosphates (eg HN/HP = high nitrates/high phosphates):

 

High nutrients appears to be the healthiest state for the coral, inside and out.

(more reading: Phosphate deficiency promotes coral bleaching and is reflected by the ultrastructure of symbiotic dinoflagellates)

 

Can you please post the rest of the test results for your "Big 5" parameters?   (calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, nitrates, phosphates)

 

On 9/29/2019 at 2:16 PM, ThorReefer said:

I also have Chaeto that I cut down about 75% probably once a week.

Really need your nitrate reading.

 

And the expiration date on your phosphates test reagents.

 

If your reagents are good, then I suspect your chaeto is drinking all the tank's nitrates and causing phosphates the "back up" in the system.  Nothing can really use up the phosphates while there are no nitrates to go along with it.