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Posted by on July 11, 2005, 6:17 pm
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I have a 150 gallon 5 year old reef tank. Every once in a while when I
get motivated, I check the Nitrate, and phosphate level in the tank.
The nitrates have been undetectable recently, but the phosphates have
seemingly been stuck a .15 level for well over a year. I have tried a
Phosphate sponge when I have had a problem with excessive algae growth
which seemed to help with excess algae, although the measured phosphate
level really did not budge.
Recently, after renewing my clean-up crew, I have not had any problems
with algae outbreaks. Mainly in an effort to improve my SPS growth and
coloration I have attempted again to get my phosphates lower. I have
used a phosphate sponge followed by installation of a fluidized filter
using phosban for the past several days. Still it appears that my
phosphates are holding steady at .15. I am using a Salifert test kit,
and I did try the test on fresh RO water just to make sure that was
zero and it was. How long should it take for phosban to work? I know
that the Phosban fluidized filter says it can be used for up to a 150
gallon tank. Is it possible that I need to hook up two filters to help
bring my phosphates down?
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Posted by BigHaig on July 12, 2005, 3:41 pm
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>I have a 150 gallon 5 year old reef tank. Every once in a while when I
> get motivated, I check the Nitrate, and phosphate level in the tank.
> The nitrates have been undetectable recently, but the phosphates have
> seemingly been stuck a .15 level for well over a year. I have tried a
> Phosphate sponge when I have had a problem with excessive algae growth
> which seemed to help with excess algae, although the measured phosphate
> level really did not budge.
>
> Recently, after renewing my clean-up crew, I have not had any problems
> with algae outbreaks. Mainly in an effort to improve my SPS growth and
> coloration I have attempted again to get my phosphates lower. I have
> used a phosphate sponge followed by installation of a fluidized filter
> using phosban for the past several days. Still it appears that my
> phosphates are holding steady at .15. I am using a Salifert test kit,
> and I did try the test on fresh RO water just to make sure that was
> zero and it was. How long should it take for phosban to work? I know
> that the Phosban fluidized filter says it can be used for up to a 150
> gallon tank. Is it possible that I need to hook up two filters to help
> bring my phosphates down?
>
Are you sure the test kit is good? Try a different one???
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Posted by Marc Levenson on July 13, 2005, 1:57 am
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I've been battling PO4 and .15 is nothing. I've had my tank as high as
3.0, and in an effort to get the numbers back down I've tried virtually
everything on the market.
Phosban (5 containers worth)
ROWAphos (1.5 containers worth)
Tunze's Silphos (2 containers worth)
PuraPad filter pads (4)
Water changes (50 to 80g at a time)
Larger refugium with more macro algae (20g to a 29g packed with macros)
Larger skimmer (Lifereef to a Euroreef 12-2)
Larger sump (80g to a 150g)
They went up and down. 10 days ago, I had them down to 0. A week
later, it was around 1.0.
I'm using something by CaribSea called Phosbuster Pro. It is a liquid
additive that bonds PO4 and turns it into a flocculant. This dust can
be exported by your skimmer, and probably collected via a filter sock in
your sump. In an effort to get these numbers down after so many months
of fighting it, I've lost SPS corals left and right. Honestly, I
wouldn't have done it any differently because I think those corals have
had enough. What lives lives, and what doesn't will be replaced with
fresh corals that haven't suffered the water issues my tank has endured.
I'm going to try using Phosbuster Pro to keep the numbers minimal, but
dose it around 50% of what is recommended to avoid affecting the
livestock. My hope is that will work. I only started this recently, so
I can't report all that much at the moment.
Marc
taegu2@aol.com wrote:
> I have a 150 gallon 5 year old reef tank. Every once in a while when I
> get motivated, I check the Nitrate, and phosphate level in the tank.
> The nitrates have been undetectable recently, but the phosphates have
> seemingly been stuck a .15 level for well over a year. I have tried a
> Phosphate sponge when I have had a problem with excessive algae growth
> which seemed to help with excess algae, although the measured phosphate
> level really did not budge.
>
> Recently, after renewing my clean-up crew, I have not had any problems
> with algae outbreaks. Mainly in an effort to improve my SPS growth and
> coloration I have attempted again to get my phosphates lower. I have
> used a phosphate sponge followed by installation of a fluidized filter
> using phosban for the past several days. Still it appears that my
> phosphates are holding steady at .15. I am using a Salifert test kit,
> and I did try the test on fresh RO water just to make sure that was
> zero and it was. How long should it take for phosban to work? I know
> that the Phosban fluidized filter says it can be used for up to a 150
> gallon tank. Is it possible that I need to hook up two filters to help
> bring my phosphates down?
>
--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com
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Posted by Mislav on July 13, 2005, 4:09 am
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>>What lives lives, and what doesn't will be replaced with fresh corals that
>>haven't suffered the water issues my tank has endured.
This is totaly irresponsible. You could also say when I get bored with my
dog I'll just let it die and get me a new one.
Theese corals are living creatures and we should try to do best for them so
they live and thrive.
With this liquid phosphate removers you are dosing iron to the water. No one
really knows what happens with it and how it affects corals and fish.
Taegu, safest way to lower phosphates (together with nitrates) assuming that
you have good skimmer is adding vodka. Try gradualy adding vodka to your
tank after the lights turn on. First add 1 ml, then 2 ml... but 10 ml should
be the maximum of vodka for your tank. You'll notice slight turbidity of
aquarium water. This is sign that bacteria have multiplied. This
bacterioplankton is then skimmed out of the aquarium. Theese strains of
bacteria use carbon from vodka, nitrate and phosphate for their growth and
reproduction.
On my 180 g I dose daily 7ml of vodka and have no problems with phosphate or
nitrate.
Mislav
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Posted by CheezWiz on July 13, 2005, 8:37 am
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>With this liquid phosphate removers you are dosing iron to the water. No
>one really knows what happens with it and how it affects corals and fish.
Obviously the companies know and have tested the products before putting
them to market.
How do YOU know that these products are harmful?
You do not. So you cannot pass judgment on someone as being irresponsible
for trying everything they can to reduce the phosphates. You seem to have
contributed very little to this group recently. Have you been reading the
fanatical anti this and anti that posts on some of the "Expert" message
boards to cause you to regurgitate a statement like that?
A Quote from you after inaccurately making a statement about charged
particles:
"I'm not so good in chemistry"
Yet you are good enough to judge the use of phosphate removers as bad?
His statement may sound harsh, but what else can he do? A massive water
change is just as harmful to corals. It shocks the hell out of them. Can you
magically heal them? Got some magic Jesus powers to share? Anyone who takes
the time to READ and PARTICIPATE in this newsgroup knows that Marc is very
passionate about his tanks and animals and would understand that such a
statement is simply one of frustration and disappointment.
So I suggest you take your judgmental ass back to wherever you have been and
come back when you have a degree in chemistry and can explain why phosphate
removers are bad, or back up your statement with more than anecdotal
evidence.
Making a statement such as yours is JUST as IRRESPONSIBLE as any other I
have seen.
CW
>>>What lives lives, and what doesn't will be replaced with fresh corals
>>>that haven't suffered the water issues my tank has endured.
>
> This is totaly irresponsible. You could also say when I get bored with my
> dog I'll just let it die and get me a new one.
> Theese corals are living creatures and we should try to do best for them
> so they live and thrive.
>
> With this liquid phosphate removers you are dosing iron to the water. No
> one really knows what happens with it and how it affects corals and fish.
>
> Taegu, safest way to lower phosphates (together with nitrates) assuming
> that you have good skimmer is adding vodka. Try gradualy adding vodka to
> your tank after the lights turn on. First add 1 ml, then 2 ml... but 10 ml
> should be the maximum of vodka for your tank. You'll notice slight
> turbidity of aquarium water. This is sign that bacteria have multiplied.
> This bacterioplankton is then skimmed out of the aquarium. Theese strains
> of bacteria use carbon from vodka, nitrate and phosphate for their growth
> and reproduction.
>
> On my 180 g I dose daily 7ml of vodka and have no problems with phosphate
> or nitrate.
>
> Mislav
>
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> get motivated, I check the Nitrate, and phosphate level in the tank.
> The nitrates have been undetectable recently, but the phosphates have
> seemingly been stuck a .15 level for well over a year. I have tried a
> Phosphate sponge when I have had a problem with excessive algae growth
> which seemed to help with excess algae, although the measured phosphate
> level really did not budge.
>
> Recently, after renewing my clean-up crew, I have not had any problems
> with algae outbreaks. Mainly in an effort to improve my SPS growth and
> coloration I have attempted again to get my phosphates lower. I have
> used a phosphate sponge followed by installation of a fluidized filter
> using phosban for the past several days. Still it appears that my
> phosphates are holding steady at .15. I am using a Salifert test kit,
> and I did try the test on fresh RO water just to make sure that was
> zero and it was. How long should it take for phosban to work? I know
> that the Phosban fluidized filter says it can be used for up to a 150
> gallon tank. Is it possible that I need to hook up two filters to help
> bring my phosphates down?
>