Something strange is going on....

[Paulie 069]

which phosphate checker are you using? you mentioned hanna but they have 2 that are mostly used by hobbyist

Phosphorus ULR or Phosphate?

if its Phosphorus ULR, thats in ppb so need to convert to ppm which converts to .24ppm (still high but notas bad as .77)

If its the regular Phosphate checker, then .77 is definitely high. I would put your rowaphos back in and carbon and do a 20% water change weekly till you get it down. I would also test your source water for an phosphate. i would stop using Reefroids for a while too until you get the po4 under control.

your nitrates are fine, however, you may need to dose nitrates when you are trying to lower your po4, since lowering po4 will also lower your nitrates. if the balance is out of wack and your nitrates zero out, your po4 will not decrease. you need to keep an constant source of nitrates while you lower your po4.

When I used to test my phosphate was always between .46-.54 and I never did much about it maybe once I got pho’s guard and put in sump

 

[Jon]

I received my new di resin canister in the mail on Friday. I hooked it up to my unit yesterday and made 20 gallons of water. After letting the water mix overnight I tested the salt mix and it read .07. This is a huge improvement!!!! The most that I have seen since I had this huge phosphate spike. I know it’s not perfect but I will take these results. Hopefully my chaeto can eat up the remaining .07 phosphates.

 

[Jon]

I know this thread has gotten a little long. But the last time I tested a salt mix batch it read .29. So going from .29 to .07 is a big jump. Not perfect but much improvement. What boggles my mind is that my tds meter has read 0 this whole time. I have the nice HM meter that everyone talks about and I checked it yesterday. It does work as it should.

 

[Jon]

It’s been about 3 1/2 weeks since I last posted about my progress with my phosphates. I have finally got them down to .13 which is much better. About five weeks ago they were reading .77. Since my problem was diagnosed I have been doing 20 gallon weekly water changes and every week my phosphates drops about out three to four point with every water change. My tank is looking exceptionally clean and healthy and I feel confident that we are almost there. There is very little to almost zero algae on my live rock and sand bed as well. The chaeto in my sump is growing very fast these days which is telling me something. So I’m wondering if I can dial my water changes back to ten gallons a week? What do you guys think?

 

[Foxchase]

It’s been about 3 1/2 weeks since I last posted about my progress with my phosphates. I have finally got them down to .13 which is much better. About five weeks ago they were reading .77. Since my problem was diagnosed I have been doing 20 gallon weekly water changes and every week my phosphates drops about out three to four point with every water change. My tank is looking exceptionally clean and healthy and I feel confident that we are almost there. There is very little to almost zero algae on my live rock and sand bed as well. The chaeto in my sump is growing very fast these days which is telling me something. So I’m wondering if I can dial my water changes back to ten gallons a week? What do you guys think?

I would personally slow down. The last thing you need now is to zero out and end up getting dinos or cyano

 

[Jon]

I would personally slow down. The last thing you need now is to zero out and end up getting dinos or cyano

Fox, That was exactly my thoughts...
thanks

 

[Jon]

So the mystery continues... I slowed down my water changes two weeks ago from 20 gallons a week to ten gallons a week. (My whole tank is about 80 gallons of water and that just seems like a lot of water to change every week.). Two weeks ago my phosphates were .13 before I did the first water change. One week later they were .16 and I did another water change today and they are now .20.

On a positive note my tank looks extremely healthy. The live rock is very clean and bright. The back glass is very clean and my corals and fish are seem happy. The chaeto in my sump continues to grow as well.

Should I just continue doing what I’m doing and forget about the test kits??? Or should I take them a little more seriously and do 25% water changes on my tank every week.

Thanks

 

[MadReefer]

I was always told to not chase numbers. My phosphate sits around 0.25 and I don't worry about it.

 

[DangerDave]

I was always told to not chase numbers. My phosphate sits around 0.25 and I don't worry about it.

So the mystery continues... I slowed down my water changes two weeks ago from 20 gallons a week to ten gallons a week. (My whole tank is about 80 gallons of water and that just seems like a lot of water to change every week.). Two weeks ago my phosphates were .13 before I did the first water change. One week later they were .16 and I did another water change today and they are now .20.

On a positive note my tank looks extremely healthy. The live rock is very clean and bright. The back glass is very clean and my corals and fish are seem happy. The chaeto in my sump continues to grow as well.

Should I just continue doing what I’m doing and forget about the test kits??? Or should I take them a little more seriously and do 25% water changes on my tank every week.

Thanks

I agree. I’d sit back and watch. Keep testing and see what happens as parameters change. You’ll find what works for your reef. tackle specific problems, don’t make changes just to change.

 

[Jon]

Thanks for the advice guys. It’s nice to see that I was thinking the same way you were.
Jon

 

[Paul B]

I can't give any advice here because I am totally against using carbon or Rowaphos.
I also don't like changing to much water or chasing numbers so any advice I give would cause the people here to come by my house and throw dead sea cucumbers on my door step, set it on fire and run away.

Why are you feeding Reefroids?

 

[Jon]

Pauline, I don’t use reef roids anymore. In fact my new approach is weekly water changes and that’s it’s.

 

[amado]

Reefroids is not the problem. The problem is with how people use it.
I have seen people feed their nano tank with the same scoop that comes in the container. That’s the same scoop I use to feed about 300 gallons.

Some corals need food. You need to figure out if you have corals that benefit from direct feeding.

Some zoas/lps need to be feed. Light alone will not keep them happy.
If you have Goniopora they need to be feed or they will die.

Icp test are your friend. Everyone
Would benefit from knowing their numbers. You can get icp test cheap now.you should do it even if your tank is perfect. The same way you go to the doctors to get a check up. even if you are not sick. Getting a ICP test can really give you a big picture of what’s going on in your tank.

 

[Paul B]

I didn't mean Reefroids are bad, I just don't know what they are.