Hanna Phosphates Checker crazy high

[bertoni]

0.11 ppm is very high for fresh saltwater. I hope that's inaccurate.

 

[dailykos]

A few photos:

A few photos:

A full tank shot, note the southern-facing window in the back and the significant direct sunlight on the tank. This was taken at 1:45 p.m. It gets this much light pretty much all day. And we get tons of sunlight here in Berkeley, CA.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819122581/" title="DSC_7545 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6819122581_90da2a6f37.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7545"></a>

This is the back glass, which abuts the bright window and is difficult enough to access that it doesn't get cleaned very often. This is about a week's worth of algae growth. Doesn't seem so crazy to me:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819123095/" title="DSC_7547 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7145/6819123095_d23727f5f0.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7547"></a>

A few close ups:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819121985/" title="DSC_7544 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7035/6819121985_dcfdebeb8d.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7544"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819116631/" title="DSC_7531 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7016/6819116631_f1f860abdc.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7531"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819117351/" title="DSC_7532 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7175/6819117351_390e8fc3b1.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7532"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819118435/" title="DSC_7534 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7027/6819118435_7bbeeb9db2.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7534"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/moulitsas/6819190555/" title="DSC_7519 by MCAMZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6819190555_143da4e1a0.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="DSC_7519"></a>

Granted, this is my first saltwater tank since college (early 90s), so perhaps I'm missing some warning signs or problems. But it just doesn't look like a tank in distress to me, and everything I've read suggests that phosphates of 2.5 ppm would equal a disastrous looking tank.

 

[dailykos]

Did a water change, retested, and now Hanna says 0.84 ppm. Looks nicer than 2.5, but I doubt phosphates came down that significantly because of a 5-gallon water change in a 55-gallon tank (minus whatever live rock is in there).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

You are correct it would not. I'm not sure what is happening. How high does the meter claim to accurately read?

 

[dailykos]

How high does the meter claim to accurately read?

2.5 ppm, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[bertoni]

Yes, the Phosphate Checker goes to 2.5 ppm.

 

[ZOKU]

Something doesn't add up.... it's gotta be the Hanna or at the very least, the reagent being used for the testing...?

 

[bertoni]

That would be my guess, too.

 

[kriv4o]

I must have a bad batch of regent- you could be right on this one. I read somewhere that regent from batch ending on 06 was giving false results.......... What's the batch number you have?

 

[dailykos]

I must have a bad batch of regent- you could be right on this one. I read somewhere that regent from batch ending on 06 was giving false results.......... What's the batch number you have?

The batch number ends in 05, so it's not the supposedly problematic one. But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[CliftonArbogast]

I just ordered, hope all that bad reagent is off the shelf!

 

[dailykos]

pweissma mailed me some of his regent. I gave it a shot, and the water came back .67 ppm. Now obviously that's still crazy high, but not in the 2.x high.

So it looks like I just have a bad batch of regent.

It also looks like I have the most algae-free, direct sunglight-lit tank with crazy high phosphates around.

 

[karsseboom]

Get that down man.