p04 media

[bryanth73]

looks like Thiel has a web site http://www.athiel.com/ only has a couple of threads in it. Looks like it was dropped for some reason (uncompleted)

 

[BreadmanMike]

Isn't some PO4 required in the denitrification process as well?

 

[menard]

OK, todays Po4 reading..... .02 ! LaMotte test kit. I like this redings , some macro algae pops here and there gone the next my tangs and surgions devour on them. Good for the fish and slight Po4 for the corals. I'm not talking .1 this is too high macro and micro would grow like there's no tomorow and choke every coral you have. Just keep the balance just like in nature ........PS: DO NOT BUY CHEAP PO4 TEST KIT!!!make sure it can be able to detect the lowest range.................PEACE

 

[bryanth73]

menard my understanding of po4 testing is that our (even best kit) has a problem detecting bound phosphates, so if there is a reading of say .02 there could possibly be many times that bound in rock and substrate

 

[bryanth73]

the reason I am drilling this issue is the tank has all the best equiptment I can get good levels all around but corals have lost color and macro growing like crazy. I have a verry light bio load 5 chromis 2 percs and a med chevron tang in a 180 ( it was just the tang and clowns until a couple weeks ago). the tank gets fed 2-3 times a week a small pinch of formula 1 and 1x week 2 tsp of dts plankton

 

[menard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7452964#post7452964 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bryanth73
menard my understanding of po4 testing is that our (even best kit) has a problem detecting bound phosphates, so if there is a reading of say .02 there could possibly be many times that bound in rock and substrate

TRUE,w/ the conjunction of many different herbavours it will keep the balance.As long as the redings somewhere between .01 to .05 highest still OK........... PEACE

 

[mm949]

phosphates always build in a closed system......testing your levels will give you a good indication if your tank is Balanced....if you constantly run po4(reactor) you dont REALLY know if what is being produced is broken down....its a no brainer that if u have high levels you are importing more than you are exporting...

 

[menard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7452979#post7452979 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bryanth73
the reason I am drilling this issue is the tank has all the best equiptment I can get good levels all around but corals have lost color and macro growing like crazy. I have a verry light bio load 5 chromis 2 percs and a med chevron tang in a 180 ( it was just the tang and clowns until a couple weeks ago). the tank gets fed 2-3 times a week a small pinch of formula 1 and 1x week 2 tsp of dts plankton

Bryanth, what is your Po4 readings?Heres another thing i'm gonna point out ,Po4 gets worst if your CA and Alk is out of allignment, creating a YO- YO affect( not steady) all that bound Po4 are relist back into the water columm more food for algae. Try to avoid this cenario and the Po4 stays dormant...................PEACE

 

[harper]

So bound PO4 are a fun thing to argue about. Because ultimately we are talking about them being "bound" to living things. That is on the rock many organiums live in a slothy soup, and all of them have DNA thus huge amounts of PO4. Including your corals and fish. One can get into all kinds of theoretical debates about PO4, but in practice we can only test what we can test. Menard and many others have shown how great a tank can look with small amounts of testable PO4. If you ever look at the Zeovit guys, they strive for extremely low levels of PO4 and purchase precise test kits. It works and they still have testable PO4. Critters need some PO4 to synthesize DNA and other biological molecules. I would say slightly elevated PO4 is more of a problem in a newer tank then an older. An older tank has most of its rock and other surcaces covered with corals, "good" algae, and critters. Algae outbreaks have few places to take hold. PO4 is really only a small part of the equation. You may look into getting a different tang, like yellow, black, redsea sailfin, etc. The chevron only really eats micro algae. I like redsea sailfins but they can be mean. Conside water flow also, macros dont like a lot of it. Coralimes tend to flock to water flow as well. gl

 

[bryanth73]

the tank is almost 2 years old dkh 9.8 ,ca410,(salifert) temp 80(controller) ph 8.0-8.1 (new milwaukee monitor also calibrated ) salinity 1.025 (refractometer)po4 shows 0 on a fast test kit

 

[menard]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7453638#post7453638 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bryanth73
the tank is almost 2 years old dkh 9.8 ,ca410,(salifert) temp 80(controller) ph 8.0-8.1 (new milwaukee monitor also calibrated ) salinity 1.025 (refractometer)po4 shows 0 on a fast test kit

I'm not a big fan of Fast test, very in accurate,reads zero more likely your in the range of 1 to 2. Macro can easyly to deal w/, your fish load is not that high. I would put 1 Naso or Rabbit into that tank. Naso eats all sorts of macro while Rabbits eats all sorts of micro and macro algea.............PEACE