phospates too high?

[nightfire]

hey guys i have a question,i added gfo (phosguard) to the reactor i got from jennifer (thanks jen) like maybe 3 or 4 weeks ago and i havent really noticed a differance in the HA in my aquarium,even my koralias have it on them again after i scrubed them,i dont feed but maybe once a week i give my emerald crab a piece of seaweed.i dont use ro/di water,not til i cab get a new membrane and maybe new filters.....is it that my chaeto and phosguard just cant keep up? i also dont have a working phospate test kit so if any ya can gift me one or allow me to run a test with one its much appreciated....thanks guys

 

[NeedBiggerTank]

A lot of things can contribute to excessive growth of Hair Aglae - not just phosphates. I should know... I have lots of it (Hair Algae that is).

From what I have gathered, undesirable algae can be the result of any one or any combination of the following: poor/improper circulation, too much light (like your tank is somewhere it gets too much daylight in addition to your light fixtures), high phosphates, high nitrates, overfeeding, overstocking, poor/improper skimming, accumulation of detrius, dissolved solids in replacement water, improper balance of main elements or trace elements in your salt water... and probably several I've forgotten to mention.

Good Test kits are an absolute necessity with any type of tank - and at a bare minimum, for marine you need Amonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Calcium, PH, & Phoshate (not to mention salinity, which requires a refractometer or hydrometer). For reefs, you need to add strontium, silicate, iodide/iodine, magnesium, and alkalinity. These are all tests that should be conducted regularly, especially on newer setups.

It would be very hard to diagnose a problem without knowing all water parameters first.

 

[poolkeeper1]

No big mystery here, I believe the problem lays with the fact Mario's using Tap Water.
Until he stops adding all kinds of contaminants from this source the rest is futile IMO
New tanks need ammonia and Nitrite tested during the cycle period, Reefs need KH,Ca,PH,Mg and of course Salinity. Those other tests you mention, I have Never tested for any of them nor is it necessary IMO to. Unless you have a specific problem pointing to one of those trace elements being out of whack, Nor should you be adding those on a regular basis as water changes take care of those trace elements that are used by corals.
Excess nutrients are the most likely source of his hair algae and Po4 along with No3 are the most common culprits that feed HA, When you get them under control the problem will subside. Unless his rock is leaching Po4 from excess that they have absorbed over time. This is my opinion and i could be wrong, But it's a good case senario seeing as i have not seen his tank.
Bill

 

[ai-reefer]

I agree with what poolkeeper said.

I think the long term solution for your problem would be to use a RO/DI unit, pick higher kelvin bulbs, double your flow and add a more powerful skimmer and/or algae scrubber.

Adding some good looking macro algae to your display tank will help. I actually like the look of having macro algae in the display tank.

You could try vodka or carbon dosing. Works very well if you have a good skimmer.

You could also try adding a tang in there. Its hard to say if it will go after the hair algae but the sailfin i had in may tank loved it.

 

[zef004]

I agree with all the above. If you don't have the test kit you can take your water to a LFS and they will test it for you. They will do it for free. I know the critter and eBay will do this for you.