Phosphate at 2.0 PPM, drastic action
- Thread starter djtuzik
- Start date
anthonys51
New member
phosphates don't harm fish. cant say if adding 5x the amount of phosguard will hurt fish, i never did, but i will guess no it wont. but why would you need to do this in the first place. i will assume you have a lot of algae in your tank, its better to use suggested amount of gfo, take 1/4 or half the rocks out scrub clean and repeat in a week
with that much phosphate, Phosguard or GFO would get very very expensive. What kind of filtration do you have on the tank? If you don't have adequate filtration, a binding material like phosguard or gfo is just a band-aid and when you stop using it your phosphate will creep back up.
CStrickland
New member
What they said. Predator tanks often have nutrient control issues, and those tend to take longer to fix than they did to break in the first place. At those levels it's likely that a significant amount of phos is bound to your calcium structures too (rocks and sand). As the water gets cleaned that phos will leach out for some time. You'd be better off finding a long term solution that will get you on track and keep you there, rather than a quick fix.
Idk what the risk is, but I think seachem phosguard is an aluminum based product. I wouldn't asssume that drastic overuse is safe for fish without confirming that it won't release harmful levels at that dose.
Idk what the risk is, but I think seachem phosguard is an aluminum based product. I wouldn't asssume that drastic overuse is safe for fish without confirming that it won't release harmful levels at that dose.
I had phosphates at 10ppm after finding out why my corals not opening. I used a different test kit and got the same results....Found out it was due to my new rock addition leaching phosphates. I added a ton of gfo in 3 different reactors and watched my corals slowly open over 72hours. It had to be 8cups of gfo between the reactors.
I agree with the above though, phosphates are no concern for fowlr. Unless your meticulous about your water chemistry
I agree with the above though, phosphates are no concern for fowlr. Unless your meticulous about your water chemistry
The phosphate level is a symptom. The cause is likely that your nutrient export system isn't keeping up with your import, and there is a multitude of ways to improve it. Things to consider:
When you look at that list of factors, do you see any areas where your system is lacking? Whatever you do, gradual changes will be better.
I used quite a bit of vinegar while battling algae due to nutrient soaked rocks, and think that it may be a good choice for you as a long term nutrient control. It's pretty cheap and can be readily adjusted to match your nutrient load with the caveat that it requires a good skimmer.
- In tank flow; do you have good flow?
- Do you have dead spots with settling detritus?
- Do you have adequate sump turnover?
- Is your protein skimmer adequate and properly tuned?
- Do you have a refugium or algae scrubber?
- Chemical options: GFO, Phosguard, organic carbon (sugar, vodka, vinegar) dosing.
- Manual maintenance:using a small powerhead to blow off rocks, vacuuming sand bed, etc.
When you look at that list of factors, do you see any areas where your system is lacking? Whatever you do, gradual changes will be better.
I used quite a bit of vinegar while battling algae due to nutrient soaked rocks, and think that it may be a good choice for you as a long term nutrient control. It's pretty cheap and can be readily adjusted to match your nutrient load with the caveat that it requires a good skimmer.
180g with 2 grown eels, 1 mid puffer and two smaller triggers
I run it with sump, filter socks and skimmer
In tank flow; do you have good flow?
I turn the tank more then 10x with powerheads
Do you have dead spots with settling detritus?
the corners have less flow.
Do you have adequate sump turnover?
Sump turn over is somewhat low, I think I turn about 200g-300g per hour
Do you have a refugium or algae scrubber?
no
Chemical options: GFO, Phosguard, organic carbon (sugar, vodka, vinegar) dosing.
I have GFO, chemipure elite and phoshgurard in the sump
Manual maintenance:using a small powerhead to blow off rocks, vacuuming sand bed, etc.
my have tried. My issue is that the eels leave some food behind when they eat. I do 50% water changes every three weeks
I run it with sump, filter socks and skimmer
In tank flow; do you have good flow?
I turn the tank more then 10x with powerheads
Do you have dead spots with settling detritus?
the corners have less flow.
Do you have adequate sump turnover?
Sump turn over is somewhat low, I think I turn about 200g-300g per hour
Do you have a refugium or algae scrubber?
no
Chemical options: GFO, Phosguard, organic carbon (sugar, vodka, vinegar) dosing.
I have GFO, chemipure elite and phoshgurard in the sump
Manual maintenance:using a small powerhead to blow off rocks, vacuuming sand bed, etc.
my have tried. My issue is that the eels leave some food behind when they eat. I do 50% water changes every three weeks
I battle nitrate issues but otherwise, all good. Since it's a fowlr it's less of a concern. Tank has been up for more then a year with no losses.
CStrickland
New member
So why are you considering "drastic action"?
To me your tank flow sounds way low. 10x turnover will allow all kinds of stuff to rot in the tank. Maybe fowlr is different but I think 40x is at the low end. Like, more flow would keep leftover food flying around until it makes its way to the sump, for the filter socks to catch it. With such low flow it's almost like you have one set of conditions in the tank water and a totally diff set of conditions where crap is landing (on the rocks and sand).
And then on top of that, you are passing the (cleaner tank water) water slowly through the sump. The general recommendation is at least 5-7x tank volume per hour. You're barely clearing 1x. So all your nutrient export: that media, skimmer, socks, etc., is only cleaning a portion of the water.
I'd kinda like to know what the n and p levels are if you take a sample from the sump, just out of curiosity. But either way I bet that moving more water will increase the efficiency of all the stuff you're doing. Can't hurt. You can get an 800 gph SunSun powerhead for like $10 on Amazon.
whosurcaddie
New member
Lanthanum chloride.
I agree with increasing the turnover rate in the sump. Get a more powerful return pump IF your overflow can handle it. If you have a small overflow then you have a bigger problem. Adding more flow in the tank should help too.
Once you get the sump turnover issue fixed, i'd recommend an algae turf scrubber or carbon (e.g. vodka or vinegar) dosing if you have a good skimmer.
Should only be used if you can remove the rock/sand and treat it with no livestock around. This is probably the cheapest option, however.
Once you get the sump turnover issue fixed, i'd recommend an algae turf scrubber or carbon (e.g. vodka or vinegar) dosing if you have a good skimmer.
Should only be used if you can remove the rock/sand and treat it with no livestock around. This is probably the cheapest option, however.
That's debatable, but it is certainly a very potent treatment that needs to be well researched before attempting.
Well.... Supposedly you can use it if you drip it into like a 15 micron filter sock (designed for dialysis) but that will clog within minutes. Certainly requires a lot of research.
