Phosphate Control?

[jeryl]

I have been using the Blue Life Phosphate Controller for the past two weeks. The tank has a net of 15 gallons of water and had a phosphate level over 1.0 ppm due to overfeeding the Mandarins. Using 6 - 9 drops per day the phosphate dropped to 1ppm, 0.75ppm, 0.50 ppm, 0.25ppm, 0.05ppm, 0.03ppm and then less than 0.03ppm.

I am using the Salifert P04 test kit and the level is now consistently between 0ppm and 0.03ppm. I cannot tell if it is zero or above but it remains very low and I have not noticed any adverse effects on the fish, hermiits or snails. The zoas and gsp are once again expanding but the yellow polyps are having problems. No effect has been seen on the Xenia, mushrooms, Kenya tree or chaeto.

 

[ReefWreak]

So where does it go? Your phosphates disappeared without waterchanges or skimming?

 

[jeryl]

I don't know where it went. I have not done any water changes since dosing the phosphate control, just top off with RO. The system has a Aqua C Remora skimmer running 24x7 except when feeding. Perhaps the skimmer is removing it but I do not know. I tried the Blue Life because I read a few posts with people saying it worked for them.

 

[ReefWreak]

I just wanted to replay and say thanks to Scratch-D. I owe you a frag bro that light was freakin amazin. I bought it on thursday. I've been gone at job training this whole weekend (since friday) and today I came back and found my skimmer filled to the top (so it wasn't extracting any nutrients anymore). The good news is that the cheato ball that I've had in my sump "merely surviving" on the twist PC bulb for about 6 months now doubled in size in the length of 3 days. Also there was no algae on the glass, and the corals have had a TON of growth in just 3 days (it was actually noticeable, but it's also due to using a ton of 2 part these past few days and boosting the levels).

 

[Serra]

I am attacking my bryopsis algae in an all out war so am researching the use of chemicals. My phosphates are zero with the Salifert test but LFS tested it to be .21. I am a notorious overfeeder so have cut back on food.

Phosban or Rowaphos better?

With the use of the phosphate removers did any of you experience a lowering of your pH? I have a fug with a large wad of chaeto. Will the phosban or rowaphos effect the chaeto? How often do you all remove some chaeto and how much? I love the shake it over the tank idea! Goes very well with my need to feed.

I am keeping a journal of the war and will post my article on www.mycomas.com at a later date. I'm sure it will be an ongoing battle since bryopsis is so invasive.

Thanks for all the good info!

 

[ReefWreak]

ROWAphos for sure. Phosban is pretty decent, but ROWA is supposed to be the best. I've been using kalk or 2 part with the phosphate remover so I've always got a high pH anyway. I see no effect. I tend to cut the cheato when it has gone from baseball sized to softball sized or larger, however some people keep it until it takes up all of it's growing room, and then cut it down.

Good luck getting rid of your bryopsis! I've just started to get it in my nano tank, but don't mind because it looks better than the other streaming crappy looking algae in there, so I'm waiting for the cheato to outgrow it.

 

[Serra]

Stop the bryopsis now! I thought it was pretty too and thought I could control it like other macro algae's. It will outgrow the chaeto! Trust me on this.

It will cover star polyps in no time. Don't know what it will do to zoos since I have kept it anything near them.