Phosphate Questions

[greenmonkey51]

All my parameter look pretty good except for my phosphates. I haven't tested them but I'm sure they're high. I have a couple pieces of caulastrea that looked good at the store but are pale now in my tank. I'm wondering if phosphates would cause this. One of the pieces is a 2 headed piece I got 2 months ago. I've seen zero growth under a Tek 4x54w T-5 fixture does phosphates limit growth. Finally I have a trachy brain I got a couple weeks ago. Some of the flesh is receding very slowly. Could phosphates cause this.

 

[PrivateJoker64]

How do you know your phosphates are high if you haven't tested? Do you have a lot of nuisance algae growth?

 

[seapug]

phosphate tests only test for inorganic phosphates, and organic phosphates are the more common issue in reef tanks so the tests are kinda pointless. Hair Algae growth and coral color is a better indicator. Brown corals, low calcification rates, and hair algae are sure signs of Phosphate issues. So yes, I'd suspect your problems could be from Phosphate. I've also found Caulastreas seem to color up better under lower light levels.