Phosphates too high and wont go down!

[Sphinxj13]

Looking for some thoughts. I can not get my phosphates down, stuck above .35 and going up now. I keep trying and trying without luck. I'm running gfo and still not having luck. I've tried dosing phosphate e and even at half the dose run thru a filter sock and floss the precipitate is killing corals now. I'm currently sitting at .71 now via hanna check and I was gone on vacation for the past 7 days and it went from .53 to .71 currently and only fed 2 cubes over the week. Any thoughts, input, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[JohnL]

I'm running gfo and still not having luck.

Are you running it in a media reactor? Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested your makeup water? How old is the tank?

 

[Sphinxj13]

Are you running it in a media reactor? Are you using RO/DI water? Have you tested your makeup water? How old is the tank?

Running rowasphos and doesn't really do anything other than slightly bring it down for a moment then just climbs up again. Yes I'm using rodi and have not tested the rodi. Tank is 180g and over 3yrs old, majority of livestock came from my smaller tank when I transfered from 120 to this 180

 

[Sphinxj13]

how big is the tank?
what are you using for filtration?

There is not much that can be determined from you first post except you are doing it wrong because you should not get a visible precipitate in the tank. GFO and phosephate removers work.
If stuff is dying do water changes. That will also help your Phos problem.

I do physically see the precipitate but I only have issues with coral death after I dose phosphate e at 1/2 dose or even less. Corals are not dying due to lack of water changes since those get done on bi weekly basis. All other levels in my tank are right where they need to be other than phosphate being high. Filtration is a trigger sump with socks and filter floss and skimmer that runs 24/7 with 40w uv and gfo reactor.

 

[JohnL]

Yes I'm using rodi and have not tested the rodi.

Could the DI resin be exhausted?

 

[Sphinxj13]

Could the DI resin be exhausted?

I personally have not tested my rodi and will do so in the morning. I can't rule it out since I usually base it on the color change so I can only hope ur on to something and that's playing a factor.

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Test tank water -then test water coming out of the reactor.
If they are close or the same change your media.
You could also have phosphates bound up in the rocks & that my friend will take time to remedy.

 

[Sphinxj13]

Test tank water -then test water coming out of the reactor.
If they are close or the same change your media.
You could also have phosphates bound up in the rocks & that my friend will take time to remedy.

I would think that it's bound up in the rocks and leeching out. If that is the case then it's not necessarily and easy fix. Maybe swapping out some of the rock would help?

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Maybe.
Put them in a container for 24 hrs & run a phosphate test.

 

[369Augold]

You might want to read what 369Augold had to say about "Phosphates"; both inorganic and organo-phosphates : May 17, 2023 .