Suitable phosphate levels for SPS to thrive ?

[drew930]

Tested my new set for phosphates today, and it was .04ppm.

Was planning on trying some SPS in this tank and was wondering where the range for phosphates should be to keep SPS thriving .. Of course, I know all your other parameters must stay stable for them to be happy, but as far as phosphates ?

 

[cpllongjk]

you are within normal parameters for phosphate.

Ideal is 0.01-0.05. You can have sps thriving a tad higher but it is not recommended. I found that 0.02-0.03 is perfect. I am often at 0.03 phosphate with a Hanna PO4 meter. It fluctuates a bit depending on how much I feed. I would start with a few $5 frags if you can get some, they are just tester pieces. Make sure you dip them with coralRX and remove them from their frag plug if possible. If you need the frag plug, remount the frag on a new one. Recycle the old plugs by bleaching them or soaking them in a vinegar solution and letting them dry for a few days. If all goes well, you can add more frags. Don't forget to adjust your alk/ca dosing after adding new frags.

Hope this helps, Jared

 

[cpllongjk]

Oh forgot to mention. There are many people that have undetectable or 0.01 phosphate using zeovit/biopellets/carbon dosing. They have to add phosphate back into their tank because they are too low which is also bad for the corals.

 

[alexx2208]

Why would you remove the frags from their plugs? Just wondering because im doing what your saying with 5 frags of different types, and was given a free browned out abrotanoidas acro colony.... GRR, i don't even know if the frags will live, so why expect it to live?!?!?!

 

[alexx2208]

I also didn't dip them, but there from a trusted source, and the frags were all to small for me to not see any pests, worst case i can remove them and dip them now if itll help

 

[sponger0]

.04-.06 is ideal. You do need some phosphates. Hell, Ive had a tank with 0 readings and they grew like a champ. But had another in .24 that did well also.

 

[cpllongjk]

Why would you remove the frags from their plugs? Just wondering because im doing what your saying with 5 frags of different types, and was given a free browned out abrotanoidas acro colony.... GRR, i don't even know if the frags will live, so why expect it to live?!?!?!

You remove the frag from the plug because 90% of the time, there are pests on the base of the plug. I would just make it a habit of removing the frag if possible and re-gluing to a new "safe" plug. That way you know you wont get any hitch hikers. I have put stuff in my tank from "safe" sources, ie. local reefers that have great looking tanks... only to get AEFW and Redbugs. How do I know it came from the frags? Because everything in my tank was new and my rock was dry rock. Since then, I remove all frags or better yet ask people that give you frags to not glue them to a plug. Many people already do this anyways.

 

[ridetheducati]

You remove the frag from the plug because 90% of the time, there are pests on the base of the plug. I would just make it a habit of removing the frag if possible and re-gluing to a new "safe" plug. That way you know you wont get any hitch hikers. I have put stuff in my tank from "safe" sources, ie. local reefers that have great looking tanks... only to get AEFW and Redbugs. How do I know it came from the frags? Because everything in my tank was new and my rock was dry rock. Since then, I remove all frags or better yet ask people that give you frags to not glue them to a plug. Many people already do this anyways.

+1k.

Dip everything in Bayer.

 

[Allmost]

Oh forgot to mention. There are many people that have undetectable or 0.01 phosphate using zeovit/biopellets/carbon dosing. They have to add phosphate back into their tank because they are too low which is also bad for the corals.

never heard of anyone dosing phosphate.

ppl do dose Nitrates though, I do.

 

[ormet]

Its not common, but now and afain ppl dose po4 solutions on my local forum. You can also dose it in an "organic" form such as sps food or bacteria. The end result is the same, the corals can consume nutrients they need to grow.

 

[drew930]

I ALWAYS did all my coral ... I use coralRx . Never want to take the chance !

As far as phosphates ... I'm guessing I'm good to go ahead and try some SPS ...

Another one of my question is ... If I do something to lower phosphates , say bio pellets , chemi pure elite , or both . Or just regular GFO ... Is there any one of those that will benefit growth better ? Hard to explain but basically , do SPS coral "not like" one of these methods ? Are they sensitive to any of them ?

 

[cpllongjk]

I ALWAYS did all my coral ... I use coralRx . Never want to take the chance !

As far as phosphates ... I'm guessing I'm good to go ahead and try some SPS ...

Another one of my question is ... If I do something to lower phosphates , say bio pellets , chemi pure elite , or both . Or just regular GFO ... Is there any one of those that will benefit growth better ? Hard to explain but basically , do SPS coral "not like" one of these methods ? Are they sensitive to any of them ?

Your phosphates are low enough that running GFO will not harm sps. The only way GFO will harm SPS is if you have a high amount of phosphate and remove it very quickly. SPS do not like sudden changes. GFO is known to strip the water quickly.

If you want to run a carbon source to reduce nitrate and phosphate you can, but it seems you are currently fine as is. Most people who run zeovit/biopellets/dose vodka are employing the philosophy of high import high export. The goal is to feed fish or have a very high bioload while exporting all the waste through biological means, ie. biopellets/zeovit/vodka. The purpose of these methods is to increase the bacteria that consume nitrate and phosphate but they just do it in a different way. All work essentially the same IMHO.

 

[cpllongjk]

Oh, and to answer the essential question, "Is there any one of those that will benefit growth better?"

The answer is maybe... It depends on your bioload in the future. Currently you are doing fine and within the acceptable range for phosphate and SPS... However that may change in the coming months when you add corals, increase bioload by adding fish or other things, or possible over feeding. Also if the rocks were dry or there is algae present in the tank, some phosphate could be locked up in the algae or rocks that is not detected or released yet. These can slowly release over time and GFO is a good thing for this. Running GFO will act as a safety net in case phosphate releases from the rocks.

 

[Moser]

you are within normal parameters for phosphate.

Ideal is 0.01-0.05. You can have sps thriving a tad higher but it is not recommended. I found that 0.02-0.03 is perfect. I am often at 0.03 phosphate with a Hanna PO4 meter. It fluctuates a bit depending on how much I feed. I would start with a few $5 frags if you can get some, they are just tester pieces. Make sure you dip them with coralRX and remove them from their frag plug if possible. If you need the frag plug, remount the frag on a new one. Recycle the old plugs by bleaching them or soaking them in a vinegar solution and letting them dry for a few days. If all goes well, you can add more frags. Don't forget to adjust your alk/ca dosing after adding new frags.

Hope this helps, Jared

Jared,

Your Hanna Meter reads in PO4 ion conc.
You mention your phosphate level is 0.03.

Is that what the meter reads or do you x by 0.03 to get your P level?

Just interested which figure people are talking about when measuring phos level.

Thanks
Mo

 

[cpllongjk]

Jared,

Your Hanna Meter reads in PO4 ion conc.
You mention your phosphate level is 0.03.

Is that what the meter reads or do you x by 0.03 to get your P level?

Just interested which figure people are talking about when measuring phos level.

Thanks
Mo

Mo,

My meter usually fluctuates from 0.03-0.05. Right now the meter shows 0.03 PO4 3-

I just busted out the manual and it's been a while since I read it. I see what you're talking about with P2O5 concentration being x1.49 read value, and PO3- being x0.33 read value. I want the Phosphate P value I'm sure, so I've been reading it wrong this whole time? My concentration is only 0.01, give or take?

What's the purpose of P2O5 concentration?

 

[Dapg8gt]

If your tank is stable and you keep it that way and have the light and flow to sustain sps why not go for it?

My biggest advice I can give is don't chase numbers. Have a range your shooting for and don't do drastic things to try to maintain an exact number. Your levels seem fine now.. Keeping them that way is the skill imo..

 

[Moser]

The more you look at peoples quoted phos level, the more you realise that they are probably using different scales. Hence my question.

I believe most have forgotten that the Hanna meter reading is to be x0.03 to get actual P reading. I used to try and get 0 on Hanna - because that is what everybody seems to quote and would seriously damage corals when I hit 0.02 on the screen. I used to get through a lot of GFO too!. Now, I am sceptical that you can safely hit true zero on the old meter and have healthy SPS.

0.09 on the screen is 0.03 P. So my question to Hanna meter users is are your quoted values what appears on the screen or after multiplying by 0.03 to get P reading?.

If I get 0.05 on the screen, it's about right for my tank..... I do have 9x400W though, so light levels matter in this context.

0.03 on the screen is 0.01 P. My corals that are high up under my Radiums suffer at this level.
This is why many experienced SPS keepers look at their corals to decide on if their phos is ok.
If tissue is thin and colour pale, bump your levels up!...


Mo

 

[Ink]

I suggest to all user with Hanna Hi93713 using other reagents instead of Hanna's.
Elos Hi-res, Rowa, Merck, Tunze, Deltec, they all works perfectly and don't cause any fluctations in results. Redsea's don't works.
I strongly reccomend trying your own if You don't believe.
Fill the hanna vial as usual, make zero calibration, add 5 drops reagent 1 and one spoon reagent 2. Gently mix for 3 minutes then make immediate read and 3 minutes delayed read. Immediate read is always slightly lower than delayed one.
After trying that, You all will dump hanna reagents.
I have been doing that since 4 years and I know many people doing the same.
Check the vial to be w/o any minimal scratch, they would cause higher results.

I don't know if suits also for hanna checker. I never tried.

 

[Ink]

I also know many people who are loosing corals because hanna reagents gave above-zero values, while they had in reality 0,00. When they began feeding and made nutrients to raise, corals started thriving.

 

[toothman]

Personally have not had poor readings with Hanna, if used a little different than hanna suggests. The hanna 736 I found works best, the 713 for me generally read 0 when it was not. The product FAUNNA MARIN reference solution, which is pricy, should or has to be used to test your test kits, if not you will go round and round not knowing if you are performing a accurate test.

I have used the hanna 736 for quite a while and if used properly seems to work great and test very accurate compared to reference water. What you simply need to do is fill both vials add reagent to one and wait about 90 mins (not seconds) then test the water. Most people are sceptical and probably most will dismiss this as bogus info, but those try is will absolutely agree it works very accurately.

As far as phosphate level .01 to .06 seems to be a sweet spot for me. .03 is what I would want it to be. reference solution seems to be out of stock at bulk reef supply.

As far as sps thriving it more about how clean you can keep the water and still feed a lot.