what's next ?

[keithhays]

ok sounds good, I"m going to order the Hanna checker for phosphates, and the GFO reactor from bulkreefsupply I think. ..

anything else ?

well, while you ordering the GFO reactor, you might as well order one for carbon.

 

[ReefTrigger]

thanks, when I was on there I noticed the dual reactor that had one chamber for each, so I did actually end up ordereing that one.

I think the Hanna Phosphate checker and reactor should be in the mail today, then I'll post up the results later

 

[ReefTrigger]

Hey everyone,

I just got my Hanna checker in the mail today for Phosphates, and it read :

0.14

So am I still high ? and if so, what should I do ?

 

[rwessels]

GFO has been mentioned a few times.

 

[ReefTrigger]

ok thanks, I do have the dual reactor for gfo and carbon, I've been dosing carbon through a sock for a few days, but haven't plumbed in the GFO yet..

Is it true that plastic "leaks" phosphates ? either from egg crates or from a decoration ? I do have a plastic decoration from a freshwater setup in the tank, could that be "leaking" phosphates into the tank ?

even if GFO fixes the phosphates, is there a route cause of the phosphates I can find ? or , does everyone who doesn't dose GFO have high phosphates ?

 

[ReefTrigger]

I just measured My Phosphates coming in, right out of the rodi , and it read 0.00 with the Hanna checker ...

the tank has been running for about 8 months , and I never skimp on water changes, 10% every week, and I have an over sized skimmer, and dual 6" external octopus rated at 250 gallons for a 125g tank

 

[bertoni]

The source of phosphate is almost always food. Plastics in the tank aren't going to leach much, if any, phosphate. The other alternative would be contaminated live rock. In either case, more GFO should help over time. Better skimming might help if the problem is food, and you actually can find a better skimmer.

 

[keithhays]

I second Betoni; I would keep raising the amount of GFO until you are maintaining a reasonalble level. Most Phophate does generally come from food, but I can tell that in my brand new setup with zero food ever being in the tank, zero (phos) rodi water, and zero additions to the tank other than bacteria and pukani dry rock (coral skelatons), I was reading .10 after 30 days of cycling. Phosphates are a normal part of planet and are used by corals to grow albeit at very low levels. I theorize that the phosphate ends up in the skelatons of the coral and thus in our aquariums even with out any additions. In the ocean, this is not an issue, but in the aquarium, it builds up. Again this is just my thoughts on why. For 320 gallons, I just used nearly a whole BRS reactor of GFO (mixed with enough rox to keep it from turning into a block) which runs until I see it start to get .01 on the PPM meter.

 

[BIG_KAHUNA]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/6/chemistry

Interesing article on testing test kits accuracy. I wouldn't increase the amount of GFO rather increase the frequency of changing the GFO. BRS should have a video telling you how much to use based on tank size if you got the BRS GFO. I have found API test kits pretty much useless, and if you do use them, change them out frequently. Your PO4 is probably coming from the rock as others have said. Sk8r mentioned it taking about 3 months to rid a tank of PO4 so take your time and be consistent with GFO changes. Removing any algae by hand will help remove PO4 and NO4.
GL!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

even if GFO fixes the phosphates, is there a route cause of the phosphates I can find ? or , does everyone who doesn't dose GFO have high phosphates ?

The cause is generally more input from food than export by all methods. Don't bother looking for any source except foods unless you use straight tap water. Once the tank has elevated phosphate, the live rock and sand can act as a reservoir making it take longer to bring down the levels.

So unless you want to decrease the feeding, increasing the export is the way to go.

 

[ReefTrigger]

Here's an update for anyone that was following along,

I purchased and plumbed in the BRS Dual reactor with GFO and Carbon, and my tank became instantly more clear,

and as a week or so went on, the green hair algae melted away to nothing

I ran the GFO for about two weeks, then measured my Phosphates, and still got .2

I don't know if it went down to 0, and is on the rise again, or ...

So I put in New GFO just in case I exhausted the old stuff already , and I am going to measure phosphates once a day .. i am using the Hannah checker

 

[bertoni]

With the phosphate level that high, the media might be exhausted in a few hours. I'd check the output of the GFO reactor from time to time. When the phosphate level there matches the tank's level, the media is shot.

The media can be recharged if you are willing to work with muriatic acid and lye.

 

[ReefTrigger]

I bought a whole gallon of the stuff, so I'd rather just swap it out .. thanks

 

[bertoni]

Okay, sounds good to me.