best way to get rid of phosphates?

[805puffer]

what is the best way to get rid of phosphates, my phosphates are through the roof.
i put a phosban reactor and tested the water coming out of it and it is high. help. thanks

 

[cjason3041]

water changes.........10% weekly and phosguard will help.

 

[jwhitehorn]

How do you test or notice phosphates?

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by cjason3041
water changes.........10% weekly and phosguard will help.
Provided you are using phosphate free water.
What water are you using for water changes?

 

[stanlalee]

none of that worked as good old macro algae for me. I used RO water and changed 35% every 2wks and still had a phospate reading (though low) until I started growing cheato. I can feed all day and do monthly water changes now and never get a phospate reading.

 

[cjason3041]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Provided you are using phosphate free water.
What water are you using for water changes?

duh...i always miss the dumb stuff....i used to rinse my phosguard in tap water and never even realized i was ruining it before i even put it in the tank

 

[805puffer]

yep i use ro water, i tested that and it came out 0, so i dont know what is putting the phosphates in there. thanks

 

[snaredrum]

Originally Posted by jwhitehorn
How do you test or notice phosphates?
Believe me you will know when the algea is going nuts. I test for it. Water changes will lower it without a problem. I know my local water here is higher in phosphates. You might want to test that also.

 

[renogaw]

the best way to get rid of it is to stop putting it in your tank. most likely, it is not from rincing with tap water.
what are you feeding your tank?

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by jwhitehorn
How do you test or notice phosphates?
Can test phosphates with a phosphate test kit .

 

[m0nk]

It's possible that you're introducing it through the salt you use. Although most salts say "No Phosphates" or "Phosphate Free" some of them to in fact have them and in high amounts. One that's apparently notorious for this is Instant Ocean. I used it until a friend, who's a Marine Biologist, told me that when he was in college they did wide ranges of tests on freshly mixed salt water using various salt mixes and IO always came out with high phosphates. Just a thought, but perhaps you should test your saltwater right after you mix it. Hope that helps!

 

[dawman]

Originally Posted by m0nk
It's possible that you're introducing it through the salt you use. Although most salts say "No Phosphates" or "Phosphate Free" some of them to in fact have them and in high amounts. One that's apparently notorious for this is Instant Ocean. I used it until a friend, who's a Marine Biologist, told me that when he was in college they did wide ranges of tests on freshly mixed salt water using various salt mixes and IO always came out with high phosphates. Just a thought, but perhaps you should test your saltwater right after you mix it. Hope that helps!

I had the same problem when my LFS ran out of Oceanic and I bought I.O. instead . My tank was a disaster and found it coming from the salt . I threw my premixed water and the entire bucket of salt out . Ordered some Oceanic and did a bunch of water changes along with some phosphate removers . It was a bad way to find this out and costly .