How do I lower my phosphates?/
- Thread starter nick0604
- Start date
travelerjp98
Active Member
What do you have in the tank? How much do you feed?
travelerjp98
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433518
I have 4 turbo snails, 3 astrea snails, 3 peppermint shrimp. I feed twice a day a very very small amount.
What is a "very very small amount?"
Do you have any fish?
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433518
I have 4 turbo snails, 3 astrea snails, 3 peppermint shrimp. I feed twice a day a very very small amount.
What is a "very very small amount?"
Do you have any fish?
S
siptang
Guest
Ok, tank is only 3 weeks old. Shouldn't be any phosphate unless you used tap water as your main source of water or used water from established tank that already has p04 present.
I recommend you use phos ban, phos zorb like products to reduce your p04 issues. phos zorb from api has worked wonders for me and that's what I'm currently using at the moment.
I recommend you use phos ban, phos zorb like products to reduce your p04 issues. phos zorb from api has worked wonders for me and that's what I'm currently using at the moment.
slice
Active Member
Just my opinion and for what its worth:
Assuming your "turbo snails" are Mexican Turbo Snails, 4 is far too many in a 20g IMO, unless you have an awful HA problem. The most I've ever had in my 47g is 2 and then only as long as it took for them to eat the HA in the tank.
Both the turbos and the astreas are algae eaters and, with the peppermint shrimp, should be regarded as part of a CUC (Clean Up Crew).
Do you have a terrible algae problem?
Personally, I would feed small pieces of raw table shrimp or raw fish to your peppermints, and then, maybe 1-2x per week.
If I saw 10-15 pellets twice a day (20-30 daily) go into my 47g tank, I would have an aneurysm. This sounds like a likely source of your phosphates.
I have 15 nassarius snails, 10 astreas, 3 peppermints, 2 cleaner shrimp, 10 nerite, a couple cerith snails, and 3 fish in my tank and I only feed "a very small amount" every other day, and sometimes I think I feed a bit too much.
The first thing is to quit putting phosphates into the tank, then worry about getting what is in there back out.
Macroalgae, phosban, chemi pure elite and other methods/products can help reduce what is in your tank, but first, quit putting it in!
Also, a 3 week old tank?!? Has it established the cycle in 3 weeks??
130w on a 20g sounds like a lot of light too...these are PC lights, correct?
Assuming your "turbo snails" are Mexican Turbo Snails, 4 is far too many in a 20g IMO, unless you have an awful HA problem. The most I've ever had in my 47g is 2 and then only as long as it took for them to eat the HA in the tank.
Both the turbos and the astreas are algae eaters and, with the peppermint shrimp, should be regarded as part of a CUC (Clean Up Crew).
Do you have a terrible algae problem?
Personally, I would feed small pieces of raw table shrimp or raw fish to your peppermints, and then, maybe 1-2x per week.
If I saw 10-15 pellets twice a day (20-30 daily) go into my 47g tank, I would have an aneurysm. This sounds like a likely source of your phosphates.
I have 15 nassarius snails, 10 astreas, 3 peppermints, 2 cleaner shrimp, 10 nerite, a couple cerith snails, and 3 fish in my tank and I only feed "a very small amount" every other day, and sometimes I think I feed a bit too much.
The first thing is to quit putting phosphates into the tank, then worry about getting what is in there back out.
Macroalgae, phosban, chemi pure elite and other methods/products can help reduce what is in your tank, but first, quit putting it in!
Also, a 3 week old tank?!? Has it established the cycle in 3 weeks??
130w on a 20g sounds like a lot of light too...these are PC lights, correct?
nick0604
Member
My levels are:
ammonia 0ppm
nitrate 10ppm
nitrite 0ppm
alkalinity >300ppm
calcium 480ppm
phosphates .5ppm
I will start to feed every other day and see if that changes. I may also decrease the lighting down to 8 hours a day. My algae problem started as brown algae and now has moved to this green slime algae. Where can I buy RO water or DI water?
ammonia 0ppm
nitrate 10ppm
nitrite 0ppm
alkalinity >300ppm
calcium 480ppm
phosphates .5ppm
I will start to feed every other day and see if that changes. I may also decrease the lighting down to 8 hours a day. My algae problem started as brown algae and now has moved to this green slime algae. Where can I buy RO water or DI water?
slice
Active Member
I buy RO/DI from my LFS. Some folks have said they buy from Walmart.
When you say "green slime algae" do you mean a blanket of stuff that easily siphons off? Gets a bit furry in places, maybe even giving off bubbles of "air"? Look up cyano bacteria and see if that is it. Cyano can be either red or green.
FYI alkalinity of greater than 300ppm is quite high, recommended level is
2.5-4 meq/L
7-11 dKH
125-200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents
but that is for another thread, no real show stopper here.
When you say "green slime algae" do you mean a blanket of stuff that easily siphons off? Gets a bit furry in places, maybe even giving off bubbles of "air"? Look up cyano bacteria and see if that is it. Cyano can be either red or green.
FYI alkalinity of greater than 300ppm is quite high, recommended level is
2.5-4 meq/L
7-11 dKH
125-200 ppm CaCO3 equivalents
but that is for another thread, no real show stopper here.
slice
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433545
yes there are air bubbles coming off the algae in the tank is that cyano?
Its starting to sound like it, can you blow it off easily? Do a google image search and see for yourself. Better yet, post a good pic of it here.
If it is cyano, there are several good threads here on how to combat it. (sorry Snake, no endorsement without compensation
)
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433545
yes there are air bubbles coming off the algae in the tank is that cyano?
Its starting to sound like it, can you blow it off easily? Do a google image search and see for yourself. Better yet, post a good pic of it here.
If it is cyano, there are several good threads here on how to combat it. (sorry Snake, no endorsement without compensation
yogoshio
Member
It may sound annoying, but let the algae grow! When there's nothing left for the algae to eat, it will go away, and as long as the calcium and other minerals are in balance, beneficial algae like coraline and whatnot will grow in its place. The reason its so bad mixed with high phosphates is because your tank was definitely not done cycling. Just curious, did you buy an "instant cycling" product? Or are you treating tap? Treating tap will have phosphates in abundance.
reeferchief
Member
Wow. I would put the lights down to like 6-7 hours. The algae will go away. I had it bloom and then disappear also. Do you have a skimmer or are you using charcoal bags?
I used to get algae film build up daily, like a crazy amount. Now due to a better skimmer, constant 8 hour light cycle and weekly 1/3rd water changes everything is in great balance and I don't even need to test my water anymore since I have seen nothing out of the ordinary. I also only have to scrape the film algae off my glass the day I do water change because it does not get bad at all.
If you are somewhat new then the best advice I have gotten which I will tell you is stay on a schedule. Although it may sound like a pain, go to your fish store, buy saltwater and do weekly water changes until your tank gets under control, then you can scale back to smaller weekly water changes or do it every 2 weeks. Change your filter the same day as water change and the next day I add a one step water buffer for calcium and other traces that are needed in the water. In the past 2.5-3 months I have been doing this my water has remained nearly perfect, coraline algae is starting to spread nicely and everything looks really happy!
I used to get algae film build up daily, like a crazy amount. Now due to a better skimmer, constant 8 hour light cycle and weekly 1/3rd water changes everything is in great balance and I don't even need to test my water anymore since I have seen nothing out of the ordinary. I also only have to scrape the film algae off my glass the day I do water change because it does not get bad at all.
If you are somewhat new then the best advice I have gotten which I will tell you is stay on a schedule. Although it may sound like a pain, go to your fish store, buy saltwater and do weekly water changes until your tank gets under control, then you can scale back to smaller weekly water changes or do it every 2 weeks. Change your filter the same day as water change and the next day I add a one step water buffer for calcium and other traces that are needed in the water. In the past 2.5-3 months I have been doing this my water has remained nearly perfect, coraline algae is starting to spread nicely and everything looks really happy!
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
1. Your tank is still getting established.
2. Quit using tap water. Only use RO or distilled water for make up water and top offs.
3. Check your salinity and make sure it's between 1.022 and 1.026 constant - don't let it vary at all.
4. Stop feeding your tank until you get a fish.
5. Keep the lights off for the next week, then put them on a timer for two to three hours a day.
6. Do 50% water change every Saturday for the next three Saturdays with pure water + a high quality salt mix.
7. Keep reading and researching. Check out my threads on aquarium maintenance, aquarium husbandry and water changes. I'll post links if you can't find em'.
2. Quit using tap water. Only use RO or distilled water for make up water and top offs.
3. Check your salinity and make sure it's between 1.022 and 1.026 constant - don't let it vary at all.
4. Stop feeding your tank until you get a fish.
5. Keep the lights off for the next week, then put them on a timer for two to three hours a day.
6. Do 50% water change every Saturday for the next three Saturdays with pure water + a high quality salt mix.
7. Keep reading and researching. Check out my threads on aquarium maintenance, aquarium husbandry and water changes. I'll post links if you can't find em'.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433515
I am having a bright green slime algae cover stuff. Lights are on 10 hours a day with 50/50 and blue actinic both 65w in a 20g tank. Phosphates are .5ppm with everything else in check. Tank is 3 weeks old. Is this part of the process?
Basically yep.
to lower phosphates IMHO you have to have algae consuming the phosphates. A refugium full of macro algaes is the best IMHO.
And to make sure to don't overfeed.
If you're worried about some nuisance algae just kill your lights and stop feeding until it dies off.
my .02
Originally Posted by nick0604 http:///t/388943/how-do-i-lower-my-phosphates#post_3433515
I am having a bright green slime algae cover stuff. Lights are on 10 hours a day with 50/50 and blue actinic both 65w in a 20g tank. Phosphates are .5ppm with everything else in check. Tank is 3 weeks old. Is this part of the process?
Basically yep.
to lower phosphates IMHO you have to have algae consuming the phosphates. A refugium full of macro algaes is the best IMHO.
And to make sure to don't overfeed.
If you're worried about some nuisance algae just kill your lights and stop feeding until it dies off.
my .02