phosphate remover during cycle

[diddley]

a question below made me think of this. after my cycle my phosphates were elevated. i then started using weiss phospate/silicate magnet and they came down to near zero where they have stayed. would it be a bad idea to use the stuff during the cycle to keep phosphates down? would this help with algae or would it throw off the cycle somehow? any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[jlm]

I would like to know the answer to that ? Because I was thinking about using something during my cycle. Anybody?

 

[diddley]

bump

 

[birdy]

I do not feel there is any need to use a phophate sponge during the cycle, it is normal for phosphates to rise, it is some thing you take care of after the cycle is over.

 

[diddley]

thanks birdy, cute babies. i'm a twin myself.
i guess what i was really getting at is this: would using the phosphate magnet during the cycle reduce undesirable algea while allowing the cycle to run its normal course? just floating an idea out there.

 

[diddley]

?

 

[smshep01]

Honestly, IMO I would not touch anything while your tank is cycling. That is what a cycle is basically for. Your levels will go up and down. This is normal. My tank cycled for over 3 weeks before all of the levels went down to 0. As far as phosphates are concerned. I would definately buy RO/DI water as opposed to using regular tap water. You may even invest in an RO/DI filtration system to save yourself some bucks down the road. they are a little costly, but if you have the $$ now eventually, it will pay off down the road. Also, I reccomend doing a 25% water change every month. I usually do 10% per week. This will also help in aiding keeping your water levels low. I would not start to do this until after the cycling has been completed though. Hope this helps some!
Sheppie

 

[diddley]

my newest tank i cycled for 8 weeks with live rock. i then did 2 25% percent water changes a couple of days apart. i used RO water with no phosphates. my tank tested at 0.5 after the waterchanges with a salifert kit. i started using weiss phos and sil magnet and they have stayed at near zero. the phosphates were evidently a product of the cycle. i'm just wondering if keeping them at zero during the cycle would not hurt anything and would reduce unwanted algae.