Phosphate Sponge Question

[tmy880]

I am battling with an outbreak of Hair algae only on my sand. I tried the lights off thing for 3 days and it worked for a while. I also vacuumed off my sand bed by hand.
My phosphates are zero according to hte API test but i dont trust that kit.
I'm assuming I have phosphates and that is what is causing the outbreak.
I only feed a small cube of food every other day in my tank.
My levels are currently at:
Trite: 0
Trate: 0
Ammonia: 0
PH: 8.2
Temp 76-80
Stock list:
1 six line wrasse
2 green chromis
1 blue hippo
2 fals per clowns
1 cleaner shrimp
1 bi colored blennie
1 lawn mower blennie
Inverts: about 5 large nassarius snails
7 or so small nassarius snails
4 mex turbos
20 or so red legged hermit crabs
Corals:
5 green mushrooms
3 green hairy mushrooms
1 red mushroom
1 green striped mushroom
several zoa frage
2 pulsing xenia one pink one white
1 maze brain coral
1 yellow polyp coral.
My lights are 2 250watt Icecap ballasts running 2 20K ushio bulbs.
My lighting cycle is on at 0900 hours, and off at 1700 hours.
My tank is 110 with a 20 gallon sump and a 20 gallon fuge!
Sooooo my question is: I bought 2 quarts of Kent phosphate sponge.
How do I run this and for how long. Is it reusable?
Any help or ideas on how to cure this problem would be helpful.
Thank you.

 

[perfectdark]

Phosphate removers come in 2 different types one is rechargable the other isnt. Alum based and Iron based, I believe. The ones that are rechargable will release phosphates back into your system ones they have reached their useful end. The other does not they bind the phosphates not allowing them to be released.
Another reason why you may not show any phosphates on a test kit could be besause there are 3 different types of phosphates and I believe 1 you cannot test for, maybe 2. Well one for sure, it binds itself to something else and cannot be tested for.

 

[gregs]

Interesting response, I never knew there were two types of Phos removers.
I had done a pretty good job of red slime algea removal after a recent outbreak using a phos zorb product, but the last couple weeks following a water change, and rinsing of the media in tap water it's starting to return. I've been unsure if this product zorb'ed all it could in the first couple weeks, or if I had ruined it with the tap water rinse.

 

[socal57che]

Don't forget to take into consideration the algae is also taking in phosphates thus lowering your test result.
Do you rinse your food? Green hair also likes proteins. (the liquid in frozen food is very high in proteins which are not conumed by fish, but build up in your water column)
Increasing water flow can also help.

 

[cprdnick]

How Old Are Your Bulbs?

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by cprdnick
How Old Are Your Bulbs?

As bulbs age they change intensity and, arguably, spectrum.
Since you have 20,000 kelvin bulbs to begin with I didn't think it was an issue.

 

[tmy880]

Originally Posted by cprdnick
How Old Are Your Bulbs?
About 6 months!

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by tmy880
About 6 months!
You're fine there, then.

 

[socal57che]

Hey tmy880. A fellow Vegas/Henderson resident is looking to make a SWF purchase and may want to do a group buy if you need anything.

 

[vampofvegas]

Yea i'm in Section 27 of Henderson (Wagon Wheel) let me know if you want to chip in to buy something).
Not sure if this will help, but when I had my Ghost Knife and Bala Shark (and I still use it now with regular brine shrimp) i would feed them the frozen cubes. But I would put the cube in a strainer/sifter (its so small it will only let liquid out) and run it under the sink and let it thaw out and wash the liquid of the cub away. I'd then put the thawed out food in the tank w/ no liquid from the cube in the water.

 

[tmy880]

Originally Posted by socal57che
Hey tmy880. A fellow Vegas/Henderson resident is looking to make a SWF purchase and may want to do a group buy if you need anything.
I appreciate that......I just did an order from another site.
So I just got the Kent Marine Phosphate Sponge today.
It says to use a 800 micron bag. Do I just fill the bag and place it in the sump between the baffles. It says it needs the water to flow through the bag and not just around it. I dont have a canister filter or anything.
Anyone with experience with this could answer I would much appreciate it.

 

[socal57che]

Originally Posted by tmy880
I appreciate that......I just did an order from another site.
So I just got the Kent Marine Phosphate Sponge today.
It says to use a 800 micron bag. Do I just fill the bag and place it in the sump between the baffles. It says it needs the water to flow through the bag and not just around it. I dont have a canister filter or anything.
Anyone with experience with this could answer I would much appreciate it.

That's fine.
I have a Prizm Pro HOB skimmer that has a media compartment so I put it in there.

 

[tmy880]

One more question.
Since my API test kit reads 0 phosphates........how long should I run the sponge if I cant tell what levels the phosphates are.......
Thanks

 

[socal57che]

I have run a phos. magnet with a zero reading because I thought the test was flawed. I leave it in for a week, then remove and repeat for 1 week. Remember that some will leach phosphate back when they are full, but they are full and have removed as much as they can. I'm cool with that.