tomatoclown
Member
What is the best way to lower phosphates? I do 10% water changes weekly on my 55 gallon aquarium.
Phosphate
- Thread starter tomatoclown
- Start date
amyandbrandon2
Member
Originally Posted by tomatoclown
http:///forum/post/2481989
What is the best way to lower phosphates? I do 10% water changes weekly on my 55 gallon aquarium.
Do you happen to run carbon filters on your tank?
http:///forum/post/2481989
What is the best way to lower phosphates? I do 10% water changes weekly on my 55 gallon aquarium.
Do you happen to run carbon filters on your tank?
perfectdark
Active Member
Phosphate reactor or run phosguard in a mesh bag. Change your carbon more often these can lead to adding phosphates to your system.
amyandbrandon2
Member
Theres also this stuff called Kent Marine Phosphate Sponge 2 Qt that says it lowers phosphates in hours. I've personally never tried it, but it might be worth a try if your phosphates are to high.
tomatoclown
Member
I do have a little active carbon in my one canister filter.
I use RO water, so there might be 1% of phosphate in there.
The real reason i ask about phosphate is because my tank grows brown algae on the sand fast. Like i said before i do a 10% water change and get all the visable aglae off the sand then then as soon as i feed my fish the algae starts up again.
I use RO water, so there might be 1% of phosphate in there.
The real reason i ask about phosphate is because my tank grows brown algae on the sand fast. Like i said before i do a 10% water change and get all the visable aglae off the sand then then as soon as i feed my fish the algae starts up again.
amyandbrandon2
Member
Hmmm....how many fish do you have? How much are you feeding? What are you feeding? What is your CUC?
Maybe with some more info. we can get to the root of the problem
Maybe with some more info. we can get to the root of the problem
tomatoclown
Member
I have about 9 fish and none of them are large right now
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
perfectdark
Active Member
Originally Posted by tomatoclown
http:///forum/post/2482181
I have about 9 fish and none of them are large right now
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
9 fish in a 55? OUCH!! thats quite a bio load.. a pic would help. It very well maybe phosphates but with that type of bio load and all the food, I certainly wouldnt rule out cyano. It does come in a variety of colors brown being one of them. Have you tested for phosphates?
http:///forum/post/2482181
I have about 9 fish and none of them are large right now
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
9 fish in a 55? OUCH!! thats quite a bio load.. a pic would help. It very well maybe phosphates but with that type of bio load and all the food, I certainly wouldnt rule out cyano. It does come in a variety of colors brown being one of them. Have you tested for phosphates?
amyandbrandon2
Member
Originally Posted by tomatoclown
http:///forum/post/2482181
I have about 9 fish and none of them are large right now
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
Wow...9 fish? I hope you have quite a filtration system. What kind of fish are they...Clowns, gobies...etc...
CUC means clean up crew, i.e. Snails, hermits.
How much LR do you have in your 55? What types of filtration are you using?
http:///forum/post/2482181
I have about 9 fish and none of them are large right now
i feed frozen mysis shrimp half a cube every other day
i'm not sure what CUC means
Wow...9 fish? I hope you have quite a filtration system. What kind of fish are they...Clowns, gobies...etc...
CUC means clean up crew, i.e. Snails, hermits.
How much LR do you have in your 55? What types of filtration are you using?
tomatoclown
Member
I have 2 percula clowns, 2 tomato clowns, foxface, 3 pj cardinals, scotter blennie
around 30 members of the clean up crew (snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp)
i have a fluval canister filter and hang on refugium
around 200 lbs. of live rock
around 30 members of the clean up crew (snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp)
i have a fluval canister filter and hang on refugium
around 200 lbs. of live rock
perfectdark
Active Member
Originally Posted by tomatoclown
http:///forum/post/2482204
I have 2 percula clowns, 2 tomato clowns, foxface, 3 pj cardinals, scotter blennie
around 30 members of the clean up crew (snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp)
i have a fluval canister filter and hang on refugium
around 200 lbs. of live rock
You have 200# of LR in a 55 gal tank?
is that even possible to fit that much LR into a 55? IMO you have wayyy to much LR for a tank that size. Your also going to get into some serious issues with your clowns down the road IMO. How long has this tank been set up? Pictures would be very benificial here.
http:///forum/post/2482204
I have 2 percula clowns, 2 tomato clowns, foxface, 3 pj cardinals, scotter blennie
around 30 members of the clean up crew (snails, hermits, crabs, shrimp)
i have a fluval canister filter and hang on refugium
around 200 lbs. of live rock
You have 200# of LR in a 55 gal tank?
saltn00b
Active Member
ok first get yourself a PO4 test kit.
water changes do very little in reducing PO4. perhaps it helps with disastrous numbers, but it doesnt solve the issue.
PO4 is introduced into the system from animal waste, and food (ESPECIALLY FROZEN CUBES) and exported out of the system by either being locked up / absorbed by calcerous materials (SUCH AS sand, rock, dead coral skeleton), and in that same category is the Phosban media which works wonders in a reactor like the one from 2littlefishies, ....or it is "eaten" /absorbed by corals (very little, and too much PO4 can easily kill corals) and mostly plantlife, and most often in aquariums macro algaes (cheato -which i happen to be selling right now lol, culerpa, Halimeda, etc..) in refugiums.
do you keep corals? if so, PO4 is not a big deal in your tank, unless its in large enough quantities to feed other algaes that will cause break outs such as cyano.
either way, continue using RO/ DI water for top offs and water changes, this should contain ZERO PO4.
your live stock is contributing to your waste buld up - (what are your ammo / trates at?) and as said before, you are going to have problems with 2 species of clowns in a small tank, so that should help you reduce your tank by 2 fish.
switch off of the frozen cubes immediately. use flake, pellets, homemade food.
you have a lot of LR, did you buy it used? old Live Rock that was in other people's aquariums have already absorbed a lot, if not all of their potential of PO4. once absorbed to capacity, they cannot absorb any more, and cannot un-absorb it. when all of your sand and rock is in this state, that is when you start to quickly build up PO4 in the water column. So, one idea is to switch out ( or add, but not in your case) some of your LR with new LR (or base rock, cheaper) so that it immediately cleans out the water column. Sand is another idea as well. i once added 40 lbs of aragonite to a 150g system and PO4 dropped from 1.0 to 0.4 over night.
lastly, i strongly suggest getting phosban reactor.
to help quell the algal upwelling, run your tank without lights for 3 days. this is a healthy thing to do and corals are not harmed by it.
water changes do very little in reducing PO4. perhaps it helps with disastrous numbers, but it doesnt solve the issue.
PO4 is introduced into the system from animal waste, and food (ESPECIALLY FROZEN CUBES) and exported out of the system by either being locked up / absorbed by calcerous materials (SUCH AS sand, rock, dead coral skeleton), and in that same category is the Phosban media which works wonders in a reactor like the one from 2littlefishies, ....or it is "eaten" /absorbed by corals (very little, and too much PO4 can easily kill corals) and mostly plantlife, and most often in aquariums macro algaes (cheato -which i happen to be selling right now lol, culerpa, Halimeda, etc..) in refugiums.
do you keep corals? if so, PO4 is not a big deal in your tank, unless its in large enough quantities to feed other algaes that will cause break outs such as cyano.
either way, continue using RO/ DI water for top offs and water changes, this should contain ZERO PO4.
your live stock is contributing to your waste buld up - (what are your ammo / trates at?) and as said before, you are going to have problems with 2 species of clowns in a small tank, so that should help you reduce your tank by 2 fish.
switch off of the frozen cubes immediately. use flake, pellets, homemade food.
you have a lot of LR, did you buy it used? old Live Rock that was in other people's aquariums have already absorbed a lot, if not all of their potential of PO4. once absorbed to capacity, they cannot absorb any more, and cannot un-absorb it. when all of your sand and rock is in this state, that is when you start to quickly build up PO4 in the water column. So, one idea is to switch out ( or add, but not in your case) some of your LR with new LR (or base rock, cheaper) so that it immediately cleans out the water column. Sand is another idea as well. i once added 40 lbs of aragonite to a 150g system and PO4 dropped from 1.0 to 0.4 over night.
lastly, i strongly suggest getting phosban reactor.
to help quell the algal upwelling, run your tank without lights for 3 days. this is a healthy thing to do and corals are not harmed by it.
tomatoclown
Member
Ok.........maybe 200 was abit much, a better look and i would say more of 150
Yes, i have mushrooms, polyps, leathers, kenya
Last time i checked my NH3-0 and NO3- .5 (last week)
the brown algae only grows on the sand, and there is no other algae anywhere else
The tank has been up and running for about 7 months
Yes, i have mushrooms, polyps, leathers, kenya
Last time i checked my NH3-0 and NO3- .5 (last week)
the brown algae only grows on the sand, and there is no other algae anywhere else
The tank has been up and running for about 7 months