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meph

Experienced Reefer
Location
Queens NY
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Hi, i just got my hanna phosmeter... whats should the level be? 0 like ammonia and nitrite?
I got a .18ppm reading.

The nutrisystem test kit i got tested as below .25
 

meph

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Queens NY
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i know... i took a chance to see what people would say :) I did a few searches and got mixed results. Any suggestions on how to reduce phosphate? I was thinking of getting some pura pads.
 

jackson6745

SPS KILLER
Location
NJ
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.03 on a hanna meter is perfect! If you got 0.0 your tank would be starved. If you had SPS they would be pale in color. 0.0 on a hanna meter is a very difficult level to get to in any system.
On any conventional teskit such as salifert, API, elos, merrick etc. you should always get 0 as a reading. Regular phosphate testkits are useless at low ranges.


BTW I am speaking about the older more expensive hanna meters. i am not sure how accurate the new po4 checker is.
 
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JARRETT SHARK

Addicted to coral
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.03 on a hanna meter is perfect! If you got 0.0 your tank would be starved. If you had sps they would be pale in color. 0.0 on a hanna meter is a very difficult level to get to in any system.
On any conventional teskit such as salifert, api, elos, merrick etc. You should always get 0 as a reading. Regular phosphate testkits are useless at low ranges.


Btw i am speaking about the older more expensive hanna meters. I am not sure how accurate the next po4 checker is.

i agree, as long as you dont go above .05 you should be fine. The new hana meters are not exactly 100% acurate. I own one and get readings all close but not always the exactly same??
Just keep up with 2 week water changes and you see improvement.
 

JimmyR1rider

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Was talking to Simon Garrett at the swap(the setup the night before) he stated that all living things need a certain level of phosphate to survive- when he got his to test absolute 0 with his lab grade merc kits his corals started to not do so great. When he raised them- mostly by feeding a lot of algae based foods like nori and such which are loaded with phosphates to where the merc kits started to get readings registering everything looked better than they had in along time.

Based on that-- the Hanna not test kits like us poor folk use(lol) you dont want absolute 0 on that meter. You want it to just register like stated by others in here id say .03 would be good.

Enjoy the meter.
 

Macropora

Zoa Echino Aficionado
Location
Bayside
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My readings on my Hanna Phosphate Meter stayed around .11 and .07. I made water changes at 5% tank volume once a week for about two months and it still stayed around .07. When I finally cleaned the inside of the test tube, the reading dropped to .05. So long story short, the test tubes need to be cleaned as well. You'll see a marked improved in LPS corals such as Chalices when the phosphate levels are below .05.
 
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DrHarryLopez

Advanced Reefer
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My readings on my Hanna Phosphate Meter stayed around .11 and .07. I made water changes at 5% tank volume once a week for about two months and it still stayed around .07. When I finally cleaned the inside of the test tube, the reading dropped to .05. So long story short, the test tubes need to be cleaned as well. You'll see a marked improved in LPS corals such as Chalices when the phosphate levels are below .05.

Good point.
 

meph

Experienced Reefer
Location
Queens NY
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I rinse the tubes w/ tap water after i use it.... and before i test, i rinse it with test water and pour that out before I put fresh test water. I also wipe the tubes down with a microfiber cloth b4 I insert it into the tester.

Last week i got .18ppm and this week i got .10 ppm.
 

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