DrHarryLopez
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Ozone Park, Queens
Techniques in reduction of Phosphates
- Thread starter DrHarryLopez
- Start date
- Location
- LONG ISLAND NEW YORK
For some reason the link I was looking at is not working right now, but it said that you could use these "solid vodka dosing products" without a reactor and that a filter bag would be fine as long as there was decent flow going through it. Would this be a bad idea?
Also a couple of other questions from an earlier post:
Also a couple of other questions from an earlier post:
JSweeney76
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Hamilton, NJ
Just tagging along. Interested in what everyone has to say. Can you guys also discuss good ways to drop your nitrates. So far I hear water changes and NP Biopellets. What else??
- Location
- Huntington
Phosphate and nitrate are absolutely necessary compounds for life to even exist in your tanks so there always needs to be some minute amount present.
Stop feeding liquid foods off a shelf that don't require refrigeration, you're just adding crap to your tank and making it harder for yourself. Spend the money on quality coral foods. I use reef nutrition, I think it's one of the best product lines out there. I feed a lot to both the fish and corals in every reef I have owned personally or taken care of professionally and I have never found an issue keeping the nitrates and phosphates in check (on tanks that are properly set up) even with all the food I dump in.
The best way to explain this is what I tell all my customers, your tank is a living breathing organism the same as you or me and everything needs to be in balance for it to run properly. Doing one thing will offset another or knock something else out of balance. There is almost always more than one reason for a problem in our tanks and more than one course of action to fix it. Keeping this in mind, if you add crap food to the tank you get crap out of it. The same way as if you ate McDonalds every meal but worked out just enough to tell other people you go to the gym, the results would be less than superb and it would show. Now if you ate healthy foods that offered proper nutrition with none of the added garbage in it and went to the gym just a little, the end result would be far more desirable and you would have fewer overall health issues down the line. I've always found that slamming reef tanks with the right food for the livestock is far more beneficial than starving the tank to keep the levels down. Proper foods will be utilized and have less waste floating around the tank rotting. My feeding regimen is mostly PE mysis (no packing fluid added and it's a freshwater mysis so there is no salt for the fish to consume), soaked in a mix of all four of the reef nutrition liquid foods and left to defrost together. The liquid foods added should be altered to fit your tank but I always add the oyster feast and phyto feast to the mysis regardless. I find they cling to the mysis allowing the fish to consume them almost like gut loading since they would be consuming some vegetable matter in most of the live foods they eat in the wild and I think that is a huge part of what is lacking in captivity for them. So, nutritionally dense quality foods is a huge part of this chemistry equation in my eyes.
The other main weapon would be GFO in a properly operated reactor. I haven't personally used bio pellets, they probably work to some degree but I have never found the need to go beyond normal maintenance, phos reactor, and a well constructed tank as far as rock and sand and sump/fuge setup. GFO works great to help keep the phosphates low along with the other things I mentioned.
The last thing would be R.O. water. I can't stress R.O. enough, especially in a small tank. If you don't want to buy a unit most stores do sell R.O. and 5 gallons a week will save you a huge headache.
Stop feeding liquid foods off a shelf that don't require refrigeration, you're just adding crap to your tank and making it harder for yourself. Spend the money on quality coral foods. I use reef nutrition, I think it's one of the best product lines out there. I feed a lot to both the fish and corals in every reef I have owned personally or taken care of professionally and I have never found an issue keeping the nitrates and phosphates in check (on tanks that are properly set up) even with all the food I dump in.
The best way to explain this is what I tell all my customers, your tank is a living breathing organism the same as you or me and everything needs to be in balance for it to run properly. Doing one thing will offset another or knock something else out of balance. There is almost always more than one reason for a problem in our tanks and more than one course of action to fix it. Keeping this in mind, if you add crap food to the tank you get crap out of it. The same way as if you ate McDonalds every meal but worked out just enough to tell other people you go to the gym, the results would be less than superb and it would show. Now if you ate healthy foods that offered proper nutrition with none of the added garbage in it and went to the gym just a little, the end result would be far more desirable and you would have fewer overall health issues down the line. I've always found that slamming reef tanks with the right food for the livestock is far more beneficial than starving the tank to keep the levels down. Proper foods will be utilized and have less waste floating around the tank rotting. My feeding regimen is mostly PE mysis (no packing fluid added and it's a freshwater mysis so there is no salt for the fish to consume), soaked in a mix of all four of the reef nutrition liquid foods and left to defrost together. The liquid foods added should be altered to fit your tank but I always add the oyster feast and phyto feast to the mysis regardless. I find they cling to the mysis allowing the fish to consume them almost like gut loading since they would be consuming some vegetable matter in most of the live foods they eat in the wild and I think that is a huge part of what is lacking in captivity for them. So, nutritionally dense quality foods is a huge part of this chemistry equation in my eyes.
The other main weapon would be GFO in a properly operated reactor. I haven't personally used bio pellets, they probably work to some degree but I have never found the need to go beyond normal maintenance, phos reactor, and a well constructed tank as far as rock and sand and sump/fuge setup. GFO works great to help keep the phosphates low along with the other things I mentioned.
The last thing would be R.O. water. I can't stress R.O. enough, especially in a small tank. If you don't want to buy a unit most stores do sell R.O. and 5 gallons a week will save you a huge headache.
- Location
- long island
I have found out that brightwell makes a safe carbon dosing method. that is full proff that you can not over dose, but then in this hobby everything can be over doesed.
I vodke dose and my phosphates are 6. but also they were tested when I did not swap out my gfo and went throught my little problem with the caseings for the reactors.
I vodke dose and my phosphates are 6. but also they were tested when I did not swap out my gfo and went throught my little problem with the caseings for the reactors.
- Location
- Queens, NY
How much Granular Ferric Oxide in grams does it take to reduce phosphate levels by 1.0 PPM in 100 gallons of water? let's say I leave it in for 1 month? My levels are between 2.0 to 5.0 PPM according to the API Reef Masters test kit's color chart.
From what I gather, 1 gram of Granular Ferric Oxide per gallon of water only eliminated phosphates by like 0.1 - 0.5 PPM?
So that means I need to use 10 grams per gallon for 1.0 - 5.0 PPM reduction?
Multiply by 100 gallons equals a kilogram for my tank to reduce from 5PPM to zero?
Am I way off here?
From what I gather, 1 gram of Granular Ferric Oxide per gallon of water only eliminated phosphates by like 0.1 - 0.5 PPM?
So that means I need to use 10 grams per gallon for 1.0 - 5.0 PPM reduction?
Multiply by 100 gallons equals a kilogram for my tank to reduce from 5PPM to zero?
Am I way off here?
In my opinion rinsing frozen food before feeding is a must that juice from frozen food has tons of nutrients in it that u dont want in your water also by feeding corals twise a week u add even more. High nutrients=nothing but problems
IF u add to much GFO all at once it might bleach some of your corals run GFO over a period of time (months) use as directed on the can and u will see the PO4 go down a bit change it ones a month do 15% weekly water changes use a good skimmer and the po4 and no3 will go down over a period of time . Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank
- Location
- Wallingford, CT
You would probably go through $100 worth of GFO to get 1.0 ppm down in a 100 + gallon tank.
I've used pool chemicals or liquid Po4 remover to bring the levels down as much as I can and then started to use GFO.
I've used pool chemicals or liquid Po4 remover to bring the levels down as much as I can and then started to use GFO.
- Location
- Jefferson City, MO
so what do you guys think about the turf scrubber concept? I am in process of planning my "new" tank. I wanted to keep it simple and stable. Thanks my mantra this go around.
Best way to lower phosphates is to reduce your bio load. For years, I use to buck the trend. When I started a reef, my LFS stated this.
For a reef," it's either fish or corals not both". It's like to keep corals, you should have a token small number of fish.
It's just so much easier. My nitrates are 0 and my phosphates are 0. I have a couple of fish in my reef.
It's like when you go to a LFS and see a ton of fish. In order to do that, you need a really large sump or do a bunch of things that are always fighting or bucking the trend.
I do understand things to fight phosphates, but I believe the best answer is a small bio load. How I cheat, is even though I have a small number of fish, I also have a CUC, fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, etc. So the CUC, usually is not considered to to add to the bio load.
Again, all good things in this thread to reduce phosphates, but for beginners, it really is easier to just have a low bio load.
PS. I think a great tip, is to really stress to beginners the low bio load goal. I have seen so many beginners, tell me that they have no chemical problems. Then, a few months later, their tanks crash. The reason, is that sometimes, it just takes a bit longer for the explosion to occur.
For a reef," it's either fish or corals not both". It's like to keep corals, you should have a token small number of fish.
It's just so much easier. My nitrates are 0 and my phosphates are 0. I have a couple of fish in my reef.
It's like when you go to a LFS and see a ton of fish. In order to do that, you need a really large sump or do a bunch of things that are always fighting or bucking the trend.
I do understand things to fight phosphates, but I believe the best answer is a small bio load. How I cheat, is even though I have a small number of fish, I also have a CUC, fire shrimp, cleaner shrimp, etc. So the CUC, usually is not considered to to add to the bio load.
Again, all good things in this thread to reduce phosphates, but for beginners, it really is easier to just have a low bio load.
PS. I think a great tip, is to really stress to beginners the low bio load goal. I have seen so many beginners, tell me that they have no chemical problems. Then, a few months later, their tanks crash. The reason, is that sometimes, it just takes a bit longer for the explosion to occur.
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Turf scrubbers are great so long as you maintain them and run carbon to combat yellowing of the water. Chaeto fuges are another good way to reduce nitrates and phosphates, and I've heard that Xenia (allowed to infest a fuge and harvested when it gets out of control) works well at reducing phosphates.
- Location
- Garden city
This is the first time I'm hearing about turf alage scurbbers they seem simple how do they work??? Can u buy them or are they just diy
Anyone here use them??
Sent from my iPad using Reefs
Anyone here use them??
Sent from my iPad using Reefs
DrHarryLopez
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Ozone Park, Queens
Jarrett, its always good to review. Might find something you''ve missed.
that's what I have feeding my refugium section, I clean one side of the net every two weeks, I don't test the phos any more, I know is always below .05
then again I also run TLF phos reactor and the skimmer is a SWC 160
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fallenlordz
Cant hear you under Water
- Location
- Fresh Meadows, NY
cool
DrHarryLopez
Advanced Reefer
- Location
- Ozone Park, Queens
Fancy!
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