High Phosphate problems...Found one cause !!

[yznhmr]

I did a phosphate test onmy tank this morning and found they are back up therein the 1.6 range(not good) which explaines my continus battle with algee, hair, cyno..bla bla bla.. I use RO water in my system, and have tested my WC water(using IO salt)and it is fine. I tested the food i was feeding my fish" Aquarian Marine Flake" and "Wardly Shrimp Pellets" and a kind of shrimp pellets i got from Whirley to test( dont rem what kind), and just adding a couple flakes or a couple pellets to the test vial before or after doing the test(tried both) and they are all loaded with phosphates!!! all this time it was the damn food... Guess ill be testing my frozen food next, if anyone knows of food which doesnt have phosphates in it please let me know.. Hopefully this will be usefull to someone. On my way to store to buy a new Phosphate test kit( as i used most of mine for this test ) and to try som new food..

 

[reefworm]

yznhmr,
PDD is correct that all foods contain phosphate. I'll think you'll find, however, that the flake and pellet foods are among the worst. Try a variety of frozen foods and see if that makes a difference.

 

[yznhmr]

thats what i planned on doing... going frozen..

 

[NoFear29]

Here is a good link to what is in some of the foods we feed...
http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish/data/foods.asp

Lots of good info.

 

[william snyder]

If you can, I'll tell you a great way to feed. Use live brine a few times a week. The fish and corals will eat it all. No waste if you don't over do it.

good luck

 

[PDD]

You are generally not going to find food without phosphates. For the most part, anything with protein is going to have phosphates. The best thing you can do is test your different types of foods and then use the least in phosphates.

Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

I use a refugium and an ATS for nutrient export. I have never tested for phosphates. You have to feed your tank and it will have phsphates in it. You need a way to export it.

 

[Anemone]

Live brine are nutritionally worthless a few days after hatching, unless you "enrich" them (ie, feed them something). Using a product like Selcon is a good source of enrichment, but I still wouldn't feed exclusively live brine.

Kevin