Major Phosphate Issue and Effects

[steve22]

Ok so I just wrote a long post but I lost it when I had to log in. I just joined the site and will update my profile soon. I have a 54G corner bow reef. 10G sump, heater, chiller, skimmer,2 powerheads, UV, 150W Halogen & 2x65W Actinic... I think that's it

Long story short, my phosphates are very high .5 (yes, not .05). I've tested my tap water and it's at .5, I also tested the water after going through my RO and it's also .5... so water changes will not help here.

My fish, hermit crabs and nassarius snails seems to be doing well. My coral (1 star polyp) is struggling and whenever I add turbo snails to the tank they die by the next day.

I tried fixing this a couple of months ago but got caught up with other things... so I'm trying again as I really want my tank to be awesome!

In the past I tried liquid phosphate remover and GFO in my sump and neither seems to help much. I am going to try GFO again as well as start feeding less and no more flake food.

So I guess my real questions are:

Should my RO filter be removing phosphates? I replaced the membrane and pre-filter and it still didn't help.
What effect is the extremely high phosphates having on my tank?
What else can I do besides a phos reactor as I'm not convinced it will help since I will be adding .5 level water to my tank with water changes.

Also I'm a little confused as one LFS said phophates don't matter (they don't even test theirs) while another said it's an issue and I should buy a Phos Reactor.

 

[ZANYMASTER]

Is it just a RO filter and not a RO/DI in which the DI gets rid of most or all the phosphates?That LFS is giving you bad advice.

 

[JARRETT SHARK]

how are you testing phosphate? Most test kits suck, get a meter
if you want i see you live close by me, bring me your water and i will test it for you and help you out

 

[MGR201]

I used NYC water to initially establish my BioCube 29. Subsequently, I tested the tap water and determined that the PO4 content was approximately 1 ppm (see test results somewhere on this blog). I am now using DI water but I also run Pura Phos-lock in the second chamber. I replace it every six weeks and my PO4 levels rarely rise above 0.01 ppm (using both Red Sea and Salifert test kits).

 

[steve22]

I have the Pure-flo 2 canister system, I read it removed 99% of everything from the water so I didn't get the 3 cannister system, they don't mention phosphate specifically.

Looks like I can buy the DI add-on, that should help then right? Will it remove all of them?

Funny thing though... my 54G tank was an upgrade from my 12G nano which used the same water and RO filter. I never measured phosphate on that tank but my fish and coral thrived in it. kinda brings me back to what effect does phosphate really have?

54G has been up and running since Feb... ph 8.3, salinity 1.021, am & ni 0, kh 10, temp 77 and nitrate always between 10 & 20

 

[D1J8Z]

I have a 4 stage r/o unit I use the third canister as my DI

My first one is a 5 micron sediment filter then the next is 1 micron carbon block then it goes through the membrane and then through the DI and I get a reading of 0.00 on my TDS meter.

Of coarse Jarrettshark has shown me the way.

I feed a lot, I have a lot of fish but since I got my TDS down to 0 my algae has been slowly diminishing:birthday:

 

[jadakiss]

my advice would be 1.get di stage
2.water change every week
3.run gfo and change it every week for at least month and half then change every 2weeks
4.use microb lift special blend
5.make sure ur bulbs are not too old. if u follow this in a couple months u can come c me for free frag

 

[Donewiththisplace]

Hi phosphates will lead to algae...

If you think its the tap water that maybe causing the PO4 spike maybe try using a prebottled RO water. Target store brand water is RO and only a $1 a gallon...try 2 or 3 water changes this way and see if the PO4 drops.

What ever you do though change things one at a time then retest....or else you wont know what worked and what didnt.

PO4 does matter...dont always listen to everything the LFS tells you. I personally dont like adding chemicals to the tank until I have exhausted all other methods first.

 

[smoknreefrs]

1st change LFS, use ro/di water filter, do a 50% water change wait a few days (3-5) do another 50% water change, then keep up with 10-20% weekly water changes with the ro/di, run phosban or rowaphos (my personal favs), and make sure you run the skimmer wet (make sure you have a decent skimmer). Drain of your frozen foods as they contain some phophates, and dont over feed.

You MUST use a DI resin to remove phosphate
MOST IMPORTANTLY PATIENTS.

 

[steve22]

thanks for the help everyone... i ordered the DI add-on with 2 day shipping and some microbe special blend so i'll be starting the water changes soon. i'm gonna do a 20% change everyday and i'll start using the phosban after i do 2 or 3 of them.

i'll keep you updated!

 

[steve22]

Got my DI add-on tonight and hooked it up... it says to discard the first 10 gallons of water. I tested the water after about 5 and there's no change in the phosphate yet, it's still at .5. I'll let it keep running and see what happens after 10... it doesn't look promising though so far

 

[steve22]

The cartridge in the DI canister looks like green pellets, is that right?

 

[tentacles]

Could you post a link to the exact item you ordered? My DI resin is a mix of grey, black and blue because it's the kind that changes color when it's exhausted. (The non color changing DI resin that I have used was brownish blackish gold.) Do you also have carbon in the canister?

I would let the unit produce 5-10 more gallons before testing again.

Also, what test kits are you using? Anything other than the hanna meters are horribly inaccurate. There is also the possibility that your tests kits are expired. I would recommend going out and buying a gallon of purified water (not spring water) from the grocery store, and run a "control" test with that. There are a lot of different types of waters available in grocery stores, so make sure you read the label- it specifies the manner in which it was purified. I know at Kmart they sell a brand called "Smart Sense" or "Smart Taste," which lists spring, distilled, purified and possibly filtered. The purified version is RO/DI.

 

[steve22]

I got this unit:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=12096

which adds on to my current unit:

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4395+12093&pcatid=12093


I have the 3 stage (2 canister + RO membrane) unit and attached the input of the DI canister to the output of the RO unit.

 

[Sputnik]

http://www.marinedepot.com/Two_Litt...rs-Two_Little_Fishies-TL4311-FIFRISPR-vi.html

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EHIF9Q/?tag=reefs04-20

This is all i use besides an RO/DI water, Phosphate is undetectable in my tank!

 

[batt600]

Ok every on is telling to get this and that but no one is telling to buy a photo meter to test for p04. Test kit will give you a wrong reading all the time get a hanna checker and check your p04 the right way .

 

[tentacles]

Ok every on is telling to get this and that but no one is telling to buy a photo meter to test for p04. Test kit will give you a wrong reading all the time get a hanna checker and check your p04 the right way .

No one?

Also, what test kits are you using? Anything other than the hanna meters are horribly inaccurate.

 

[batt600]

No one?

My falt didnt see that one well 1 person at let said somthing.