I have been trying to get rid of my phosphate problem for a while now. However I have gotten very aggresive in the last 7-10 days with out much luck. I have been running a very wet protein skimmer (etss 600) and been running rowaphos guard. While the rowa worked at the start of things I haven't seen any additional drop in readings. Right now they are about .50ppm does anyone have any suggestions. I have heard that phosreactors work great. By the way I have a sand bed and the tank is 125 gallons.
phosphate issues
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jmp21677 I am going to move this thread to general discussion we should be able to get more attention.
The rowaphos works well when the phosphate is in the dissolved inorganic form, but will only take out phosphate when it is in that form. It also only has the ability to hold so much before it becomes spent. So if you've had it in there for a while and it took out a bunch of phosphate it might be used up.
The best way to get rid of phosphate is to find out what the source of it is and then eliminate that. So do some testing on your top off water, the food you feed, the additives you use and so on. Also you might want to test the water in various locations in your tank, as in next year live rock, the pore water of your sand bed and the general water column.
Mike
The rowaphos works well when the phosphate is in the dissolved inorganic form, but will only take out phosphate when it is in that form. It also only has the ability to hold so much before it becomes spent. So if you've had it in there for a while and it took out a bunch of phosphate it might be used up.
The best way to get rid of phosphate is to find out what the source of it is and then eliminate that. So do some testing on your top off water, the food you feed, the additives you use and so on. Also you might want to test the water in various locations in your tank, as in next year live rock, the pore water of your sand bed and the general water column.
Mike
Krish
RF STAFF
Also, to add to what Mike said, do you have a fuge incorporated in your system with an algae like chaeto (for eg) in it to help with binding up the phosphates? Also, how old is the system, are you using ro/di water and what salt mix are you using? May help a bit to figure out what's going on. Best of luck
krish75 said:Also, to add to what Mike said, do you have a fuge incorporated in your system with an algae like chaeto (for eg) in it to help with binding up the phosphates? Also, how old is the system, are you using ro/di water and what salt mix are you using? May help a bit to figure out what's going on. Best of luck
krish i know that your reactor out of the sump i bought one and i want to put it inside the sump where is the return pump want to know if it will give different result. i put out of the sump the calc reactor and don't have space for the phosphate rector .
rowaphos was just replaced 2days ago. I tested the water from my ro unit and it showed zero po4. To test the water in my sand bed do I scood out some sand an extract water or just pull water from near the sand bed? Same question for the live rock. has anyone ever heard of live rock becoming bio-loaded and needing to be replaced all together. No fuge. Can add baffels to my sump to make it reufge-like.
Krish
RF STAFF
I've seen some people place them in their sump and it works the same. I just wouldn't submerge the top. Do you need a pump for it? If so, you don't need a very big one because you really only want the flow to basically trickle/flow very slowly through it to be effective. This is the one recommended for mine (Two Little Fishies Phosban reactor) and even that has to be slowed down with a ball valve. If you click on my photo gallery under my name I have a picture of my sump there and the pump is sitting in the chamber right beside it. HTH
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...PROD&Product_Code=MJ400&Category_Code=Maxijet
Krish
RF STAFF
No problem...About how much to use, it is 1 gram per gal. If I remember correctly you have a 120 gal plus sump so you'll probably need the full 150 grams. Which phosphate media did you get? Is it this one? if so, then it is like I said 1 gram per gal
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...OD&Product_Code=TLF-PHOSBAN&Category_Code=TLF
Da85Bears
New member
I was in the same boat as you the past month until I ran across this DIY phosban reactor thread and started using it. After 3 days my xenia came back to life and all my other corals are very happy.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77999
Hey mod I hope I am not stepping on anyones toes by trying to help people out since I've been fighting with the same problem for the last month.
http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=77999
Hey mod I hope I am not stepping on anyones toes by trying to help people out since I've been fighting with the same problem for the last month.
liveforphysics
Banned
The top off water I use on my reefs comes from my cichlid tank. Its often about 80ppm NO3, and about 3ppm PO4 (when I bother to test).
Just a few hours to 1 day max after topping off with it, PO4 and NO3 are undectable again with salifert low range tests.
The only nutrient export I use is Chaetomorpha macro algae, and no skimmer. If you want to have this same effect for your tank, PM me and I will hook you up with a big chunk of chaeto for free. You HAVE to have the right lighting to make it work though, if you arent willing to spend $20 on these homedepot bulbs and set them over your fuge, you may as well not bother. 10k and 6.5k in my experience grow it way too slow or not at all, makeing it useless(because its only helping you while its growing rapidly).
Just a few hours to 1 day max after topping off with it, PO4 and NO3 are undectable again with salifert low range tests.
The only nutrient export I use is Chaetomorpha macro algae, and no skimmer. If you want to have this same effect for your tank, PM me and I will hook you up with a big chunk of chaeto for free. You HAVE to have the right lighting to make it work though, if you arent willing to spend $20 on these homedepot bulbs and set them over your fuge, you may as well not bother. 10k and 6.5k in my experience grow it way too slow or not at all, makeing it useless(because its only helping you while its growing rapidly).
NaH2O
Well-known member
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Da85Bears said:
Welcome to Reef Frontiers!!!
Don't worry about your link. We don't mind that here.
Nice to see another Bears fan! Here's my tribute to the '85 bears: I Love Football!!! Yeah !! - Page 15
Krish
RF STAFF
Go Bears!!!
Pasquale
New member
Hey Bears fan, pretty cool idea. I just added 130# of new Tonga rock to my 125 and I had a battle with Phosphates and visible dust in my tank. It was so bad I put paper towell to filter it out. Any ideas? Anybody
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i put some cheato in my fuge area and i read your post about the lighting i add 2700k 18" florescent on the top but i saw that some of my cheato get brown color is it die ? i have 6500k bulb to .
by the way is the cheato can live in hypo (1.009 Sg) or it will die i want to put some in my QT to clean it to .
by the way is the cheato can live in hypo (1.009 Sg) or it will die i want to put some in my QT to clean it to .
liveforphysics said:
mmkeeper
Well-known member
I used some chaeto in my qt @1.009 and it grew under the walmart 6500k cf bulbs that I got for about $9 each
thanks for the replay .
i have 6500k compact florescent to i will let all work together , but anyway i saw that some of my cheato get soft brown color and i think that it's start to die i will transfer all to my QT and give it some more days if i see that it's getting black i will take it out.i order that 2 day select and the shipping company deliver it after 5 days it was look very green but i think some how it's die.
i have 6500k compact florescent to i will let all work together , but anyway i saw that some of my cheato get soft brown color and i think that it's start to die i will transfer all to my QT and give it some more days if i see that it's getting black i will take it out.i order that 2 day select and the shipping company deliver it after 5 days it was look very green but i think some how it's die.
