• Welcome back Guest!

    MARSH is a private reefing group. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, but please keep them positive and constructive. Negative threads, posts, or attacks will be removed from view and reviewed by the staff. Continually disruptive, argumentative, or flagrant rule breakers may be suspended or banned.

Phosphates Off The Scale (1 Viewer)

Users who are viewing this thread

OP
OP
PorpoiseHork
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
871
Reaction score
361
Location
Tomball
Well I finally managed to get it down to 0.17 with dosing RX and the water changes every three days. I then stopped dosing and water changes to see what it'd do. 24 hours after the .17 the reading came back with .28, then .39 the third day with no dosing/water changes. So it's currently climbing at .09 ppm/day.

Fish load is as follows:
4 firefish (full grown)
2 clowns (2")
1 yellow wrasse (full grown)
1 Carpenters Wrasse (2")
1 azure damsel (1.5")
1 Royal Grama (2.5")
1 aptasia file fish (1")
1 Purple tang (4")
1 Tomini tang (4")

Tank is about 3.5 years old now and I used 50 pounds of BRS Reef Saver uncured dry rock and a 7 pound Tonga shelf for one side. The tank cycled for 2 months before adding fish. I also have about a dozen Marine Pure spheres in the sump bubble trap after the fuge.

Current food mix, 3 Mysis cubes (rinsed), 3 Marine Cuisine cubes, 3 blood worm cubes (rinsed). Approximately 1/3 of this mix is used daily between the 75G (issue tank) and 20G AIO (No PO4 issues). I also dose with Seachem Stability weekly and have done so since the initial startup. Currently no other bacteria mixes are being used. About 4 months back I used a Dr. Tim's Waste-Away stick but pulled it out after 2 weeks. The tank did cloud up on day 2 of using the stick but cleared up in another 3-4 days. PO4 did not spike until about 2 months ago. So not sure if the Dr. Tim's gel stick is to blame.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Well I finally managed to get it down to 0.17 with dosing RX and the water changes every three days. I then stopped dosing and water changes to see what it'd do. 24 hours after the .17 the reading came back with .28, then .39 the third day with no dosing/water changes. So it's currently climbing at .09 ppm/day.

Fish load is as follows:
4 firefish (full grown)
2 clowns (2")
1 yellow wrasse (full grown)
1 Carpenters Wrasse (2")
1 azure damsel (1.5")
1 Royal Grama (2.5")
1 aptasia file fish (1")
1 Purple tang (4")
1 Tomini tang (4")

Tank is about 3.5 years old now and I used 50 pounds of BRS Reef Saver uncured dry rock and a 7 pound Tonga shelf for one side. The tank cycled for 2 months before adding fish. I also have about a dozen Marine Pure spheres in the sump bubble trap after the fuge.

Current food mix, 3 Mysis cubes (rinsed), 3 Marine Cuisine cubes, 3 blood worm cubes (rinsed). Approximately 1/3 of this mix is used daily between the 75G (issue tank) and 20G AIO (No PO4 issues). I also dose with Seachem Stability weekly and have done so since the initial startup. Currently no other bacteria mixes are being used. About 4 months back I used a Dr. Tim's Waste-Away stick but pulled it out after 2 weeks. The tank did cloud up on day 2 of using the stick but cleared up in another 3-4 days. PO4 did not spike until about 2 months ago. So not sure if the Dr. Tim's gel stick is to blame.
I’d keep actively doing water changes until all the bound PO4 is out of the rock and sand. Sounds like it’s just in the rock. Cut the food back a little bit. Or switch to LRS Fish Frenzy for a while which runs pretty clean. Eventually it will stop leeching after all the bound PO4 in the rock is forced out/released from the water changes and Lanthanum dosing.

I’d also send some more bacteria into the rocks at a low dose to help with the process just in case something died or if there’s a build-up of food or other organics. Waste-Away bacteria degrade the organic material in the rocks, under the rocks, sand, overflow box, etc. They are really effective. Just start with 1/2 dose and watch your pH. Also keep an eye on nutrient levels. It can kill fish if you go too fast. Make sure to follow the directions. I’ve never had this problem using waste away going slow. Works like a champ for me.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
In a previous edition of my current tank I had a large tonga shelf rock, it leached phosphates like crazy. I pulled it, got the acros off of it & got rid of it. Tank was fine after.
I had the same thing happen with that crap. Any of the tabling rocks.

This one was pretty ripe.

BAB1EBD9-F1B4-42E7-A71A-2DFAE6085BE6.jpeg
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Hmm.... :unsure:

Wonder how hard it will be to pull it out. I epoxied the bajeebus out of it to get it to stay in place.
I wouldn’t pull it out. Just continue to fight it with water changes and LaCI treatments. I promise it will eventually stop. I’ve dealt with this several times. Switch to LRS and continue the normal routine. The current food and amount you’re feeding is probably what got you here.

Every time you dose and do a water change, it pulls more out…your depleting its reserves!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Feeding is nearly always the main source of Phosphate. Unless you’re using tap water and I’m pretty sure you’re not. Seriously, try the LRS Fish Fenzy. It’s very clean. If you’re feeding Reef Roids, switch to Benepets.

I also recommend taking to those rocks like Cody does. “Give it up rocks!” “Cough it up!” “Release it!” “Unbind it now!!” “Out Out Out!!!” :)

3BC009D8-EF77-4EE9-9036-EED06491C578.jpeg

479CD594-94AE-4CCD-9CA9-BB2F35D76396.jpeg
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
PorpoiseHork
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
871
Reaction score
361
Location
Tomball
Strang things are afoot at the Circle K...

After having the PO4 levels continue to climb .09 ppm/day I did another full RX dose Monday night, then 30g water change 36 hours later. Let the system run for 4 hours and tested the PO4 and it read .08 down from .39 on Monday. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke let things go overnight and tested it again and got .09 ppm yesterday morning at 6:30 am. Off to work and then and tested again last night at 8pm and it was at back to .08 ppm. I didn't have time to test it this morning but will check it tonight and see where it's at. Just find it hard to believe that the PO4 levels would drop .30 ppm from a single RX dose and a 30g. water change as well as suddenly stop leeching PO4. I'll continue to monitor the levels just to be sure but just very odd how it's acting.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Messages
10,899
Reaction score
2,066
Location
League City
Strang things are afoot at the Circle K...

After having the PO4 levels continue to climb .09 ppm/day I did another full RX dose Monday night, then 30g water change 36 hours later. Let the system run for 4 hours and tested the PO4 and it read .08 down from .39 on Monday. Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke let things go overnight and tested it again and got .09 ppm yesterday morning at 6:30 am. Off to work and then and tested again last night at 8pm and it was at back to .08 ppm. I didn't have time to test it this morning but will check it tonight and see where it's at. Just find it hard to believe that the PO4 levels would drop .30 ppm from a single RX dose and a 30g. water change as well as suddenly stop leeching PO4. I'll continue to monitor the levels just to be sure but just very odd how it's acting.
Honestly it’s acting just like my tank did with bound phosphate. It will bounce around especially dosing Lanthanum. Are you dosing into a 5 micron sock? If not, I can send you a link to get one.
 
OP
OP
PorpoiseHork
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
871
Reaction score
361
Location
Tomball
No I'm not, and unfortunately I don't have anything that fine. I'm currently using 50 micron nylon mesh filter socks. They've done a fairly decent job so far and have to be swapped out within 12 hours of dosing cause they will be clogged up and require cleaning. When I dose, it's been into the return pump chamber.
 

Stickboy97

Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2009
Messages
784
Reaction score
625
Location
Humble & Conroe, TX
That’s a severe drop. Have any corals been adversely effected? When I dropped my PO4 too fast in a previous tank I lost a couple sps.
 
Top