I'm really frustrated... The phosphate level in my tank is 5ppm. I have been doing bi-weekly water changes (about 15 gallons) in my 90 gallon reef tank. My ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are 0ppm. The pH is 8.2. I just changed out my PC's. My hammer and plate coral look like crap. My mushrooms, star polyps, and some other soft coral are thriving. They are even spreading. I have a bubble tip and sebea anenome that are doing fine. My yellow tang, pacific blue tang, yellow anthia, green manderine and tomato clown are fine. I am assuming that the high phosphate level is affecting my hammer and plate coral. They seemed to go down hill around the same time. I am feeding the fish brine shrimp and the coral phytoplankton. Is there anything else I should be adding to make the coral better? Any advice would be appreciated.
phosphate problems and other issues
- Thread starter rmaylish
- Start date
What are your other parameters? Are you using tap water? If so, have you tested the tap water for phosphates? What's your lighting(this is to try and explain the hammer & plate corals health)? Explain your setup (filtration, tank size, etc).
I am using tap water. There is no indicaiton of phosphates in it. That was the first thing that came to mind. My aquarium is a 90 gallon. I have 2-50/50 actinic and 2-1000k Power compacts along with 2-150 watt metal halide. I have a wet/dry sump with sump protein skimmer. My specific gravity is 1.021. Any other questions? Thanks
What's your nitrate, Ph, alkalinity and calcium (this is what I meant by "other paraeters")?
EDIT: As luck would have it, the latest issue of reefkeeping magazine has an article on the sbject of phosphate and the reef aquarium: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php
EDIT: As luck would have it, the latest issue of reefkeeping magazine has an article on the sbject of phosphate and the reef aquarium: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/rhf/index.php
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Do you have any filter sponges/floss/bio-balls in your system? Do you have a big and diverse enough cleaning crew to stir your sandbed and consume detritus? Do you ever blast your LR with a powerhead/turkey baster to clean the detritus?
In short, is there anywhere which crap can collect and rot? These are the most common causes of phosphate issues aside from water source.
In short, is there anywhere which crap can collect and rot? These are the most common causes of phosphate issues aside from water source.
I have a phosphate filter pad, polyfilter, bioballs in the sump. I have a few hermit crabs, two snails, and a sandsifter star fish. What is LR? I haven't clean the sump in awhile. Could that be the place? I never thought about cleaning that. I moved all my rock around when that nasty red slime algae started to creep over my live rock. I haven't had a problem with red algae since then. I did another water change after I moved the rock.
It could be in the sump how old is your set up? Sometimes, sand beds and deep sand beds will build up phosphates over the years. If it's not that I'd guess it's old filter media. LR ='s live rock that's what most of us use to ,"filter" our water.
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Sounds like your sump is the source.
Get rid of the crud and remove the bioballs (about a handful each week so the nitrifying bacteria elsewhere in the tank can catch-up).
The polyfilter and other filter pads should only be for temporary usage and changed out before too much crap gets trapped.
Get rid of the crud and remove the bioballs (about a handful each week so the nitrifying bacteria elsewhere in the tank can catch-up).
The polyfilter and other filter pads should only be for temporary usage and changed out before too much crap gets trapped.