phosphate is reading 5.0 ppm

[scottracy]

Tested water today (Hagen/Nutrafin kit) and PO4 was 5.0 ppm. I did a 50% water change and still reading 5.0 ppm. The tap water tested at .25 ppm. I live in a rural texas town and doubt I can obtain an official water analysis. Over the past two weeks I have been following the fert guideline sticky and other forum advice using Flourish 10ml x 2/week, flourish iron at half dose once per week based on plant appearance, Nu-salt after water change. I added 3 drops of fleets once the first of last week. I also used some root tabs by seachem in the gravel substrate. I do weekly 50% water changes. All fish inhabitants of this 55g tank seem very healthy. The plants are a work in progress. I recieved my 2L bottle of Flourish excel Friday but I have not dosed it yet. What is the next step? More water changes?

Other readings:
Water temp 78
Nitrate 5.0 ppm
Ammonia 0.0
Nitrite 0.0
GH 120 ppm
KH 170 PPM
PH 7.6

Lighting:
2.4 wpg

Fish Load:
4- Dwarf Gouramis
4-Red Skirt Tetras
4-Platys
4-2" Clown Loaches
3-Black Skirt Tetras
2-Corydoras
1-3"Plecos

Current plants:
2-Anubias nana tied to rock
3-Java fern tied to rock
1-Crypt wendetti
2-sword
rotalla
Ludwigia

 

[djlen]

If you're not over feeding the fish your P level sounds out of whack, when compared with the tap water test.
Try this......take a sample of the tap water and let it sit for a minimum of 2 hrs. to gas off and see what it tests out at then.

Hopefully you buried the root tabs as deep as possible to keep them out of the water table.

Len

 

[RTR]

The Seachem Flourish tabs are traces only, no macros. If that is what was used, it is not the source of the phosphate.

 

[scottracy]

I did use Seachem Flourish tabs.

I was able to duplicate the P of 5.0 on my 10g, non-planted tank. This tank has 7 platy fry that are approximately 3 months old.

I will test the tap water again after it has been allowed to sit for a minimum of 2 hrs. to gas off.

Scott

 

[zin]

i may be mistaken but legally dont you need to be allowed access to water reports?

 

[scottracy]

Re-tested the tap water after sitting for 2.5 hours and it was .25 ppm again.

I must be overfeeding! I have always fed twice daily. After reading several threads, I am going to start feeding once every other day.

Should I do another water change with deep gravel vac? I have not dosed any fert since noting the P level of 5 and performing a 50% water change. Obviously I would not dose P, but what about traces, K and flourish excel? N is at 5.0 ppm so I don't think I need to dose for that either.

Zin, I agree with you. I have tried in the past to no avail, but I think I will give it another shot!

Scott

 

[Tempest]

I wouldn't do a deep gravel vac on a planted tank. Another water change won't hurt of course but unless you are seeing algae problems, I think I'd leave it until the regular weekly change. I don't think the phosphate will hurt the fish and I recall plantbrain( Tom Barr) has reported before that he used to have high phosphate water with no problems. I'm not sure if his was quite that high or not. I'd get the Excel to going too so maybe a 50% water change is in order then start the excel while you are at it? If you water change that much then you will need to redose the other nutrients too most likely.

 

[scottracy]

So you suggest another 50% water change, start excel and redose other nutrients.

I have no experience with excel except for the product label dosing guidelines. I have the 2L bottle and it suggests 5ml per 10g after >40% water change or with initial use then 5ml per 50g daily or every other day.
Thanks,

Scott

 

[Tempest]

I used excel on a ten gallon for a while. It gives you a nice boost for the carbon requirement. Don't overdose it because there are reports of fish death attributed to that.

 

[djlen]

Tell them you have a child in the house with allergy problems and the family physician has requested a local water report. That has worked for other people I've talked with. Shouldn't be necessary to have to lie, but these water companies treat these things like they are top secret.

Just a light(not deep) but thorough gravel vac of the entire surface or as close to it as possible.
You need to keep up the other ferts as well. I didn't see(might have missed it) where you are dosing any nitrate.
Keep them between 5 - 10ppm. Fe is not that important at this time, as your trace mix supplies that. Keep up the 10mls. of Flourish 2X week.
Work to get the P level down to 1.0 steadily through water changes before adding any more Fleets.
I know you just got the large bottle of Excel, but in the long run it is not a real viable option for a 55gal. tank. A couple of 2ltr. bottles of DIY would be a cheaper and, IMO better option. A pressurized CO2 system would be ideal.
Don't panic over the P readings especially if you have no serious algae issues at this time. Just work to bring the level down through the water changes and balance it with the other nutrients.
Since I can't figure anything else that would be causing the high readings, I'm curious.....what are you feeding the fish? Frozen food?

Len