Weekly Discussion - Phosphate

[Anonymous]

Weekly Discussion - Phosphate

Is it a problem in your tank? Why? How do you deal with it? How does the problem show itself? Are you using any of the phosphate adsorbing medias and what do you think of them?

About the RDO Weekly Discussion:
This discussion is meant to get at your experience and to share information that is in your head, so don't necessarily treat it as information gathering. State your opinion and, if available, use material, anecdotal or otherwise, that will back up your opinion.
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[Anonymous]

Well my phosphate tests come out ok but I still have some algae. I recently had something die in the tank so I added a bag of chemipure to mostly take out any pollutants that my massive/frequent water changes did not. A nice side effect was the quick and merciless death of the very hard film algae that's been plaguing my glass.

As a side note, I think I need to start adding herbivore food for my cleanup crew now.

I am planning to get a bag of chemi pure for my little 2.5 mantis tank now too. HF!

 

[fungia]

my phosphate tests say zero but i still have some algae growth. i use those iron phosphate sponges ( i think that is what it is ) and tried seachems phosphate sponge but it didnt really stop the algae. the algae isnt a big problem in my tank so i dont worry about it too much, but i know i have phosphate left in the tank that algae is using but my tests read zero. maybe bad test kit or the algae is using the phoshpate up as fast as it pops up.

 

[Anonymous]

Algae needs a nitrogen source, phosphate isn't the whole story.

Jim

 

[Tackett]

Well, algae is not as bad a thing as everyone says, phosphate isnt either for that matter. Phosphate does the same thing in a aquarium as it does in the human body, it buffers PH, if you take out the phosphate you are removing a natural PH buffer, making things just that much more difficult on yourself as far as PH fluctuations go. The best way to get rid of algae (at least where you can see it) is this:
Sump a small tank (10 gallons to every 30 gallons of main tank) to your main tank. put a good mineral rich substrate in it (refugium mud or the like) mount a powercompact light on this tank run for 12 on and 12 off cycle and never, ever clean it. Put this whole nasty assembly out of site. Youll start growing fourty tons of algae in this tank instead of your main tank. Algae (although ugly) is not a bad thing, it does a number of good things in the wild. Algae is a natural filter and is natures first line of defense against toxins (nh4,no2, and no3) with the nitrogen cycle being a close runner up. You can build this whole assembly if you under 150 dollars if you are frugal (the lights being the only really expensive part to it)

 

[Ben1]

Well, algae is not as bad a thing as everyone says, phosphate isnt either for that matter. Phosphate does the same thing in a aquarium as it does in the human body, it buffers PH

I have never heard of P02 helping the PH but that besides the point. P02 is a major problem in tanks that have LPS, SPS and even softies. I stops/slows the calicification process not letting the corals/coraline algae grow and long term P02 problems will kill SPS corals as their tissue will begin to receed.

My tanks are forever on the brink of too much P02. I feed often and heavy and think this benifits the tank in a major way. I have tons of pods, worms, ect.. Making a very active sandbed. On the other hand I have to constantly keep up with RO/DI water changes. Top off with Kalk for CA and to help perticipate P02. I also just ordered some ROWAphos so we will see how that works out.

I don't have algae problems, no hair or cyno that would indicate a P02 problem but have a steady growth of diatoms which are usually from silicate but adding some type of media to your tank once in awhile can't hurt. I also use plain old activated carbon once a month for a week.

 

[kim]

Yes, phosphate tends to be adsorbed onto aragonite most easily at a pH around 8.5 - so keeping high pH may help drive it from the water column. But if pH falls again, it will quickly re-enter the column, so it's not a total solution.

I have found this website very useful in understanding phosphate (if you serach around a bit there's lots of good stuff on a variety of subjects here):-

http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/groups/jmc/f ... s/master1/

kim

 

[kim]

Btw, any acid will act as a buffer. An acid can dissociate in water to create free hydrogen ions (pH is a measure of these ions). Then, if more hydrogen ions are added, some of this dissocation is reversed - so now some hydrogen ions are taken out of solution. That's buffering.

Best buffers are weak acids....carbonic is good, phosphoric is also good. But the concentration of the latter in seawater is very very low.

Also the pH which is buffered by the phosphate system will be quite low compared to the pH buffered by the carbonate system - because phosphoric acid is a "stronger" acid. It takes a higher density of hydrogen ions to reverse the dissociation - so the equilibrium is at a lower pH.

A bit of a tangent to the subject, but thought it might be of help. Buffering is quite a fun thing !

kim

 

[fredso2003]

I to test 0 for phosphates and I still get a hard green pin head algae buildup on my 110 gallon acrylic tank,I know the difference of the other algae outbreak I get occasionally when I dont top off wih RO,instead I use tap water that is treated(only when im to lazy to go out and buy my 5gallon jug of ro water),this hard algae is a *****.I dont know why it occurs it has been this way for like 5 months and I keep on it but life would be simpler without it!! :x

 

[Tackett]

I did not know that it could screw with calcification, but it is a natural buffer. Human body uses Phosphate, protien groups, and resipiration (co2) for acid base balance. same goes with water, they are one in the same. you can type in "phosphate buffer" in google or something similar and get some good info on it i would imagine.