Thanks for that, much appreciated!
Good to hear it's not just me struggling to adapt to the needs of a small system!!!
Honestly I haven't had phosphates too high on my priority list, thinking that with so little going in...... likely the same as you were thinking...
Time for some more testing...
Even "no brainer" stuff like salinity is touchy with small volumes. I had to change my ATO system to something with a much smaller range. This was supposed to be a lower effort diversion while other thing we're taking up my time...lol
I wasn't testing enough, I wasn't really seeing any noticeable algae growth and thought all was well, but the corals were looking shaky one day and I thought to do a test, and my phosphates were 0.14. Working backwards, I figured out that the TDS in my RO/DI unit had crept up, and I had a leak also (so I ended up replacing the whole unit). Since then I've been more diligent testing and less trusting of my eye. It definitely is more difficult to find that range of ideal parameters compared to a larger tank. But that can be difficult too. So I guess its all about learning the system, the load it can handle, and best way to export nutrients.
