high phosphate

[nitro069]

So i just bought my new skimmer and decided to spend the money and get a phosphate checker while i was at it. it tested at .54 ppm!!!!!!
i am thinking that this is extremely high. will having a better skimmer help remove some of the crap that is making my phosphates high. I run gfo and carbon. i did notice a heavy buildup of crap on the bottom of my sump. maybe this is the cause. any tother suggestions on what to look for and what steps to take on removing the phosphate.

 

[Reef Hero]

Do you run any kind of nutrient management system such as bio pellets or ULNS additives?
And does your skimmer pull decent gunk?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Salty Cracker]

What test are you using, and did you run it a few times....doublecheck the method you're using?!

.54 is crazy high if you are running GFO (and swapping it out monthly).  Can you spell out your setup for gfo?  at .54 you should have a ton of cyano.

 

[nitro069]

skimmer does not pull out a ton of gunk. hence the replacement. prob too small for my tank. i have the skimmer in my first portion of sump.
second chamber has macro algae, some rock and the inlet for my BRS dual reactor. third chamber is my return.

I have one cup of gfo in the first reactor chamber and 3/4 cup in second. i think i did mess up when adding gfo about a month ago and put in 1 3/4 cup gfo(read directions wrong)

I don't have bio pellets. I recently put a power head in my middle chamber to keep things stirred up and turns out there was a shit ton of crap in there and i stirred it up. really bummed me out.

I am having a brown algae problem and was befor i stirred the crap up also, though it has gotten worse in the last couple days.


Just tested water coming out of reactor and it is at .23

 

[Giglio324]

Just to clarify your gfo isn't tumbling is it? As in your filling the reactor cartridge. If I'm not mistaken it shouldn't tumble

 

[nitro069]

Just to clarify your gfo isn't tumbling is it? As in your filling the reactor cartridge. If I'm not mistaken it shouldn't tumble

GFO has a slight roll to it

 

[Salty Cracker]

gfo should look like it's liquid.  At least that's how I've run mine for going on 2 years now, and I'm 3 parts per billion or less according to the phosphorous checker.

 

[Poseidon]

gfo should look like it's liquid.  At least that's how I've run mine for going on 2 years now, and I'm 3 parts per billion or less according to the phosphorous checker.

It should look like a slow boil.
And be changed out roughly every 4 weeks.

 

[nitro069]

This is how I keep it set. Too much/little????

oops sideways and crappy video

fixed

 

[unibob]

Thats how I have mine as well. So im waiting for a response as well

 

[Salty Cracker]

That's pretty much how mine is, maybe a wee bit less flow. 

 

[nitro069]

so besides running a bigger skimmer, running gfo and carbon, and some water changes, what are some other things that i can do to remove phosphates.

My return tank drain line to my sump is almost the same height as the first baffle. should my line be deeper so the water mixes better in the sump area??? maybe this is why my skimmer seems to under perform. it has skimmed out the first chamber and most of the return water goes directly into second chamber.

maybe its time to build a new sump.........

 

[Salty Cracker]

What are you mixing your water in?  I had a rubbermaid tub that when I tested it, tested at something like .80 ppm!  It was about 5 years old and was leeching into the water like crazy.

The other thing you can do is try easing off on feedings.  A lot of phosphate is added by things like frozen mysis...likely other things too. 

 

[nitro069]

yeah i mix in a rubber maid container. will have to check that out, thanks. may have to switch to old aquarium or something. love the convenience of the rubbermade though i do try to go easy on the feedings. feed once a day but sometimes i get over zealous.

could my 4 gallon plastic top off bucket be leeching too even though it reads o tds??

 

[Salty Cracker]

yeah i mix in a rubber maid container. will have to check that out, thanks. may have to switch to old aquarium or something. love the convenience of the rubbermade though i do try to go easy on the feedings. feed once a day but sometimes i get over zealous.

could my 4 gallon plastic top off bucket be leeching too even though it reads o tds??

Only way to tell is to test.  Anything I was using for the tank I would put water in, and leave it for a week, then test twice with the hanna.  Even our tapwater was almost 0.00ppm here in london, and I couldn't figure out where my high readings were coming from, and my absolutely crazy cyano.  Then I tested the blue rubbermaid.... bingo!  I tested the white pails that salt came in, but never tested the black ones I had... we found white rubbermaid containers at lowes that were food grade and no leeching, but of course they were on clearance and they only sell the grey and blue ones now.  A fish tank is always good though.  Hard to leech anything out of glass!