Phosphate

[vetteguy53081]

My new tank bottomed out. Have Dino’s. However I can not get any readings of phosphate after adding neophos. Approximately 20 ml a day to a Fiji cube 32 gal. Had to add a bunch of neonitro to finally get a slight reading. Last I checked all other parameters are ok. what the heck is happening

Stop dosing Neophos. When we see zero readings, automatically we assume this is the cause but by the time you see zero numbers, its because the dino has consumed the po4 and no3 and are multiplying and in turn many dose no3 and po4 to bring numbers up not realizing they are feeding these flagellates even more.
Its biological deficiencies that are causing the dino structure and Its important though to identify the type of dino for most effective battle.
No light is first key followed by the addition of bacteria to overcome the bad bacteria allowing them to thrive
Prepare by starting by blowing this stuff loose with a turkey baster and siphon up loose particles. Turn lights off (at least white and run blue at 10% IF you have light dependant corals such as SPS) for 5 days and at night dose 1ml of 3% hydrogen peroxide per 10 gallons for all 5 nights which works as an oxidizer. If you dont have light dependent coral- turn all lights off. During the day dose 1ml of liquid bacteria (such as micro bacter 7 or XLM) per 10 gallons. Clean filters daily and DO NOT FEED AMINO OR ADD NOPOX which is food for dinos, however you can feed coral, food which will help no3 and po4 to increase. If increasing nutrients, try to keep no3 to about 5 until you are done battling these cells.
Doing a daily siphoning will help greatly But . . . . . Siphoning will reduce nutrients , so siphon the water into/through a filter sock and save the water and return it back to tank. Obviously clean the filter sock each time.
You can feed fish as normal and if doing blackout, ambient light in room will work for them

 

[Craig was here]

hey, I am in your shoes here and gonna need to dose a heavy amount of neo phos to get some detectable levels. I was wondering if you could share what ppm you were dosing to daily in the case that its just being absorbed into the rocks and sand. I was thinking I should dose for 0.2ppm off the bat and I assume its just gonna read zero a few hours later anyway. If that was the case for you did you end up increasing the dose (to what ppm) and more than once a day? thanks ... im very close to throwing my hanna checker at the wall if I read another zero

For awhile I was just winging it. 10ml here 10 there etc. I do 5ml a day now in 27 gallons of water to try and keep .04-.08. Just received ME coral po4 today I. The mail. So I’m just gonna add the drops per day now. Maybe one day I’ll have a consistent reading w o dosing anything. Who knows as this point

 

[Rakan_ar]

if you have any insight to your experiences with all of this Id be greatful to hear. My situation is posted just above ^^

My pleasure, Well I did similar thing to what Craig done. In the beginning I was dosing small amounts shooting for 0.02 but change my method after Randy's comment, I gradually increase the dosage from 0.02 to .04 to .08 to .1 then 0.12 which gave me a reading of 0.02. Once I found a reading I was afraid to continue with the large dosage so I reduced the dosage but returned to 0 reading. I went back to large dosage and today I got a reading of .02, I continued with the same dosage of 0.12. Hopefully it get stable at some point.

just recently change from dosing multiple times a day to one full dosage.

 

[Craig was here]

Can you share your experience. I'm facing the same issue and finished neo-phos bottle without any signs of change, Hanna checker showing zero every time. Just got Reef Zlements Phosplus, i will dose 6ml daily to raise it to 0.02.

How long did it takes you to pump up your P04?

Still dosing daily lol

 

[kozzy]

My pleasure, Well I did similar thing to what Craig done. In the beginning I was dosing small amounts shooting for 0.02 but change my method after Randy's comment, I gradually increase the dosage from 0.02 to .04 to .08 to .1 then 0.12 which gave me a reading of 0.02. Once I found a reading I was afraid to continue with the large dosage so I reduced the dosage but returned to 0 reading. I went back to large dosage and today I got a reading of .02, I continued with the same dosage of 0.12. Hopefully it get stable at some point.

just recently change from dosing multiple times a day to one full dosage.

Okay that’s really good to know thanks! You just dose to 0.12 once in the morning and then the next day when you test you read 0.02 or like a few hours later? I just dosed 0.1

 

[Craig was here]

Okay that’s really good to know thanks! You just dose to 0.12 once in the morning and then the next day when you test you read 0.02 or like a few hours later? I just dosed 0.1

I’d just dose test dose test dose test. Till you figure out consumption. I’ve been through a few test kits already.

 

[Rakan_ar]

Okay that’s really good to know thanks! You just dose to 0.12 once in the morning and then the next day when you test you read 0.02 or like a few hours later? I just dosed 0.1

I test after 24 hours.

 

[Rakan_ar]

Still dosing daily lol

My tank is hooked to P04 lol

 

[kozzy]

I test after 24 hours.

I guess my tank was about at the point where it was ready to stop absorbing the p04. I dosed 0.2 ppm in the afternoon yesterday and it ate it up instantly and then dosed again and then it stayed at 0.05. After testing again this morning it was 0.02 and dosed it back to 0.05 and it’s sticking. Seems like it goes down 0.02 every 12-24hrs . Although it’s just been a day so gotta find a pattern. Tank it’s eating like 4ppm of nitrates in 12 hours tho

 

[Rakan_ar]

I guess my tank was about at the point where it was ready to stop absorbing the p04. I dosed 0.2 ppm in the afternoon yesterday and it ate it up instantly and then dosed again and then it stayed at 0.05. After testing again this morning it was 0.02 and dosed it back to 0.05 and it’s sticking. Seems like it goes down 0.02 every 12-24hrs . Although it’s just been a day so gotta find a pattern. Tank it’s eating like 4ppm of nitrates in 12 hours tho

I'm currently facing a similar scenario, mine reached 0.04 yesterday (stopped dosing) then 0.03 today (only .01). Will monitor it for 3 days then will decide what's next.

 

[kozzy]

I'm currently facing a similar scenario, mine reached 0.04 yesterday (stopped dosing) then 0.03 today (only .01). Will monitor it for 3 days then will decide what's next.

Im glad your also making some sort of progress. Im leaving town tomorrow for 4 days and Im so torn on whether to have my doser dose any during the time or to leave it alone. Feel like im either coming back to dinos if i dont have anything being dosed or sky high po4 . Im thinking of having it dose 0.02-0.04ppm every other day while im gone.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Im glad your also making some sort of progress. Im leaving town tomorrow for 4 days and Im so torn on whether to have my doser dose any during the time or to leave it alone. Feel like im either coming back to dinos if i dont have anything being dosed or sky high po4 . Im thinking of having it dose 0.02-0.04ppm every other day while im gone.

That seems low to me. Too low is much worse than too high, IMO.

 

[kozzy]

That seems low to me. Too low is much worse than too high, IMO.

Hmm, ur probably right - I set it to dose 0.02 ppm 2x a day now. That should be better you think?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hmm, ur probably right - I set it to dose 0.02 ppm 2x a day now. That should be better you think?

Only time will tell, but I expect you may have to dose still more for a while any time you want higher phosphate than you currently have.

 

[Rakan_ar]

Well I'm still dosing 27ml of P04 to keep it at 0.04, it keep fluctuating from 0 to 0.06. Any progress with you guys or similar situation

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Well I'm still dosing 27ml of P04 to keep it at 0.04, it keep fluctuating from 0 to 0.06. Any progress with you guys or similar situation

I’d up the dose until it stays above 0.03 ppm 24 h later.

 

[Craig was here]

Well I'm still dosing 27ml of P04 to keep it at 0.04, it keep fluctuating from 0 to 0.06. Any progress with you guys or similar situation

Ya. I no longer dose lol. Staying around.1 now. I guess my rocks finally got saturated

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ya. I no longer dose lol. Staying around.1 now. I guess my rocks finally got saturated

Sounds likely. Rocks and sand will only bind up to a certain amount that is related to the concentration you are trying to keep in the water. They bind a ton more at 1 ppm than at 0.02 ppm, but at any concentration, there is a fixed amount that will bind, and you probably reached it.

 

[Craig was here]

Sounds likely. Rocks and sand will only bind up to a certain amount that is related to the concentration you are trying to keep in the water. They bind a ton more at 1 ppm than at 0.02 ppm, but at any concentration, there is a fixed amount that will bind, and you probably reached it.

Yes. All that dosing now I need to lower it lol. ‍ the two chomis probably contributed some I added as well.

 

[Rakan_ar]

I’d up the dose until it stays above 0.03 ppm 24 h later.

The majority of time is above .02, i do daily dose of 27ml (aiming for .09) at the afternoon. Today will be my last dose and will check again after 24h. If you are interested of my daily test results I have attached pic.