What is the best phosphate remover?

[Nate_Krohn]

I’ve been struggling with keeping my phosphates under 1ppm and was wondering if I should try harder with doing water changes more frequently as in twice a week? Or should go to get a phosphate remover? Both my tanks have HOB equipment if that makes a difference with anything.

I will post my exact chemistry when I get home and look at my sheet that I keep track on.

60 gallon mixed reef
Fish:
Small Yellow tang
Bicolor blenny
Spotted mandarin
Filefish
Clown pair
Coral beauty

inverts:
Sally light foot crab
Cleaner shrimp
2 Emerald crabs
Mixed CUC

30 gallon just has a fuzzy lionfish and a starfish with a small CUC

 

[WIReefer]

I would keep up with weekly water changes, also I’ve had great luck with gfo in a bag. Just takes some time but it’ll go down!

 

[vanpire]

I agree that water changes are your best bet. Find out why your tank phosphates are so high.

Lanthanum is also great and very cheap at removing phosphate.

 

[KrisReef]

Are you trying to grow corals or just avoid algae blooms? Best way to minimize phosphate in a fish tank is to feed lightly. One lion fish can't easily "eat Lightly" so that tank will need more attention, water changes & Chemipure might work well?

 

[Nate_Krohn]

Are you trying to grow corals or just avoid algae blooms? Best way to minimize phosphate in a fish tank is to feed lightly. One lion fish can't easily "eat Lightly" so that tank will need more attention, water changes & Chemipure might work well?

The only problem I’m having is coral growth. No algae problems in my 60. All the coral colors look great but I can’t seem to keep soft corals as in zoas and Xenia. Figure since all my other parameters check out high phosphates must be the reason.

 

[SPR1968]

I run rowaphos 24/7 in reactors in both my systems and lots of it to keep phosphate locked down at less than 0.03ppm.

If you can do this you will avoid many of the unwanted problems Involving algae etc.

 

[Cabinetman]

Lanthanum chloride dripped into a 10 micron sock is my preferred method. Cheap and easy

 

[jda]

Water changes won't make a dent in P that high, but they can help with so many other things... I would keep doing them. The rocks and sand are surely bound with a very large reservoir as well - take some time and understand P binding in aragonite and how the rock and sand will bind an exponential amount of P as the water level rises.

I would look into GFO - would require many, many small changes and probably 2 gallons or more of the stuff used in very small amounts changed daily or every other day. LC works well too, but you have to go really slow and methodical. Both GFO and LC an depelete the water column too much in a HUGE spike down and then once the rock and sand releases back to nearly equilibrium, it will spike back up really huge too.

Whatever you do, get a good tool like a Hannah Ultra Low test kit - the rest are just swags and not great for knowing where you actually are.

 

[Tired]

There are perfectly nice tanks running and growing corals with phosphate at that level. Much better than low phosphates, which will kill your coral, and are a risk with the stronger phosphate removal methods. I would check other possibilities for lack of coral growth, the phosphate isn't likely an issue. All that stuff really does is potentially grow algae. What are your nitrates? Magnesium?

 

[Nate Chalk]

I agree that water changes are your best bet. Find out why your tank phosphates are so high.

Lanthanum is also great and very cheap at removing phosphate.

Please all research how to dose lanthanum. I just lost my tang and clown to poor dosing execution.