[Bigworm]

Two weeks ago I had cloudy water. I did all my test ammonia,nitrite and nitrate all test check 0ppm. So I bought a diffirent filter and and I was reading on here that phosphate could cause cloudy water. So I bought Phos-X and ran this with my filter. One day later my water was clear again. I was wondering is phosphates the same thing as ammonia or is this something different. Do I need to buy a test kit for Phosphates or will my ammonia,nitrite, nirate test kits check this. What causes phosphates and what harm does it cause. Thanks WORM

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Bigworm

So I bought Phos-X and ran this with my filter.

I think Phos-X is usually used for freshwater aquaria. Most people use iron based media for saltwater aquaria. I tried to find out exactly what it contained but the manufacturer's website simply states that it is a low density resin that traps colloidal compounds. They don't tell you the chemical composition. It may not do any harm if used sparingly but other products containing ferric oxide would probably be more appropriate. This product, according to the manufacturer's website, used to be called Green-X: http://www.hagen.com/hagen/canada/en...T=1&SUBCAT=114 I wonder what it is? It's hard to say anything about it one way or the other if they don't tell you what it is??? If you click on the question, "Is it safe for saltwater reefs?," a little window pops up that tells you it "won't harm most corals."

I was wondering is phosphates the same thing as ammonia or is this something different.

Phosphate is something different. Phosphate is PO4 (one phosphorus atom and four oxygen atoms). Ammonia consists of both ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+). Ammonia is composed of hydrogen and nitrogen.

Do I need to buy a test kit for Phosphates or will my ammonia,nitrite, nirate test kits check this.

You need a separate test kit for phosphate.

What causes phosphates and what harm does it cause.

Phosphorus (along with carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen) is a necessary component of all living things. Phosphate in our tanks comes from food and the waste produced by the animals.

Phosphate levels should be maintained at 0.01 ppm or less. Levels of 0.03 ppm are considered acceptable but anything above 0.10 ppm is considered dangerous. Coral growth is retarded at phosphate levels of 0.25 ppm and above. If you are familiar with the lawn and garden fertilizers, phosphate is the second of the three numbers that they list on the label -- the first is nitrogen and the third is potash. That's right, it's fertilizer for plants. It's also fertilizer for algae.

All tanks have a certain amount of phosphate. The trick is to keep the phosphate very low, less than 0.01 ppm, otherwise you will have a lot of nuisance algae.

[Peterock]

What is a good why to elimate PO4, all my other test are fine except this

[Ninong]

Some people use a phosphate sponge product to eliminate phosphate. There are several manufacturers selling these products now. Be sure to stick with one that is ferric oxide/hydroxide based and not alumina (Al2O3). You can simply put some of this stuff in a mesh bag and place it somewhere in your sump where the water will flow through it.

I use limewater (Kalkwasser) for all of my evaporation replacement and I have never had a phosphate problem. Limewater is reputed to precipitate phosphate.

P.S. -- I just checked one of our sponsors to find an example of the right sort of phosphate sponge product: http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...egory_Code=TLF