Phosphate - Help!

[goodgreef]

Hi! Any expert on Phosphate out there. I am the guy with the "rained out" tank problem. I've finally obtained the full water test kit and I am determined to find out the "mystery" of my failed tank. Here are my water test results:

Date: 1/12/02 * Time: 7:23 AM

Readings from the Octopus 3000:

pH = 8.32
ORP = 280 mV
Temp = 77.6 F

Water test results from Salifert test kits:

kH/Alk = 9.3 kKH or 3.3 meq/L
Ammonia = 0 ppm
Phosphate = 0.5 Where did this came from?
Nitrite = 0 ppm
Nitrate = 1 ppm
Calcium = 340 ppm

As you can see. Phosphate was the only one that truly out of whack! I suspected that my Maxima RO system has failed. So, I repeated the Phosphate test with a sample water from my Maxima RO...and the result is (drum roll, please) - 0 ppm!

As I have posted previously, the salt water was mixed using strictly RO water and Instant Ocean salt. I have used Instant Ocean salt with excellent results before and have no reason to suspect the quality of the salt. The only explanation was the quality of the live rock & live sand was totally destroyed by the rain.

How do I remedy the phosphate problem? How bad is this Phosphate dude?

Regards,

[Ninong]

Hi goodreef,

First of all, don't panic. 0.5ppm PO4 is nothing to get all worked up about.

There are lots of places it could have come from: food, poor quality carbon, water (rainwater maybe if you live in a high pollution industrial area... it's a slight possibility), live rock (it's possible), etc.

It's a nutrient ingredient in fertilizer because it is essential for the growth of plants (algae, in your case). But 0.5ppm is not really high.

The best way to handle phosphate is with nutrient transport via macroalgae. You need some macroalgae somewhere in your system to use up the phosphate in competition with the undesirable nuisance algae that will be 'blooming' very shortly. You just harvest the macroalgae to remove phosphate from your system and as long as you aren't reintroducing it somewhere, it should go down.

Good luck,

Ninong

[goodgreef]

But..but..how come my remaining corals are still not opening up (i.e. recover from the ordeal) As you can see in the enclosed pix. I hardly had any algea bloom. Yet, the Pom pom Xenia are contracting and droopy. The Gorgonias are falling apart. The last coral has completely bleached . The coraline are starting to come back, though. Yet, I just don't know what is wrong with the tank. I am NOT planning to put anything else in until it is safe. But, when is it safe?

[goodgreef]

I just don't know how to post multiple pix without exceed the 100K limit.

[goodgreef]

Here's another

[goodgreef]

..and another. Sorry for the quality of the pix. I had to set my 3.3 M camera to the lowest resolution to stay below 100K per pix.

[goodgreef]

the last bleached coral:

[Ninong]

I don't think 0.5ppm PO4 has anything to do with bleaching. Didn't you have a lot of other complications recently?

Ninong

[goodgreef]

I don't think 0.5ppm PO4 has anything to do with bleaching. Didn't you have a lot of other complications recently?

Yes, the rain water replaced the salt water. I suspect that the LR & LS are not as good a condition. However, I am trying to save the last of the remaining corals (Xenia, gorgonias) but I can't seems to pin point a particular water parameter that could cause the fishes to die and the Xenia to wilt so badly and the Gorgonia to fall apart from the branches. In my last two tanks, I had more severe algea bloom yet everything recovered and thrived. This time is so much different. I am frustrated for not being able to pin point to a particular parameter (Phosphate, Ammon, etc..) that cause the severe die off! Could there be other organisms beside the chemical make up of salt water for the reef to thrive? Sorry for the ranting.

[Ninong]

Algae is not going to hurt anything. Maybe your animals are suffering from post traumatic stress syndrome. In this case the traumatic stress would have been osmotic shock. There is nothing out of line with your present water params except that it would be nice if you could get the Calcium up around 400ppm and reduce the PO4. But neither of those is causing your present problems.

Ninong

[goodgreef]

Okay..Calcium up! I finally have time to install the MTC Procal. I have to say, both the HSA Skimmer and the Calcium Reactor from MTC are very well designed and produced. I have made both down draft skimmer and reactor myself using the info from the web. Now that I have finally had the courage to purchase the equipments from MTC, I won't attempt to build again. The design from these people are impressive. I'll measure Ca and Phosphate again in a couple days and see if there is any improvement.