Deadly Phosphates?????

[zach_fresh]

Can excessive amounts of phosphates be deadly??? mine are though the roof, and i just lost a dwarf gourami. he died really quick, he didnt eat today, and he hung near the surface. all of my othe tests are coming out fine, could the phosphates poison my fish???

 

[talloulou]

phosphates usually only cause heavy algae outbreaks. Do you have high levels of phosphates in your tap water? In planted tanks high levels of phosphates can kill/damage plants. They are also a problem for coral and anemones in saltwater tanks. However they don't usually kill fish. I doubt it was the phosphates that killed your gourami. Outside of tapwater usually fish food is the biggest source of phosphates. Check the ingredients on the food you use and be careful not to overfeed. How did all your other water tests come out? How warm is your water? Is the tank aerated well?