Phosphates are off the chart!

[Minkota]

my phosphate levels are currently extremely high, my test kit goes to 5.0 and it is much darker than the kit reading for 5.0.

My system is a 150g tank with a Wet/Dry unit, I have a Aquac 120 Protein Skimmer (I would have gone with a bigger slimmer but space is limited) powered by a Rio 2100 pump, I have a Phosban 150 Reactor and a UV Sterilizer.

I have done several water changes of 75g up to 100g with no effect on phosphates, I have used a product called "Phosblaster Super Nuker" and used an entire bottle dosing every night with no change in the reading. I have also used Chem-pure Elite with no effect.

I have taken a water sample to a local aquarium shop and had them test it and they get a very high reading as well.

Is it possible that the levels are so very high that these products are effecting it and it just hasn't become low enough to see it on a test? Is it possible there is something that could give me a high phosphate reading when they are not really high?

Also I do not have a lot of algae in my tank which I thought was normally associated with high phosphates.

My Bio-Load is:

Two Spot Wrass (L)
Green Chromis (2M 3S)
Blue Reef Chromis (1S)
Valentino Puffer (S)
Huma Huma Trigger (S)
Porcupine Puffer (S)
Yellow Tang (L)
Sailfin Tang (M)
Powder Brown Tang (M)
plus live rock and about 2" of sand.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

 

[ccCapt]

What kind of water do you use for water changes? Tap, well, RO, RO/DI?
What are you running in the Phosban reactor?
How much and what are you feeding? You have some fish that are messy eaters.
The most common sources of phosphate are either tap water or fish food.

 

[Minkota]

What kind of water do you use for water changes? Tap, well, RO, RO/DI?
What are you running in the Phosban reactor?
How much and what are you feeding? You have some fish that are messy eaters.
The most common sources of phosphate are either tap water or fish food.

Sorry forgot to mention those.

Water I get from local fish store is RO/DI, and I have the Phosban phosphate media in the reactor.

Food is Dr. G's frozen shrimp once a day every 3-4 days and frozen Krill.

 

[ccCapt]

The thing about buying water is do you really know when the last time was they changed the DI resin? Or the RO membrane, or the carbon block? IMO, it's hard to justify not buying your own RO/DI unit.
With that high of a phosphate reading, the phosban probably will only last a few days before it reaches capacity and stop working. How much do you put in the reactor and how often do you cahnge it?

 

[Minkota]

I check the water before adding it to the tank and it has never shown any phosphates.

I change the Phosban media once a week and I use 2 small containers full.

I have been doing all the obvious (at least to me) and everything I've tried has not shown any drop in phosphates.

 

[ccCapt]

For your 150g system you should be using 150 grams of Phosban. Put some fresh Phosban in your reactor and test the phosphates in 24 hrs. If you don't see any drop your phosphate test kit is bad. As I mentioned, with your phosphate that high the Phosban will only last a few days before it has reached it's capacity.

 

[Minkota]

For your 150g system you should be using 150 grams of Phosban. Put some fresh Phosban in your reactor and test the phosphates in 24 hrs. If you don't see any drop your phosphate test kit is bad. As I mentioned, with your phosphate that high the Phosban will only last a few days before it has reached it's capacity.

I have already replaced the Phosban media a few times, as well as the previously mentioned other product that claim to reduce phosphates. with no change in the levels.

As I mentioned in the original post, I had the water tested at a local fish store as well as using my own kit and both show very high phosphates. Is it common for test kits to go bad, if so I will purchase another kit and have it tested at a different fish store. Thanks

 

[Minkota]

Also, the test kit I am using at home I only just purchased about a month or two ago, so its not very old (to me anyway, I have no idea how long it sat on the shelf but it is a very busy fish store).

 

[Minkota]

I have changed the Phosban media and 24 hours later, no visible drop in phosphates. I took a water sample to a different fish store along with my test kit and the stores kit reads the same as mine. I find it hard to believe that 3 separate Kits could all be bad and read the same so I am thinking the test results are correct.

Does this mean that the phosphates are just so high that it is leaching out of the rock and sandbed and until the leaching stops I will continue to get a high reading? Has anyone ever seem this before? This tank has only been running for approx 6 months I have ALWAYS used RO/DI water from the same place and tested it every now and then and it has always come out zero. I am unsure where my phosphates are getting in and why they are so incredibly high.

 

[Keithhjs]

Are you feeding anything that has a high phosphate level?

 

[Minkota]

Are you feeding anything that has a high phosphate level?

I don't believe so. I am using Dr. G frozen shrimp and frozen krill. I have only tested it once but it did not show any phosphates so I do not test at every feeding

 

[Mrc8858]

Have you rescaped or disturbed the sandbed recently? Try adding twice as much water to your test and use the same amount of test liquid to see if you can find a true reading. Just double whatever the test says (if it reads 5.0 after doubling the water then your at 10.0+). If you know your true reading then you can track results much better.

 

[Minkota]

Have you rescaped or disturbed the sandbed recently? Try adding twice as much water to your test and use the same amount of test liquid to see if you can find a true reading. Just double whatever the test says (if it reads 5.0 after doubling the water then your at 10.0+). If you know your true reading then you can track results much better.

Just so I understand, you are saying to double the water sample but keep the test solution the same as if I am using a single water sample. Correct? I will try this tonight and post results. Thanks

 

[Mrc8858]

Yep and if you still can't get a reading you could triple and so one which is a common way to find out nitrates/nitrites/ammonia when they are off the charts.

 

[Minkota]

Ok, so i used 4 parts water and 1 part test solution, and it was still dark blue so the reading is +20.0

I would have kept going but I ran out of test solution. I am going to try and get to the LFS tomorrow and pick up a refill.

Any suggestions for what to try in the mean time?

I am planning a major water change this weekend but the last few have had no impact.

 

[Keithhjs]

Run a reactor with GFO.

 

[Mrc8858]

If your phosphates are really that high then your rock and substrate will be saturated with phosphates. Due to this you'll be battling them for awhile since they will leach the phosphates out over time. A reactor would.be your best choice running gfo or another phosphate remover. Also obviously water changes will help out too.

 

[Minkota]

Ok, i just found out my wife has been feeding the tank with a medicated food. I looked at the ingredients and it says "Active Ingredient: Chloroquine Phosphate" is this the type of phosphate my test kit tests for or is this a beneficial type of phosphate?

 

[Keithhjs]

I would definitely stop feeding with that food and test again and see if your levels start dropping.

 

[Minkota]

I would definitely stop feeding with that food and test again and see if your levels start dropping.

She said she just fed it tonight, how long should i expect before i start to see a drop.