PO4 - how to drop it to zero??

[malkore]

Ok, I'm having some cyano problems.
40gallon tank
2x96watt PC's (10k, 03 actinitc)
2 maxijet 900's
prizm skimmer
4gallon hang on fuge

I tested PO4 last night and it's the highest it's ever been: 0.15ppm

I know it should be 0.00ppm ideally...but how do you guys do it? My fuge's only been running a couple of days, with some chaeto in it. Water changes every 7-10 days, trying to do aboug 5gallons right now.

I need to test alk and Ca again, but last time I tested they were at 2.5meq/L for alk, and only 250ppm for Ca....both a little low.

Should I just invest in some phosphate absorbing media? Is my tank just too young still? (only been running since early July)

I try not to over feed, and I'm straining the mysis shrimp I feed thru a brine net.

I have lots of brittle stars, a sand sifting star, a cucumber, 2 turbo snails, about a dozen blue/scarlet crabs (combined).

 

[lando]

my P04 has been up lately, to .5. I started running Phosguard by Seachem and it has dropped to .1. It is just a band-aid until I can figure out what is causing my increase in PO4. Did the trick with the cyno though. I also through in a sand-sifting star and it does a good job keeping the sand stirred up.

 

[malkore]

I have some decent flow in those areas too...so I don't think it's a circulation problem, although I am going to add another powerhead to circulate behind the LR, and have the other two circulating the front half a little more thorougly. I'm already at like 580gph, and gonna add almost 200gph behind the LR.

 

[lziarek]

heh, flow really really helps clean up all sorts of problems! I currently have a tad over 20x flow per hour and have another 300 gph pump that turns on for four hours. Combined with 2.5% water changes a week, all my algea problems have disapeared.