Phosphate help?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Petfish

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Jun 30, 2011
Messages
6
Hi all-

I'm having an issue with algae growth (cloudy water, greenish tinge, testing revealed algae) due to phosphates in my tank. I moved the tank to a new location about a month ago and the tap water source here appears to be loaded with phosphates. The water clouded up almost immediately, I've done several water changes, and finally got it tested tonight at the local aquarium store (well-reputed).

All my levels were spot-on, except for the phosphates. An icky 2.0. Definitely explains the cloudy water and the greenish tinge my poor fishies have been stuck with!

The gentleman there recommended Phosguard, I took his advice, purchased it, and put a small amount in a mesh bag between the carbon filter and back of the tank. Water appears to be flowing through it well, though I had to use a lesser amount than recommended in order to get it to fit!

My question is- has anyone else dealt with this high-phosphate tap water issue, how did you solve it, and has anyone else had experience using PhosGuard? I'd like to know how well it worked for you/how long until I should see results! Thanks!



P.S. My tank has only artificial plants so I am not worried about effects on plant life. It seems on the 'Net most people really focus on the effect it may have on coral. :thanks:
 
Organic phosphates are usually caused by not keeping the tank clean enough. In those cases a PWC and good cleaning regimen are the best cures.

Generally test kits will only measure the amount of organic phosphates that are present in the water, but not the inorganic. High phosphates are generally harmless, but great for algae blooms as you've seen.

If the source of your problem is coming from the tap, you may try a tap water filter to help ease your problem. But once the water is in the tank, about the only way to remove the phosphates is with filter additives like the one you are using. There are several different kinds you can use if what you are using isn't working out best for you.

Other than that, just make sure that you are on top of your regular aquarium maintenance schedule of regular vacuuming and PWC.
 
Thanks, Shadow. I'm religious about cleaning the tank, which is why I am so caught off-guard about how this happened. The problem definitely started the instant I changed the water source, it literally has not been "non-cloudy" since the day I moved it to the new location. I will look into getting a tap water filter- that's a great idea. Thanks!
 
Back
Top Bottom