Phosphate removal
 

How do you remove phosphates? Please explain.

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Since most test kits available for this hobby don't even test PO4 properly, mine always measured <2ppm, so I stopped worrying about them. I use RODi water wich helps to minimize PO4 levels.

I run RowaPhos in a canister on both my Reef and FOWLR tanks. On the FOWLR the phosphates are high so I tried a PhosBan reactor but it didn't seem to make a difference, however I may have been running it incorrectly with too much flow. I'm planning some tank upgrades soon so I'm going to try it again then.....but then part of the upgrades is a refugium (aka algal scrubber) so maybe the RowaPhos won't be necessary anymore. Until then, it's RowaPhos in a canister for me.

Cheers,

I have a phosban reactor. I'm not sure if it is doing anything but I do know that I do not have an algae problem.
In my previous tank I had halmidia growing like crazy and since I have the same rock in my new tank I added the phosban reactor and the halmidia is in check and does not grow out of controle.
So I guess the phosban reactor is working.

P.S. I have RowaPhos in the reactor

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I could be wrong but isn't Halmidia the macro that uses calcium to grow? Would PO4 even effect it's growth rate? Or does it use both Ca and NO3.

Do you guys use RODi water?

water changes
 

i do water changes at 25% every 2-3 weeks or so and I also run phosban reactor with Phosban.

Not yet, but soon. :biggrin:

I use a reactor,I have no idea what my PO4 is,because as stated above,most kits are crap.So I assume I have it and run a reactor to keep it in check.Plus waterchanges each week,up to 50% depending on my NO3

Ya Halmidia does use calcium,but if what I was told during my farmer days was correct " anything green needs phosphates and nitrogen to grow" I would think it holds true in aquatics also.

Phosban Reactor with Phosban...and I had a huge algae problem before (BUT this isn't the only way I have dealt with the algae..just one of the many changes I had to make...) I run a reactor on each tank now over 10g

I also use RO/DI, new bulbs, water change often, clean up crew, fish that do more than just eat but help clean up algae too...just to name a few things

I don't have a PO4 test kit, so I have no idea what's going on in our 120g. However, there are various macroalgae growing well in the tank, which, combined with loads of light, I am assuming is consuming lots of PO4 and nitrate.

I also do 15% water changes, BB siphoning, and mechanical fitration cleaning weekly. But I doubt that changing such a small amount of water does much to reduce any nutrient could be in my tank. Say, for instance, I had 10 ppm nitrate in there. A 15% water change will only reduce the nitrate to 8.5 ppm. And by the next week, more nitrate will have been added to the water, so I'd probably still have 10 ppm.

All I've got to say is using non-invasive macroalgae to soak up nutirents is the most natural and cheapest way to go.

Am using RO/DI water, btw.

That would be true to an extent. Halimeida does use phosphates in growth, it simply builds more of its structure from calcium than some other algaes.

Edit:

I guess I should answer the thread's question... haha!

I cant select any of those options above. I have tested the phosphates and got a 0 on the kit.. but ofcourse most kits arent the best. My only method of phosphate reduction right now, if there is any, is use of a refugium. I am considering using a VERY small amount of phosban on the next system, but just for the heck of it, the fuge will be huge anyways, and with a low fishload, high floow, good skimming, I dont see it being an issue.

Woops... *Haliemeda does use Phosphorous(not phosphates, but the use of phosphorous would break down the phosphates into oxygen and phosphorous).*

Aha... correction again, I believe they simply directly take in phosphate rather than phosphorous. ATP(Adenosine Triphosphate) is the molecule used to store energy. I cannot quite remember whether plants absorb phosphorous or phosphate when producing PGAL.

This is what I was led to believe, and after I started using the phosfate reactor it was drastically reduced from a thriving jungle to where I have to really look to find some in my tank.