[asylumdown]

So after a massive campaign of water changes to try and save my tank, I'm at the point where I'm starting to add some of the reactors and dosing equipment that I took offline back to my system.

The first thing that I added back was my GFO reactor, filled with rowaphos, as I'm finished doing massive water changes every day and I presently have zero nutrient control on the tank.

Using the Hanna ULR kit, 2 days ago I measured P levels of of 29ppb, which when you do the math works out to 0.088ppm PO4, which is higher than I normally like my tank to run at. Right after that I added the GFO reactor back to the system and filled it with Rowaphos. Frustratingly, the next day the ULR kit measured P of 36ppb (0.11ppm PO4) and today it measured 46ppb (0.14ppm PO4).

Is this just my test sucking? How is it possible that my phosphate levels are rising after adding an adsorber? Do I need to put way more Rowaphos in the reactor?

My nitrates have also been steadily increasing since I took the biopellets offline as well. Even with a 60% water change earlier in the week, and 10 20% water changes in the days around that big change, my nitrates have climbed to 1ppm from undetectable. grrrr.