Kessil

Phosphate

andyman said:
The real question is how do you even know your rock is bounded with PO4? It most likely is from what I read, but how do you quantitate the amount that would justify nuking (if possible) or replacement. Why would you nuke a rock without test? Perhaps he knows something we don't know regarding testing po4.
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I bet if you take a step back and breathe you will realize he most likely does..........JMO
 
I have two huge and beautiful rocks from my former tank that are bound with PO4, no matter how low the nutrients got they would still harbor all kinds of pest algae. Needless to say they are no longer in my tank and are going to go through a rigorous cleaning before I pass them on. Even then I hope they are going into a FOWLR tank with a ton of tangs, because I suspect no matter what there still will be some crap just below the surface.

The main problem is that you cannot detect PO4 in the tank, algae will simply plague the rocks that harbor the PO4.
 
Maybe you need to invent a PO4 scrubber setup :D

Put all your PO4 rocks in a brightly lit container, dose nitrate, and harvest algae until the rocks can't support any more.
 
I'm thinking my new muriatic acid followed by an enraged pressure wash might do the trick ;), rinse of course between steps.... :)

I'd love to use a more organic solution, but I am not a big fan of algae in my household :D
 
Which reminds me....

Does anybody need any DIY rock with unwashed oyster shell as a base?

Makes for great tang food. Or a chia reef if you don't have tangs :D
 
Forgot to mention that I've had great success using a Phosban Reactor to knock down PO4 by Two Little Fish purchased on the net. I bought the reactor and phosban media and have completely eliminated all my nuisance algae with no detriments to my tank within approximately 3 months. Phosphate is difficult to remove quickly. There is a phosphate product sold on Petsolutions.com which comes in a liquid form that is supposed to knock down phosphates almost immediately but I've not tried it; but was strongly considering it. You may want to take a look at it. Can't think of the name, right now, but you can ask for Don and he can help you further if this is still an issue. I prefer the Phosban Reactor personally.
 
The liquid stuff is Lanthanum Chloride, it allows your skimmer to pull the PO4 out by binding it up chemically somehow (don't ask me). I've never used it but from what I've *heard* it sounds like it works well.
 
there are issues with it (L.C.). With any easy fix in the hobby there are draw backs.
 
Mr. Ugly said:
Maybe you need to invent a PO4 scrubber setup :D

Put all your PO4 rocks in a brightly lit container, dose nitrate, and harvest algae until the rocks can't support any more.
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I thought that was called an "aquarium." ;)
 
Reef Keeper said:
RubberMaid Containers, and the likes, leech out phosphates from the plastic after a short period of time. If you are mixing and storing your salts in such containers you may want to consider using High Density Polyethylene.
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OH! Never realized this. I keep my water in plastic buckets from OSH. Maybe it's time I start mixing my own salt water... :(
 
Look for NSF labeled containers, they are food grade and do not leach PO4. Speaking of PO4, are you using natural seawater? If so I'd advise against it, our NSW is pumped from an area that is located near the effluent stream (Denniston Creek) that parallels a huge brussels sprout field, they require a huge amount of PO4 in order to grow.
 
tuberider said:
Euphyllia said:
Yeah... yeah, I am using NSW... :(
Why doesn't the LFS tell me this stuff?! |(
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Dunno, perhaps it has something to do with the profit margin? :X
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It is in the stores best financial interest to tell you, discouraging off sight purchases with miss information about plastics leaching PO4.

If you talk to someone that knows about plastics, and you tell them what your using, +90% of the time it'll be just fine. OSH buckets are fine, most rubbermaid containers are fine, etc.

FWIW Jeremy said NSF which is http://www.nsf.org/consumer/drinking_water/index.asp and has to do with drinking water and containers.

Matt said NSW which is Natural Seawater which if you drink a small amount it'll give you the runs and a decent amount will kill you.

Two very different things.
 
I think sea water will only kill you if it's the ONLY thing that you drink. Like if you are adrift at sea and only have seawater to drink. I think if you have access to freshwater, then drinking sea water will make you wacky and dehydrated, but you can recover by drinking freshwater.

Do a google search on "Trashman" which was a sailboat that sank in 1982. I first saw it on "I shouldn't be Alive" (awesome show!)

After days on a raft, two survivors started drinking sea water. One stood up and said "Hey, you guys wait here, I'm going to go get the car" then walked out of the raft ... into shark infested water and to the horror of everyone on the raft was eaten right in front of them. Then later the other sea water drinker said "I need to stretch my legs" and also walked off the raft. The other two in the raft that didn't drink the seawater (and were also dying of thirst) were so weak they couldn't stop the guy and also had to endure the feeding frenzy (they felt the sharks bumping the raft as they ate the guy alive).

But I digresss. I use RO water IO. But I leave the water mixing in a plastic bucket for days. Occasionally one of my girls drops stuff into it, even though I have a lid on the bucket (with a small hole cut on the side for a powerhead cord).

V
 
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