how to remove phosphates

[sw10mm]

Got a cyanobactera outbreak already reduced lights how can I get rid of phosphates? Purgen?

[eieio]

Seachem's PhosGuard
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product ... Guard.html

[Pufferpunk]

Read my sig & do lots of it.

[RTR]

The Seachem product is good, but unfortunately cannot be used in tanks w/live plants. If the issue is excess phosphate in the source water, the water must be treated before it goes into the tank. Fish do also have phosphate requirements, but that is generally met by their diets.

That same product also removes soluble silicates if the source water is high in those. Soluble silicates promote diatom algae growth.

[defool89]

I dont think phosguard will harm plants. If you have a good source of other minerals phosphates would be the least counterproductive thing to remove. The plants will out compete other sources for nutrients, even the ligering phosphates. Phosguard will work in conjunction with water changes.

[Pufferpunk]

Are you kidding me, you're going rebut RTR's advice--a research scientist for the past 50+ years--about bacteria???

[defool89]

If you keep using phosguard all the time it will harm your plants yes it will harm your plants because of the extended period of time.

Phosguard is a filter pad not a liquid you inject, it absorbs phosphates and retains excess but it wont succeed in removing all phosphates.

If you use phosguard for one week, in conjunction with water changes you will solve your Nutrient phosphate problem and NOT kill your plants. I stand by that 100%.

And once the problem is solved, keep up regular water changes to avoid this nutrient and all others from turning into an excess and stay manageable

[Pufferpunk]

Why not just do WC then?

[bertie 83]

Almost any tank problem will be solved quickly by waterchanges. There is no such thing as a quick fix, lots of w/c will help you out.

[defool89]

You could always just use a band aid and wait for the wound to heal. Your body will put in the effort to close and recoup but if you add just a little neosporin your body will heal faster with less effort. Just quit using neosporin when your wound heals

[eieio]

Got a cyanobactera outbreak already reduced lights how can I get rid of phosphates? Purgen?

what are your phosphate levels?

[RTR]

Phosphate levels may be from the local water supply, and/o may be the result of over or improper feeding of the fish, or insufficient WC for the bioload. If the first case, WC will do nothing to help but Phosguard works every time IF the water is pretreated and monitored to be certain the unit is not exhausted. If the issue is overfeeding or improper food selection, the operator can correct that by themself. Or if WC are insufficient, the operator can correct that as well w/o using Phosguard. But phosphate is an absolutely required nutrient for both plants and animals. Aquatic plant requirements are proportionally low in relation to nitrogen and potassium, but still it is absolutely required for plant health.

The best (IMHO & IME) plant nutrient handling is by following Tom Barr's Estimative Index technique, which minimizes routine testing but requires some knowledge and awareness of plant requirements.

Dart-board techniques such at those suggested by defool89 pretty much guarantee algal outbreaks and invite subsequent damage to established vascular plants. I am uncertain what the significance of his Bandaid + antibiotic treatment for mammalian scrapes and scratches is supposed to imply about tank care, but I do hope he does not think that an aquarium is a homeostatic system as a mammalian body is. Aquaria are not organisms, but containers housing myriad organisma, and are not in any sense homeostatic.

PP: FWIW: While I did study bacteriology and virology, my primary area of expertise was mammalian cell biology, specifically the study of intracellular communication molecules between mammalian cells, whether normal or in response to infection, injury, malignancy, etc. The aim in general was to produce sufficient material for study and sometimes for clinical trials.

[purplecandle]

Almost any tank problem will be solved quickly by waterchanges. There is no such thing as a quick fix, lots of w/c will help you out.

I love this. Do you mind if I steal it for my siggy?

[bertie 83]

By all means pc.

[purplecandle]

By all means pc.

Thank you

I like to have quotes in my siggy to remind me of past mistakes and avoid future mistakes.