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ryshark
10/17/2009, 06:55 PM
My tank is currently having an issue with bubble algae, so I decided to get all new "expensive" test kits. My Elos Phospate kit shows my tank has
0- Phosphate... I was actually hoping it would show I was high, this way I would know what the problem was with bubble algae. Then I decided to test my tap water, it also tested 0- Phosphate. this sounded a little suspicious so then I tested the drain water from rodi unit. And again, it tested 0- Phosphate. Could this be right???

luther1200
10/17/2009, 07:23 PM
Its possible. The bubble algae could be using all the PO4 before the test can read it.

ryshark
10/17/2009, 08:03 PM
Its possible. The bubble algae could be using all the PO4 before the test can read it.

But what about the tap water and the dirty drain water from the RODI unit? That is testing 0 too.

luther1200
10/17/2009, 08:06 PM
It is a bit odd, What is the TDS of your tap water? Have you ever tested it before and got a reading?

tgray3
10/17/2009, 08:15 PM
I would try a different test kit. I recently had an Elos mag kit that read 1100 no matter what you did. I determined it was bad by testing it with a reference solution from a brand new Seachem test kit. After that i tend to be Leary of believing an "off" reading of anything until i test again with another brand.

ryshark
10/17/2009, 09:45 PM
I tested the tds of my tap water once and it was around 400. I have a Red Sea kit which also tests 0 I think. But that kit is not very good, it go's from 0 to I think .25 is the next reading up.

ryshark
10/17/2009, 09:46 PM
What can I test that for sure has phosphate? Should I thaw out a cube of mysis and test the water it thawed in?

luther1200
10/17/2009, 10:17 PM
Yes, that should have a high level of PO4. Try not to dilute it to much. But even if its diluted to a .5-1 cup I think it should still show a decent amount of PO4.

2006
10/18/2009, 12:05 AM
What can I test that for sure has phosphate? Should I thaw out a cube of mysis and test the water it thawed in?

My tap and tank water tested 0 ppm with the elos phosphate kit. I threw a cube of frozen food in the tap water and retested. It read off the chart high. I don't know if I proved anything. It might be hard to detect low levels even with the more expensive kits.

ryshark
10/18/2009, 12:54 AM
I'm going to try that tomorrow morning. If that is the case, I should have stuck with my gut and just bought a Hanna Photometer. Or then again, maybe just knowing that the PO4 is low, is good enough.

tatuvaaj
10/18/2009, 01:46 AM
In my experience, both Salifert and Merck seem to give reliable results. I also like the kit made by Gilbers Environmental Technologies but I don't have much experience with it yet. Merck is easiest to read.

Billybeau1
10/18/2009, 05:01 PM
I would try a different test kit. I recently had an Elos mag kit that read 1100 no matter what you did. I determined it was bad by testing it with a reference solution from a brand new Seachem test kit. After that i tend to be Leary of believing an "off" reading of anything until i test again with another brand.

You can not test other test kits with Seachems reference solution. It will not work in most cases. That is why I do not like reference solutions with any brand hobby grade test kit.

ryshark
10/18/2009, 05:56 PM
You can not test other test kits with Seachems reference solution. It will not work in most cases. That is why I do not like reference solutions with any brand hobby grade test kit.

Billybeau- what your feeling about everything testing the same for my PO4 kit?

bertoni
10/19/2009, 01:01 PM
The test kit might be perfectly accurate. It is designed to measure only orthophosphate, which is only one form of phosphorus that can be available to organisms from the water column. A total phosphate kit might tell another story, although they are expensive and a bit tedious to use. I agree that the alga might be consuming phosphorus as quickly as it's released, for that matter.

I'd concentrate on nutrient control, and not worry about the phosphate test kit. They are useful for diagnosing stony coral problems, but not necessarily as helpful for dealing with algae. You could try the mysid shrimp test if you're very worried.

HighlandReefer
10/19/2009, 03:28 PM
Jonathan has hit on a good point. Bubble algae can be difficult to control. Even if your phosphates are very low, they can still survive. This is not to say that keeping your phosphates at zero readings with hobby grade test kits is not important as well as keeping your nitrates low.

IMHO, you would want to follow the directions in this article, which provides some good advice for controlling bubble algae:

Bubble Algae: Selected Description, controls and Comments
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/hcj/feature/index.php

ryshark
10/19/2009, 07:26 PM
You guys were right, I did the mysis cube and diluted it with a cup of water and it tested sky high for PO4 with the Elos kit. I am going to attempt to get rid of the bubble algae in ways listed in the article above.

luther1200
10/19/2009, 07:44 PM
Good luck :)