Filter sock = introducing phosphates?

[sherm71tank]

Hello! I have been battling a HA problem for quite some time. I got rid of the HA and then what I believe to be Dinos took off. I run ozone and carbon and do religious water changes ( at least 5 gal ) once a weekwith ro/di water that is 0 tds and phosphates.
My question is, if I wash the filter socks I am using in the washing machine in my house water that is REALLY high in phosphates and let them air dry am I getting phosphates from the socks when I put them back in use? I really don't want to have to rinse them off with ro/di water and spin'em again! Thanks!

[Anthony Calfo]

nope... I cannot imagine its any significant source of phosphate at all. Not compared to the pack juice of thawed frozen foods if not properly strained away (rocket fuel for nuisance algae), or any of a number of other ways to import phosphate.

[sherm71tank]

Thank you. I just got rid of my sand bed and recured my rock for 1 1/2 months. Everything is clean now and I just wanted to eliminate the socks as a problem.

[sfsuphysics]

Originally posted by Anthony Calfo
nope... I cannot imagine its any significant source of phosphate at all. Not compared to the pack juice of thawed frozen foods if not properly strained away (rocket fuel for nuisance algae), or any of a number of other ways to import phosphate.

So are you saying that if I feed frozen mysis shrimp I should let it thaw out and whatever "juice" left behind I should throw out? I always thought the juice was just mysis squeezins

[Anthony Calfo]

the pack juice from most frozen prepared foods is brutally concentrated with nutrients. It is quite a bad habit to admit this in aquaria habitually.

[sfsuphysics]

well whatya know.. learn something new everyday!

[RasBobre]

Hello Anthony - What are your feelings on phosphates from fresh/frozen prepared foods? I make up a frozen food mix based on Sanjay's recipe. Lots of variety of fresh fish (squid, mussels, scallops, ahi) and...frozen shrimp. I also add a bunch of additives/solutions. Lengs garlic elixcir, fish solutions, zoecon/selcon, Kents Marine C, frozen cylopeze and Tahitian blend phyto, TLF Marine Snow.

I have had a few clients break out with hair algae the last couple of months. I do know that they overfeed and believe that that is where the problem begain.

[Anthony Calfo]

foods/feeding in general are the biggest vehicle for importing concentrated nutrients including phosphate into the aquarium. Yet is varies considerably with each ingedient. Do use your phosphate test kit with some soaked/dissolved ingedients to target which if any have significant phosphate.

[marilynrn711]

Any thoughts on DTs and golden pearls.

[jarhed]

Originally posted by sfsuphysics
So are you saying that if I feed frozen mysis shrimp I should let it thaw out and whatever "juice" left behind I should throw out? I always thought the juice was just mysis squeezins

mysis squeezins... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! :lol:

[CBBSteve]

Hi, Sherm71tank.
If your laundry detergent is phosphate free, then you may not have a problem. I would worry more about the residual laundry detergent left in the fabric and its effect on your tank. I'm assuming you are using some sort of detergent in your washing machine. Most household washers do a poor job of rinsing and so leave detergent all over the place. May I suggest this test:
After you wash and dry your filter sock, soak it in a half gallon of RODI water for about an hour and then test for phosphates and TDS. That should give you a good indication what's left behind in your sock. I would be interested in your results.

thanks,
Steve

[sherm71tank]

Steve, I always run a rinse through before I wash the socks. I have thought about doing that test though just to make sure. I think I will. I don't when I will get to it. Maybe this weekend. I will post my results and let you know.

[sherm71tank]

Ok, I started the test. I rinsed and scrubbed out a bucket with ro/di water. 0 tds and po4 in the buckett water. I put a sock in that has been washed the same way I always do and will soak for 30 minutes and retest.

[sherm71tank]

TDS went to 12. po4 tested at 0. I wonder what the 12 ppm tds is? Wonder, wonder, wonder . . . . .

[CBBSteve]

Well, thanks, Sherm for the followup. That's good to know, I think I'll start washing my filter bag that way also.

Steve

[sherm71tank]

Your'e welcome. It's always good to know for sure! At least now I can have one less thing to worry about.

[IslandCrow]

It doesn't seem like a TDS of 12 should be a really big deal. My tap water is about 10x that. No doubt there's a little something left behind, if nothing else because it gets rinsed with tap water. Good to know phosphates aren't an issue, though. I love all these mini science experiments people do here. I know I'd never even think of half this stuff. Now to give my mysis a RODI bath. . .

[DJ88©]

[moved]