Quote:
Originally Posted by LeJeune981
What is a good level for phosphate?
I read alot about people carbon dosing and shooting for 0 Phos and 0 Nitrate... mainly sps guys
My tank has .25 Phos. (Api test kit)
Would that be high.. or good?
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I would consider that a bit high and likely a sign of overfeeding.. But if everything is doing good and you don't have nuisance algae issues I wouldn't worry too much but would likely reduce my feeding to see how the levels respond.. I also wouldn't rely on API for phosphate tests.... API is fine for some tests but phosphate is not one I would use personally.. Salifert/redsea,etc.. hanna,etc..
So I might recommend a second opinion on that..
In general I personally would shoot for phosphate levels of ~.15mg/l down to ~.05mg/l and watching to see if you have problems with nuisance algae..
zero nitrate/phosphate is bad (and likely not possible as nothing would be living in the tank) as like I stated its nutrients that are needed.. But too much is just as bad as too little..
Most say "zero" but thats just thrown out there to be generic and to avoid a discussion of proper levels..
Not too long ago achieving "zero" or low levels wasn't as easy/achievable as it is now.. There are still plenty though with excessive nutrient levels but achieving low/proper levels is fairly simple now..