Dosed Phosphate RX for first time - Kill Chaeto?

Stevorino · 04/01/2017, 09:38 AM

I haven't been focusing on phosphate for a while... I've been relying on heavy water changes instead of scrubbing out the phosphate. But last weekend I finally decided to buy a hannah checker and Phosphate RX.

Before dosing, Hannah Checker had Phosphate at 0.18

Dosed in day one aggressively and it dropped to 0.07

Dosed day two and it dropped to 0.00

Before dosing at all I took a basketball sized chaeto tangle out of the sump and left about two softball sizes worth remaining.

Here we are a week later and the two softballs of chaeto are shrivelled up and gone. Tank looks great.

Is it possible that I literally stripped the tank of the phosphate enough to kill off the chaeto?

tmz · 04/01/2017, 10:55 AM

Yes. IME chaeto wanes when PO4 levels go below,0.05 ppm or so. Corals may also suffer from a phosphate deficiency at some point.

Stevorino · 04/01/2017, 11:24 AM

Thanks tmz!

tmz · 04/01/2017, 10:27 PM

you are welcome

tlc · 04/02/2017, 12:13 PM

the aggressive drop in po4 may have contributed also. reef tanks are like cruise ships. changes should be made very slow.

ant123mon · 02/01/2018, 10:13 PM

I don’t trust the Hannah phosphate tester. Different reading every test. I have both high range and low range checkers high range says 1.5 with accuracy +-1 seems pretty high window of error. Low range test zero +-.04 I gave up on them and ordered a Milwaukee. Granted perhaps I’m testing wrong but don’t believe so. I have read else where these aren’t accurate

rvareef · 02/01/2018, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stevorino

I haven't been focusing on phosphate for a while... I've been relying on heavy water changes instead of scrubbing out the phosphate. But last weekend I finally decided to buy a hannah checker and Phosphate RX.

Before dosing, Hannah Checker had Phosphate at 0.18

Dosed in day one aggressively and it dropped to 0.07

Dosed day two and it dropped to 0.00

Before dosing at all I took a basketball sized chaeto tangle out of the sump and left about two softball sizes worth remaining.

Here we are a week later and the two softballs of chaeto are shrivelled up and gone. Tank looks great.

Is it possible that I literally stripped the tank of the phosphate enough to kill off the chaeto?

yes, do you have corals in the tank?

Tripod1404 · 02/01/2018, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ant123mon

I don’t trust the Hannah phosphate tester. Different reading every test. I have both high range and low range checkers high range says 1.5 with accuracy +-1 seems pretty high window of error. Low range test zero +-.04 I gave up on them and ordered a Milwaukee. Granted perhaps I’m testing wrong but don’t believe so. I have read else where these aren’t accurate

They are very accurate. I have been using them for a long time and I was able to cross-match the results with ICP/triton analysis within few units of ppb. You are probably doing something wrong.

Misticl · 02/05/2018, 02:17 AM

@ant123mon how is the Milwaukee tester. I have been wanting to order one as I see many post about the cost and inaccuracy of the hanna. I have to call up some of the extreme inaccuracies of the Hanna checker to people not understanding how it works. Does Milwaukee take the user error out of the equation?

bertoni · 02/05/2018, 06:40 PM

I thought that the Milwaukee tester was just a repackaged Hanna model. The stats are the same.

04/01/2017, 09:38 AM	#1
Stevorino Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 56	Dosed Phosphate RX for first time - Kill Chaeto? I haven't been focusing on phosphate for a while... I've been relying on heavy water changes instead of scrubbing out the phosphate. But last weekend I finally decided to buy a hannah checker and Phosphate RX. Before dosing, Hannah Checker had Phosphate at 0.18 Dosed in day one aggressively and it dropped to 0.07 Dosed day two and it dropped to 0.00 Before dosing at all I took a basketball sized chaeto tangle out of the sump and left about two softball sizes worth remaining. Here we are a week later and the two softballs of chaeto are shrivelled up and gone. Tank looks great. Is it possible that I literally stripped the tank of the phosphate enough to kill off the chaeto?

04/01/2017, 10:55 AM	#2
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,705	Yes. IME chaeto wanes when PO4 levels go below,0.05 ppm or so. Corals may also suffer from a phosphate deficiency at some point. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

04/01/2017, 10:27 PM	#4
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,705	you are welcome __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.

02/05/2018, 06:40 PM	#10
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 87,655	I thought that the Milwaukee tester was just a repackaged Hanna model. The stats are the same. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

04/01/2017, 11:24 AM	#3
Stevorino Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 56	Thanks tmz!

04/02/2017, 12:13 PM	#5
tlc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2000 Posts: 920	the aggressive drop in po4 may have contributed also. reef tanks are like cruise ships. changes should be made very slow.

02/01/2018, 10:13 PM	#6
ant123mon Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 50	I don’t trust the Hannah phosphate tester. Different reading every test. I have both high range and low range checkers high range says 1.5 with accuracy +-1 seems pretty high window of error. Low range test zero +-.04 I gave up on them and ordered a Milwaukee. Granted perhaps I’m testing wrong but don’t believe so. I have read else where these aren’t accurate

02/05/2018, 02:17 AM	#9
Misticl Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: MI Posts: 27	@ant123mon how is the Milwaukee tester. I have been wanting to order one as I see many post about the cost and inaccuracy of the hanna. I have to call up some of the extreme inaccuracies of the Hanna checker to people not understanding how it works. Does Milwaukee take the user error out of the equation?