High Phospate Levels (5 Or Above)

[davys]

Folks,

Went EI a few weeks ago following George's articles in PFK and the guides on this forum. However just got my phospate kit (Nutrafin) and have got levels of 5 in my tank - on testing my tap water, it's also 5, both of which are too high.

Can I use Rowa phos in an EI tank (inside my external filter) as I got a free tub when I bought my CO2 set up from Deltec? Will Rowaphos sook up the nutrients I dose for EI? I also plan to cut down on my phospate dosing via EI (180 litre tank), is this a good idea? Any other advise on lowering the phosphate levels will be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks,
David

 

[George Farmer]

Personally I would not bother with RowaPhos etc. Just use the tap water as your source of PO4. It's a little high to start but your plants will use it up through the week and the 50% water changes should keep it stable enough. Much cheaper too. Test the water at the end of the week to see if it's going deficient.

FYI my tap has >5ppm PO4 too. I'm running 100% tap now on both my tanks with success (the algae's going from my nano after keeping up water changes).

Water changes are the key with high-growth, EI, CO2 tanks.

 

[K-fee!]

I agree.

When you fill your whole tank with tap water the reading is going to be 5ppm. But over time the plants will use this and in time will go down to 0ppm. Doing water changes will be adding the small percentage need, which is enough for the plants but not enough for algae.

 

[davys]

Thanks for the quick reply guys - greatly appreciated.

I'll completely stop dosing with KH2PO4 (Potassium Phosphate) 3 times a week and just rely on the weekly water changes.

Best wishes,
David

 

[plantbrain]

They use plants in wastewater treatment in warmer regions of the world, looks better than PO4 removing media don't you think?

Regards,
Tom Barr

 

[George Farmer]

They use plants in wastewater treatment in warmer regions of the world, looks better than PO4 removing media don't you think?

Regards,
Tom Barr

Much less ££$$ too!