Is there a natural way to reduce phosphates?

[hansolo]

Hi SRC,

From what I've gathered, people usually use some kind of pellet/rowaphos/etc in a fluidised reactor or liquid chemical extractors like goodbye phosphates. I'm wondering if there are any natural ways to reduce phosphates. Do beneficial bacteria in live rocks consume phosphates?

[acidjc]

good well cycled tank, with lot of BB and min bioload and of cos controlled feeding as well...

[Joe_P]

Grow macroalgae.

[leejwa]

Or read up on the thread on algae scrubber, you will find a lot of useful information there.

[Bryan Ng]

Another method is remote deep sandbed. You can try Google for it.

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[Guest]

Another method is remote deep sandbed. You can try Google for it.

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Deep sand bed is more for N03 reduction not p04.

[Bryan Ng]

Deep sand bed is more for N03 reduction not p04.

Thanks for correcting

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[honkit]

If you are using a refugium to cultivate macroalgae, do note that it has to be very sizeable (probably equal or even exceeding your display tank) before you see a marked reduction in PO4 levels. This also depends on the number of fishes and inverts that you keep. The more they are, the bigger the refugium will have to be.

[MarcoVan]

Agree with honkit - it really depends on how many fishes you have and how much you are feeding them. Also, it depends on your husbandry methods... If you are diligent and keep to tab your water changes at once per week, you can do away with very little GFO (assuming your stock level is within limit).. a couple of factors involved.. not really so straightforward...

For myself, I am running minimal GFO, but I do put liverocks into my sump for filtration and maintain a small list of nano gobies and 3 chromis in my two feet tank...

If you are using a refugium to cultivate macroalgae, do note that it has to be very sizeable (probably equal or even exceeding your display tank) before you see a marked reduction in PO4 levels. This also depends on the number of fishes and inverts that you keep. The more they are, the bigger the refugium will have to be.

[patricklhc]

There is a post by bro Illumnae on the relationship of no3 and po4. Maybe you want to read up and if don't understand can post more question. Natural way to reduce po4 can be done but wouldn't be easy and like what macrovan mention it's not a very straight forward thing The link is here

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[hansolo]

Thank you all, very enlightening

[edmund_23]

Great threads provided.. I also have high p04. I reduce feeding and do wc every 6days.. Just cant reduce..

[JMW]

Great read on the 106:16:1 ratio, interesting that the numbers are skewed such that phosphates 'require alot' of the other constituents to just have one unit removed. At least that's the way I understood the article.

I feed sparingly, perform weekly WC, but phosphates are still at a constant .25. Tested with API, btw didn't know it only reads 0 & .25, there's virtually no way to detect the ideal lvl of .03, unless the result is yellow...

am really contemplating trying goodbye phosphates!

[sgtayc]

I run aquapharm sorb4 in tlf reactor ($25 2nd hand). Its always 0.00 on hanna checker. Sorb4 also not ex cos only need to use small amount to last like 2 months.

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