pls help.... salifert test kit

[Rocky99]

my 3ft tank is blooming with diatoms and other unpleasant algae.... due overstocking and overfeeding....

finally decided to do something to it today, and i bought a phosphate media and a salifert PO4 testkit....

my test result is something like colorless to light blue(<0.03 - trying v hard to match it to the chart) and i know that this is impossible, judging from the amount algae i have in my tank (on the glass and liverocjk)... i tried using half the amount of saltwater to test and i still see the same result.......... can anyone pls advise? is my test kit spoilt... expires in july 2006.......... i put it under white light to read......

thanks

merry xmas everyone...

[RAV-65]

Tink u got very high phosphates... better use some rowas...

[Rocky99]

Tink u got very high phosphates... better use some rowas...

hi bro... does that mean that the test kit is quite redundant......

since even at levels high enough levels to cause algae blooms, it's still very hard to match it to the chart...may i know how do you monitor your phospate level in your tank? thanks and merry xmas

[rotala]

Pls check NO3. I used to have low PO4 buy algae bloom continued until I got my NO3 under contol. (5-10ppm w ropic Marine test kit). Good luck!

[RAV-65]

Algae blooms are mainly due to a combination of phosphates (po4)and nitrates...

The water in your tank may already have a high level of po4, so the most effective way would be to use rowaphos with a Fluidised Reactor. One thing to note is that there is po4 in most home's tap water...

I run rowas in my FR 24/7...

PS: Corals dun do well with high levels of po4, u can read on your salifert chart... With Rowas, it is possible to have near zero po4....

Good luck!

[Rocky99]

Algae blooms are mainly due to a combination of phosphates (po4)and nitrates...

The water in your tank may already have a high level of po4, so the most effective way would be to use rowaphos with a Fluidised Reactor. One thing to note is that there is po4 in most home's tap water...

I run rowas in my FR 24/7...

PS: Corals dun do well with high levels of po4, u can read on your salifert chart... With Rowas, it is possible to have near zero po4....

Good luck!

thanks RAV-65 and rotala.... i juz read that growing nuisance algae takes up lots of PO4, hence giving a false impression that there is no phosphate problem.....

my NO3 is under control, between 0-12.5mg/L.....

I got a FR and put in Seachem PHOSGuard to deal with the phosphate... didnt' get ROWAphos cos of the price difference, but unfortunately i came home then found out that Phosguard could cause alumunium toxicity.......i suppose that's in the long run and i'll switch over to ROWAphos once the bottle runs out......

thanks again....

[shoelevy]

hposguard for a whilte nvm...make sure u replace it immediately wen it runs out

switch to rowa is best

i used to get bloom wen my po4 reading was close to 0...infact...less than 0.01ppm so...very difficult to pin pt a cause