Balancing Out My Dried Seaweed and Phosphate Levels

[Ivan]

I've done some reading and realize that because of my feeding of dried seaweed, I am most likely adding phosphates to my tank as well. I've recently started dripping kalk again for multiple reasons including controlling some phosphate levels, but the levels remain at around .25-.5 according to my Salifert test kit. My tangs devour the seaweed, so not much of it is wasted, but speaking of waste, :? , it's just poured back in the tank due to fish waste.

I'm thinking any phosphate remover would not be enough to counter the seaweed feeding, so I am wasting money on that thought. My skimmer is working fine (Triggersys), so that should help, but apparently not quite enough.

Any suggestions on how to counter-balance this phosphate attack?

 

[BigMonkeyBoy]

Ivan how much are you feeding them? example how many sheets per a week.

Also how many tangs do you have?

if your affraid of the tang police just shoot me a pm with the info.

:lol:

 

[tnn1567]

Ivan,

I feed about 12 sheets of nori each day. Using calcium hyxroxide will also help reduce phosphate as well. Marc recommend to me that I should start using butter lettuce or romaine lettuce. Give that a tried. I used phosban reactors which only help a little.

 

[reefgazer]

butter lettuce or romaine lettuce?

I want to read more on this? never heard of butter lettuce? but heard of
romaine. You dip the lettuce with regular butter? Did you try this Tri? Do your tangs eat?

 

[Ashlar]

Ivan, do you have a refugium? A fast growing macro like caulerpa would be another method of sucking up phosphate into an easily exportable format.

 

[tnn1567]

@reefgazer wrote:

LOL!!! I haven't tried dipping it into butter 8) I will try the romaine lettuce.

 

[Ivan]

@BigMonkeyBoy wrote:

I feed them about 2-3 1"x3" sheets a day (I fold them down to reduce the amount of nori floating around the tank). I currently have a yellow, convict, and shoulder tang. Not to bad for the tang police. I may just get a fine :wink:

 

[Ivan]

I have always had a refugium with some caulerpa and other macroalgae. I knew it helped to keep the nitrates down, but I did not know it could help the phosphates. In my case, I wonder if it's helping.

I was always told romaine lettuce is not so good for tangs because it is hard for them to digest. Confirm? Butter lettuce? That's a new one.

TNN1567, isn't lime (kalk) calcium hydroxide? I'm dripping kalk now, but it does not seem to reduce the phosphate. It does, however, keep my pH and calcium levels in check to balance out my alkalinity levels due to my calcium reactor.

God, I love this hobby :x

 

[BigMonkeyBoy]

Ivan cut your nori feeding way back. You know how many tangs I have LOL :lol: and I feed 3 sheets 2 to 3 times a week. They will not starve I promise. I would feed 3 sheets twice a week if it was me. wait a few weeks then retest everything.

A great product I found to lower my phosphates is www.algone.com

This product works very well. Drop 2 packs in your sump wait a week remove the old ones and do the same again. You should get it back into control that way.

Good luck!

 

[Ashlar]

@Ivan wrote:

All living things need carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous. Aquatic plants absorb nitrates, phosphates, and carbon dioxide via the water, and they use photosynthesis to convert these compounds to sugars.

Macroalgae are recommended to reduce nitrates because nitrates are usually a more pressing problem. Additionally, the ratio of C-N-P that macroalgae take up means they are usually limited by nitrates rather than phosphate.

If you're testing for no nitrate but some phosphate, then macroalgae might not help. Some folks actually have to dose nitrates to keep their macroalgae going, especially in sea grass / macro seahorse tanks.

 

[GraviT]

@reefgazer wrote:

Please don't feed your tangs butter, I can't imagine that's a healthy choice.

Check this out....butter lettuce

 

[Ivan]

@BigMonkeyBoy wrote:

I think you overlooked the 1" x 3" cutout part of a full sheet I mentioned earlier. A full sheet is usually 7"x8" This is the equivalent to about 1.5 sheets a week.

I'll look into the Algone.

 

[quangtam7]

How about fresh sea weed? $1.5 a tray I think.

 

[reefgazer]

Where you get the fresh tray of sea weed Quang?

 

[Guest]

dont forget to wash the lettuce dont want your tangs to get ecoli hahahahahha

i feed my tangs 1/4 a sheet every other day i have three tangs in my tank

 

[melev]

I put 1/2 sheet of Nori in my tank twice a week now. That's enough for two tangs.

The butter lettuce is the common lettuce in Europe, and I know some hobbyists with a tank full of tangs will lower a head of that lettuce into the tank tied onto some LR, and let the tangs mow it down. I believe there would be less phosphate in such food, and still give the tangs something to consume. Rinse it very well first, possibly in vinegar water to remove insecticides and bugs. (I do wonder if vinegar might change the taste/smell and cause the fish to avoid it, so you might rinse it again after the vinegar bath. )

Another option is blanched broccoli. I've never tried it, but you drop it in boiling water for about 10 seconds, if I recall correctly (IIRC). That kills off any pests.

Whatever you choose, try small portions at first so the fish isn't frightened of it, and as they get used to it increase the size or amount.

Never leave it in the tank to rot. If there is no interest after a set period of time (2 hours, perhaps), pull it out.