Inconsistent Phosphates
I've been battling high phosphates ever since starting the current tank (18 months ago). I bought the whole setup from another reefer, who (I believe) neglected it for months. Not knowing any better, I used everything: his rock, his sand, etc. When I first started it, in Nov 2012, the phosphates were over 1 ppm. Over time I brought them down to below 0.1 ppm, by keeping to a rigorous water changing schedule and running ROWAphos.
What irritates me is the swings in phosphate levels that I noticed over time. Below is a table showing the results over the past couple of months. I test using a Hanna Colorimeter.
*
DATE Phosphate Levels
13-Mar-14 0.15
15-Mar-14 0.17
16-Mar-14 0.11
18-Mar-14 0.1
21-Mar-14 0.08
25-Mar-14 0.12
27-Mar-14 0.13
30-Mar-14 0.13 Changed ROWAphos 2-Apr-14 0.31
3-Apr-14 0.08
6-Apr-14 0.04
10-Apr-14 0.06
15-Apr-14 0.09 Changed ROWAphos 17-Apr-14 0.3
20-Apr-14 0.1
22-Apr-14 0.3
24-Apr-14 0.1
29-Apr-14 0.06
30-Apr-14 0.05 After Shanging ROWAphos 4-May-14 0.06
7-May-14 0.48
I am totally puzzled. Any ideas/suggestions?
|