Magic Kiwi's Tank Journal Thread

[wmcinnes]

Originally Posted by Magickiwi

P.S. You can see my Cleveland Browns just to the left of my RBTA and pricing starts at $500/polyp.

hahaha, this made me laugh!

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by wmcinnes

hahaha, this made me laugh!

A bargain at twice the price!

[Magickiwi]

So I’m still doing battle with my Hanna Colorimeter Phosphate LR checker. The first one I got from Eseasonsgear.com (don’t shop there; they are TERRIBLE) was broken out of the box but I managed to get a reading of .18ppm of phosphate. All my chemical tests say almost zero for phosphates as does the growth of my SPS and LPS coral. My Ponape birds nest is branching and growing despite my green brittle star crawling on it at night. The polyps I have are growing pretty slowly (zoas, daisy polyps, GSP, palys, etc.) but they are growing and splitting etc.

Chemical tests I have used:
API – Would not indicate any phosphates
Salifert – Would not indicate any phosphates
ELOS – Would not indicate any phosphates
Seachem – Gave a color that is just starting to show on their scale (<.01ppm)

As I am fairly confident that the checker I was sent had already been returned to this company for being broken, I went to a LFS and bought another. The readings the first checker had given me (all ranging between .09-.28ppm for my tank) don’t agree with the new checker, which also reads high (.08-.24ppm).

Since using the first colorimeter I replaced about 250ml of Rowaphos that was just a few days old with 250ml of PO4x4 and then again with 500ml. And yet my phosphate levels are either staying high or increasing, all according to the checkers. My carbon/GFO reactor is taking water from my sump and returning it to the sump. The carbon is full blast (Rox.8) and the GFO chamber is just fast enough to make the surface boil.

I did a 20%ish water change yesterday with freshly mixed RO/DI water which caused something in my tank to release a huge amount of offspring. Which in turn were promptly consumed by anything that could move. I stirred my sand last night which no doubt released a bunch of phosphates into the water column. The water is very bright and sparkles like diamonds under my metal halides. I haven’t tested today but I’m suspecting that the colorimeters will show very high levels again. My ozone generator is plugging away and only produces ozone when my tank's ORP reading is under the set point (currently 350).

Yesterday I ordered a Hanna ULR Phosphorus colorimeter and will do the conversions to PO4 based on those values. From what I’ve heard the phosphorus checker provides much more reliable readings than do the phosphate checkers. Also I ordered 1L of Rowaphos since it looks like I’ll be using that stuff up like it’s free… I also ordered 5 new 10” inserts in case my GFO cartridge isn’t letting the water flow properly (it’s a long shot).

Does anyone out there have any insight in to why/how my phosphates can read so high for a colorimeter but not for good quality chemical tests? And if they are so high then why are my corals and livestock not pushing up daisies?

[lastlight]

Can't comment too much on your readings but I will say that I previously always got zero readings in my reef using the phosphate checker. i'm happy getting actual values to work with with my ULR although the darn reagents are much less common.

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by lastlight

Can't comment too much on your readings but I will say that I previously always got zero readings in my reef using the phosphate checker. i'm happy getting actual values to work with with my ULR although the darn reagents are much less common.

If it works more reliably then I'm happy. Readings with the phosphate checkers don't seem very accurate/consistent.

[Reef Pilot]

I use the Hanna phosphate checker and found it to be very accurate and consistent. The trick is to be sure your vial is clean (no fingerprints or smudges) and mix the colour solution for close to the max time (3 mins). Also be sure to press and hold the Add C2 or you won't get the full 3 min countdown. If you just press and release, you will get a reading but it may not be accurate.

Like you, I found the other chemical tests reading zero while the Hanna read higher. But as my phosphates dropped further, the Hanna also consistently read zero. So I believe the Hanna.

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

I use the Hanna phosphate checker and found it to be very accurate and consistent. The trick is to be sure your vial is clean (no fingerprints or smudges) and mix the colour solution for close to the max time (3 mins). Also be sure to press and hold the Add C2 or you won't get the full 3 min countdown. If you just press and release, you will get a reading but it may not be accurate.

Like you, I found the other chemical tests reading zero while the Hanna read higher. But as my phosphates dropped further, the Hanna also consistently read zero. So I believe the Hanna.

That's fair enough and if it works for you then awesome. I am dubious about how well it is working for me though.

I always use the same vial. When I clean it I soak it in vinegar to remove any mineral deposits and the soak and rinse in RO/DI water. I do use the timer on the checker. I don't normally mix for three minutes, just two or so.

Well I guess I will just swap out the POx4 frequently, although I might just switch back to the Rowaphos. Just don't see how the tests are always higher then lower then higher still etc.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Magickiwi

I do use the timer on the checker. I don't normally mix for three minutes, just two or so.

I always mix close to the 3 min max. I find 2 min is not enough to dissolve all the colour mix.

What do you mean when you say you "use" the timer? Do you add the vial the 2nd time after mixing, and before pressing and holding the C2?

[Magickiwi]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

I always mix close to the 3 min max. I find 2 min is not enough to dissolve all the colour mix.

What do you mean when you say you "use" the timer? Do you add the vial the 2nd time after mixing, and before pressing and holding the C2?

Yep, exactly as the instructions indicated. The kit came with two vials and one gives me lower readings such as in the .15ppm range for my tank and 0.00ppm on my RO/DI water and the other vial gives me values in the .25ppm range and .04ppm in my RO/DI water. So I started using the one that gave me the lower values but even then the results have been wildly different. I haven't actually ran two tests back to back on my tank water yet but I am willing to bet that I'd get different numbers that exceed the +-4ppm accuracy.

[Reef Pilot]

Yes, I always use the same vial for the complete test. Don't know what else to suggest.... Hopefully your reagent powder is OK. Good luck.