Phosphate help?

Ok, So I've had my tank running quite well since my 'Crash of August 08' and even have a few small corals now (couple of Kenya Tree frags and two xenias) but I've been having green algae problems since the rebuild. Not really hair algae, just that small, slightly furry green algae that's all over EVERYTHING!!!

After some reading online and some posts here, I went ahead and got myself a phosphate test kit (I only had the regular pH, NO3, NO4, Ammon kit before).

Well, no surprise to me, seems to be my luck, params are staying like perfect and with my handy dandy new test kit, phosphates are at a big fat zero also. I know thats great for my tank, but I was hoping to start finding the cause of the algae.

Could somebody point me down a new dead end please?

 

The p04 test will read zero because the algea is feeding on it and using it up. I had a algea outbreak as well and ended up getting a p04 reactor and within a week they started to clear up. Bad freshwater, overfeeding could be the cause as well.

 

You have phosphates. The algae is just grabbing it out of the water column so fast that it's not even registering on your test kit.

Are you using RO/DI water? What kind of phosphate remover are you using? If you feed frozen foods, do you pour off the thawing water before putting the food in the tank?

 

Phos reactor is one of the best investments I ever made. You spend 40.00 on a fish/coral and they could die! Get a reactor, you won't regret it.

 

inwall - should I be pouring off the thaw water??? I do feed frozen. I occasionally dose in my sump with PhosBuster. Not RO/DI (yet) - just using well water but I do have a whole house TDS filter on it. I've tested the water right outta the faucet and it runs about pH 7.8 with just a hint of Iron. When I mix for waterchanges/topoffs I treat the water with Kent's Marine pH buffer and have also been treating for a red slime algae break out, although that's almost cured.

 

Have you tried testing the well water for phosphates yet? If it reads zero, then its most likely coming from the food. I know pharmrjohn on this site used a product called "phosphat -e" and had good results.

 

Oh Pack! Great idea, can't believe I didn't think of doing that... going to test now, post results in 2 min (according to the test)

 

Hmmm... PO4 in the tap water shows barely a trace... more than showed up in the tank water, but really just a colored haze in the water. Must be over feeding a bit. I really didn't think I was, I've only got two fish and a couple hermits right now. I do give the hermits some algae discs once in a while, like what you give freshwater plecostomuses but the bag says should not affect any live algae at all, I guess if there is too much it would still decompose and create phosphates, right?

 

It could. More likely the water source and the frozen food. Start soaking up the juices from the frozen food before feeding.
Also remember that phosphates are not the only thing that feed algae. Excessive light periods and nitrates can algae as well.
Also, if your worried about the tabs, feed raw broccoli. I love using that stuff. Much better for them, cheaper than prepared food, and wont muck up the water as long as you change it out every 48 hours. Tangs, clowns, and blenny's love it too!

 

Yeah, I'll have to start doing that with the frozen. Also, just turned the lights down from 8 hrs to 7 (white). The blues come on and go of +/- 30 minutes. I'll probably get a couple more filter bags and add some type of phosphate media to the sump