Yay!!!! but....hmmm....?

[cthulhuspawn]

Yay! My new 55 gallon reef tank finally hit 0 ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates!

However, I just had to do a water change because the tank had a very very slight fetid smell (I have extremely good sense of smell so it's very faint). The phosphates were also at about 2.5 ppm (not that my Aquarium Pharmaceuticals phosphate test would be very accurate).

I also had a sudden ph crash recently because I added too much calcium in a short time (duh me) that dropped the alkalinity. The ph is back after some nice buffering and a water change.

Do phosphates have a smell of any kind? If not, why did I have a fetid smell when the levels were so good?

Do phosphates hurt fish or corals, and if so at what level?

Is there a real test kit out there that's accurate for phosphates?

Thanks!

[Hop]

Why are you dosing calcium at all during a cycle? This is a complicated balancing act and shouldn't even be played with at this point!

Not sure if phosphates smell, but running some quality carbon should take care of the odor.

Yes phosphates are a bad thing... Probably the cause of more algae problems and hobbyist frustrations over any other reefing parameter. No there isn't an affordable hobbyist level kit to test phosphates. There are organic and inorganic phosphates. Hobby kits are inaccurate for several reasons.

I would just concentrate on getting the little things down at this point and quit adding stuff to your water In fact many buffering agents commercially available cause pH issues and can add po4 or cause false readings...

[cthulhuspawn]

Originally Posted by Hop

Why are you dosing calcium at all during a cycle? This is a complicated balancing act and shouldn't even be played with at this point!

Not sure if phosphates smell, but running some quality carbon should take care of the odor.

Yes phosphates are a bad thing... Probably the cause of more algae problems and hobbyist frustrations over any other reefing parameter. No there isn't an affordable hobbyist level kit to test phosphates. There are organic and inorganic phosphates. Hobby kits are inaccurate for several reasons.

I would just concentrate on getting the little things down at this point and quit adding stuff to your water In fact many buffering agents commercially available cause pH issues and can add po4 or cause false readings...

Doh! Good advice. I honestly thought cycling was finished when you had only nitrate remaining. And I dosed in an attempt to reach the "recommended" calcium reading.

I'm coming to discover that if you just do regular water changes and use good starting water and salt, you don't generally have to worry about levels and need only do occasional testing.

I would still like to know if phosphates are harmful to fish, or just the cause of algal explosions. My town has great water except for the phosphates they add.

[Frank-n-Tank]

a town that adds phos? Wow. I go against the grain and have alwaysed used tap water to top and to wc. I am in houston, not outer but inner. I have tested my tap on a regular basis. NEVER HAD i HAD PHOS! check your tap, if it has phos, I would not use it of coarse, I wouldn't drink it. Do you live around crops? I agree with hop, Bayby steps.

[Frank-n-Tank]

I too smell my tank, iff the scimmer cup smells anything less than a nice ocean breeze,....I tend to water change, weird huh?

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by Frank-n-Tank

I too smell my tank, iff the scimmer cup smells anything less than a nice ocean breeze,....I tend to water change, weird huh?

Um, I believe the skimmer cup is supposed to smell old fish and gym socks. If my skimmate didn't stink I would be worried

[Frank-n-Tank]

I clean the cup every 3 days

[cthulhuspawn]

Originally Posted by Frank-n-Tank

a town that adds phos? Wow. I go against the grain and have alwaysed used tap water to top and to wc. I am in houston, not outer but inner. I have tested my tap on a regular basis. NEVER HAD i HAD PHOS! check your tap, if it has phos, I would not use it of coarse, I wouldn't drink it. Do you live around crops? I agree with hop, Bayby steps.

Greater Portland Maine water supplies measure 0 for phosphates before treatment, and .68 mg/l after treatment. Here's what they say:

Greater Portland: Up to 52 million gallons per day (normally 23 MGD) can be pumped from Sebago Lake through the ozone contact tanks. Each contact tank has five chambers where ozonated air can be bubbled up through the water. It is the contact of ozone with the water that accomplishes disinfection. The ozone concentration is measured in each chamber. By the time the water reaches the end of the contact tanks, the primary disinfection is complete and the ozone has converted back to oxygen. Chlorine and ammonia are then added to provide long lasting, continued disinfection in the water mains. Other chemicals are also added at this point to help reduce corrosion. They include sodium hydroxide for pH adjustment, and zinc orthophosphate for corrosion control. Fluoride is added for dental health.


So it appears to be there for corrosion control. Or does zinc orthophosphate not react the same as "phosphates" in an aquarium? (anyone out there a chemist?)

[aquawolf]

If you smell anything strange at all then you can run some activated carbon in the system and it should remove it for you.