Decrease & Control Phosphate to Control Algae and Keep Aquarium Healthy

Fishes in Aquarium

Phosphates (Chemical Sign PO4) are present in every single aquarium, even though lots of aquarists are unconscious about it. Improper aquarium maintenance surely increases phosphate levels. There are number of difficulties those may occur if Phosphate is increased than the required level.

One of the most irritating problems in your aquarium is probably the continuous combat against algae. If you don’t check, it has the ability to even cover the glass. There are algae in colors alternating from black to bright green.  It can make impossible to view your beautiful inhabitants living in the aquarium. It can very quickly cover the decorations; lessen the charm of the entire environment as well. It’s no wonder if filtration system gets troubled because of over growth of algae.

The increase of Phosphate is the one and only reason that helps algae for massive and devastative growth. So, removal of unwanted algae is not the solution if you don’t care about Phosphate in your aquarium’s ecosystem. In order to keep it a cool living place for all the fishes and plants in the aquarium you must care about Phosphate control which will automatically control algae growth.

As Phosphate control is the key concern! So, we should know the sources from where they can come in the aquarium. There are the key sources of Phosphates in Aquarium below:

• Uneaten foodstuffs
• Fish excrements
• Dead fish
• Plant decay
• Dying algae
• Aquarium salts
• Carbon filter media
• Water itself
• pH buffers
• kH buffers

Balanced Level of Phosphates: Before we head to Phosphate removal, you should understand Phosphates cannot be removed by 100% and that will destroy the ecosystem if occurs. Phosphate must stay to keep all living stuffs alive. But in aquarium they should be maintained within tolerance level to keep the aquarium free from unwanted algae growth.

Tolerance level or we can call it desired balanced level of Phosphate is 0.01 ppm to 0.10 ppm. PPM stands for Parts per Million, in aquarium measurement it’s actually Milligram per Liter or mg/L. 1 ppm = 1mg/L.

Another thing should be kept in mind that Phosphate test kits can measure inorganic Phosphates only. There are organic Phosphates and probably in more quantity in the aquarium as well. So, when the measurement kit shows 0.7 - 1.0 ppm or above then it’s risky, algae will start growing, when its 2ppm+ overgrowth is very likely to occur.

Massive Destruction by Highly Increased Phosphates: May be you are not aware but as it’s an ecosystem so too many known and unknown biochemical reactions are going inside the aquarium. If Phosphate increase by the level of 3-5 ppm in that case there’s a very possible chance Phosphorylation. Phosphorylation means the addition of protein or any other organic module with Phosphate. Normally there are number of enzymes in the aquarium which are helpful for the living stuffs to live and do their required things accordingly. Phosphorylation always creates a number of protein enzymes and destroys in high volume as well; it also alters the function and activity of enzymes. This change has potential to make the ecosystem a death trap for most of its living stuffs. So, if we look at the root. Too much Phosphate can become reason of death of your lovely aqua pet.

If Phosphate has already been increased first it should be lowered to balanced level as soon as possible. Below there are some procedures discussed about lowering increased Phosphate:

• Increase Water Change Quantity & Do It More Frequently: You should increase water change percentage and change water more frequently than usual.  Such water changes will help to bring Phosphates down quickly enough, but if the underlying sources are still there in the lower portion, then it will be temporary. Until all reasons are cured and Phosphate comes in balanced level, keep changing water in higher volume than usual time.
• Clean Aquarium: Scrubbing inside the glass, removing the rocks and other decorations and scrubbing them well can help to get rid of the extra Phosphate which was attached with those stuffs. Let everything get settled, if possible, give the substrate materials a good vacuuming. Wait a few days to give things a chance to stabilize, and then clean the filter finally, before setting up the aquarium.
• Vodka Method: It’s an effective and cheap method to extract Phosphate from aquarium. You can try it but use safely. Periodically add little amount of Vodka to the aquarium. It has been proved that, this can isolate both Phosphate and Nitrate in the aquarium system.
• Use Absorber: At last, the best way to control Phosphate smartly is using Phosphate absorbing media. It’s effective very much that you can depend on it to do more than 50% of your duty. These can be added to almost any filter.

NOTE: Using chemicals should be your last option. Meant, you should do the things told above first. It is suggested not to try removing more than 1 ppm of Phosphate in a 24 hour period, in order to avoid tank cloudiness, add any chemical to the skimmer or mechanical filter intake. Also you must keep in mind, absorbing materials or compounds needs to be changed or revived regularly; as once they become soaked they are exhausted. This means they can’t absorb anything more, and what you are trying to eliminate is just staying within the system.

You can use “UltralifeLiquid Phosphate Remover” a best performing chemical solution these days. There’s also another item, that’s cool one. It’s a Ceramic Medium which works best to remove Phosphates, Silicates, Nitrates and many more salt type compounds those are within the aquarium beyond eyes. It may be called “Multi-Salt Absorber” undoubtedly you should try it if you haven’t experienced it before.

Keeping Phosphate Level Balanced: Once you have reduced the extra Phosphate level now you should be careful about avoiding Phosphate increase in the future. Below, there are some ways you can follow to maintain Phosphate level lower constantly:

• Feed Sparingly: The topmost Phosphate source in the aquarium is flake food. Cut back on the frequency and amount of food. Just a squeeze once a day is adequate for most adult fish. Remove any uneaten food quickly upon notice.
• Low Phosphate Food: Generally, Phosphate is used as a preservative in flake foods. All brands are not same, so find and serve foods from those brands that have lower Phosphate levels.
• Water Source: Check source of your water. It is not abnormal for tap water to contain up to 1 ppm of Phosphate. If the level is higher, find another source for your aquarium water.
• Tank Maintenance: Keep the tank free of rubbishes. It will help to avoid phosphate buildup. Vacuum the bottom regularly to get rid of uneaten food, plant decays, and fish wastage.
• Good Filtration System: Use the best filter fit for your aquarium. Choose the best media and chemicals as additives in your filter.

If you use “UltralifeLiquid Phosphate Remover” combining with “Ultralife Hair & Sludge Removal System” in the filter as media, then it will become easy to keep your aquarium fit and out of numerous unwanted stuffs. You may use the Ceramic Medium which works best to remove Phosphates, Silicates, Nitrates and many more salt type compounds those are within the aquarium beyond eyes. It may be called “Multi-Salt Absorber” undoubtedly you should try it if you haven’t experienced it before. In order to maintain complete fitness also try to combine “Aiptasia & Majano Remover” “Slime Stain Removers” along with all the told stuffs before to keep best fitness of your aquarium. Using Quality Protein Skimmer is suggested as well.