# From Reef to Nature Aquarium a journey



## Ed Wiser (19 Mar 2020)

I have been on the forum for a while now discussing and enjoying the posts of members.
I have been developing my planted side of the hobby the last year do to my wife's love of plants.
This means I can have more aquariums. I am a retired maintenance man I specialized in Computer control and product testing equipment maintenance. This always fit with my aquarium hobby as I had to test lighting for color temp change in food inspection. I had to test ph probes to make sure they were all working and since we used a lot of pumps from peristaltic to high-pressure pumps. I was able to learn about the equipment I used at home on my aquariums. I have had aquariums since I was 10 years old now pushing 66 years old it been a life long hobby. During my time in the hobby, I started keeping Saltwater in the early 80's I was a moderator on Fishnet on the computer network called Compuserve . I meet many liked minded hobbyists there who in later years became authors such as Julian Sprung and so many others who now run aquarium companies. I was an original board member of MASNA and I still have an interest there.
So this brings us to my current aquariums.
This past September I started gathering equipment together for a 120P aquarium for our living room.




This will be my last big tank build so with my free time I am able to get things right.








Here is the state of one side of my two-car garage in all that stuff is GHL lights an ADA 120p aquarium an two 120p stands custom made by Aquarium Design Group. 
In the coming weeks, as the temperature warms up, I will be moving the stand and aquarium into the living room and will be posting my progress at putting all this stuff together. Lots of equipment to rework and set up.Moving RO/DI system and Auto water change system around in the garage as I plan to be rasing berghia nudibranchs to learn more about aiptasia a pest in the saltwater hobby.

One of the first things I had to do was paint the inside of the stand from black to white. I thne wanted to add a sliding shelf for my ADA 1200 Power filter.
I ordered sliding shelf brackets from an online cabinet part supplier.



I then installed the slides on a piece of scrape shelf board from my Local Home Depot.



I then installed the shelf to the inside of the cabinet.



The next Step is to drill holes to mount the light stands. It should be warm this weekend to do this task.


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## Jayefc1 (19 Mar 2020)

Cant see the pics but it sounds amazing the 120p is such a beautiful tank


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## Andrew T (19 Mar 2020)

Same. I’d like to see the pics!


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## Ed Wiser (19 Mar 2020)

Fixed the links.


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## Andrew T (19 Mar 2020)

Ed, do you have the GHL Mitras LED or the strip LED?


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## Ed Wiser (19 Mar 2020)

I have the Mitras model.  I will be going in depth on setting up and adjust the color temperature and Par. 
I have the whole GHL system with 6 dosers. I haven’t use the Mitras light yet so I wanted to try it on this new tank. An my approved of the look of it. As with all things IT MUST LOOK GOOD IN HER LIVING ROOM. This is an important point that many guys forget to bring into to their purchase decisions on their equipment. My wife doesn’t like junky equipment in HER living room. So all equipment is Vetted thru her. Another one is that she doesn’t like me wasting money on equipment that breaks after a year. So you will see that this build is high standard only. It’s my hobby and we spend a ton of time looking at the Aqurium so it’s to enjoy.


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## Ed Wiser (21 Mar 2020)

Today’s project was helping a fellow hobbyist. 



In today’s world users buy and sell equipment without thinking about how they have their equipment setup. 
So a person buys these nice doser used and can not get it to work. So I had him send it to me  to fix. 


Took me a couple of minutes to get into the doser. 
An here is what I found the doser was still connected to a cloud account. 



So I reset the doser to its default settings. All is good now. 



No red lights. 
An the WiFi hotspot shows up now so that he can use it with the phone app. 



Final task was updating the firmware to the current version as the unit hadn’t been updated for 4 years. An could work with the latest version of the phone app. Love helping people out with this stuff.  Did this for a living so not big problem for me and it helps a hobbyist get a nice doser back to correct working condition.


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## Deano3 (21 Mar 2020)

Very nice of you to do that ed, got to help each other out these days and 120p are perfect size and hopefully in future i can upgrade to one when got a bit more room.

Looking forward to this one
Thanks for sharing.
Dean

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## Ed Wiser (24 Mar 2020)

Today is water change day and filter clean day for the ADA 150.


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## Ed Wiser (24 Mar 2020)

This aquarium uses a KASA 6 plug WiFi power strip. I have set up a a group of equipment to turn of during a water change.


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## Ed Wiser (24 Mar 2020)

Cleaning the inside on the ADA 150


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## Ed Wiser (24 Mar 2020)

Clean the filter once a month to clean things working. I can always tell when it’s time to clean it.


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## Ed Wiser (25 Mar 2020)

I clean the shrimp guard so I get good flow thru the filter. 





Cleaning Lilly pipes. My wife doesn’t like dirty ones so the are kept clean. 
Love the ADA spring brushes. As the bristles are cut to the size of the pipes. Which lets the bristles work better at cleaning.


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## Ed Wiser (25 Mar 2020)

Clean the inside of the filter. 



Add back the sponge cubes to the bottom of the filter. 





Put back the media bag and the top screen with the supports up so that it doesn’t block the pump intake. 





Filter ready to be put back on the aquarium. 





Water change and filter cleaning done.


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## Ady34 (25 Mar 2020)

I hate cleaning filters  Nice breakdown. 
Don’t suppose you could do a small video showing the flow of your es-150 in the tank could you?
No worries if it’s tricky, it’s not hugely important, more to satisfy my curiosity 
Cheerio,
Ady.


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## CooKieS (26 Mar 2020)

When seeing your pics I wonder why Ada filters are so pricey?


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## Ady34 (26 Mar 2020)

CooKieS said:


> When seeing your pics I wonder why Ada filters are so pricey?


Built to last I guess, they’re all just buckets with pumps but some buckets and pumps are built better. Steel is more durable than plastic and the pump will be stronger. All the clips are metal too so less chance of breaking or fatigue.


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## dw1305 (26 Mar 2020)

Hi all,





CooKieS said:


> When seeing your pics I wonder why Ada filters are so pricey?


Three components would be my guess.

ADA label
<"Iwaki pump">
Stainless steel vessel
cheers Darrel


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## CooKieS (26 Mar 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,Three components would be my guess.
> 
> ADA label
> <"Iwaki pump">
> ...



nice guess, I heard the iwaki pump was noisy on some models too...


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## Ed Wiser (26 Mar 2020)

The pump is the biggest cost. 

https://www.aquasabi.com/ADA-Replacement-pump-for-ES-600

And the welds on Amazon the seams of the housing are flawless. As someone who has done metal fabrication for 40 years. I appreciate quality workmanship. 
Can could not count the number of canisters that have broken on me in the past 56 years. Especially on a weekend when the LFS was closed or out of apart
I always keep several sets on the various Lilly pipes that I use. Because not LFS in my town even knows what they are. 
The noise on a 150es depends on the cabinet it is in. As the noise is from the wood. When you lift the pump so it is not on a resonance surface there is no noise. Aquariums are noisy anyways. I am always amazed at how much a tank noise makes  After taking a tank down to change it up. 
I am so attuned to the noise of filters that. I can tell if there is a problem with the filter way before it really acts up. 
That from years of listening to equipment as a maintenance man. 
As I have said this is my main hobby and 
As I get older I really enjoy being able to buy nice things that I couldn’t raising a family. As my wife really gets bad when I buy something an it breaks on me in a short period of time.


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## Ed Wiser (26 Mar 2020)

Ady34 said:


> I hate cleaning filters  Nice breakdown.
> Don’t suppose you could do a small video showing the flow of your es-150 in the tank could you?
> No worries if it’s tricky, it’s not hugely important, more to satisfy my curiosity
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Will try to. The spin pipe on the tank currently spreads the water out so much. I will be doing a whole video of the 1200 model as there are hardly any videos out there on the flow and the filter itself.


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## Ed Wiser (26 Mar 2020)

Oh forgot to add amount the cost of the pump that includes a set of ADA Lilly pipes. 

https://aquaforestaquarium.com/products/lily-pip-outflow-spin


https://aquaforestaquarium.com/products/copy-of-lily-pipe-inflow-mini

162.00 dollars. 

So say 262.00 dollars are I the pump and Lilly pipes. 

An there is a difference is ADA glass and 10 dollar glass. Don’t fool yourself. 



One of the Japanese aquascaping channels did a long term comparison. 
I did one my self.


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## CooKieS (26 Mar 2020)

Thanks for your explanation. 

I use eheim and jbl filters since decades, it has never let me down.


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## Ed Wiser (27 Mar 2020)

So today I took off the ADA Aquasun 301 and put on a ONF nano light. 
I have been real happy with the ONF light on my small bowl in the kitchen. 




I like how the Christmas Mose it longer on the bowl 





Where in the 30c it grows compact.  





So let’s look at the ONF light. 

The box is fun getting open the flap is glued shut. 




Inside you have the light and the tank mount 




There is a sticker with info about the light. 





I remove that as I don’t want it blocking any light.


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## Ed Wiser (27 Mar 2020)

This is the light mounting bracket 
for the light. 




So you screw the light to the arm of the light 











Power supply box. 




Since I am in the USA I installed the US power plug. 




Next with a flathead screw driver you tighten the mount to the tank. 





Light on tank now the hard part fishing out the ADA power supply and installing the ONF power supply. 





Before




After


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## Ed Wiser (8 Apr 2020)

Ady34 said:


> I hate cleaning filters  Nice breakdown.
> Don’t suppose you could do a small video showing the flow of your es-150 in the tank could you?
> No worries if it’s tricky, it’s not hugely important, more to satisfy my curiosity
> Cheerio,
> Ady.



Put a stem in out flow so you could see the amount of flow coming out of the pump.


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## Ed Wiser (30 Apr 2020)

Well  after a few weeks of life I was able to get the stand and ADA 120P 50 into the living room. I finished prostrate cancer treatment. Then father in law fell with a bleed on the brain that would not stop. He died a week later. An yesterday our 15 year old dog died.


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## Deano3 (30 Apr 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> Well  after a few weeks of life I was able to get the stand and ADA 120P 50 into the living room. I finished prostrate cancer treatment. Then father in law fell with a bleed on the brain that would not stop. He died a week later. An yesterday our 15 year old dog died.


Wow sounds like your had a very hard time lately,  glad your finished treatment really hope it all went well. Horrible to hear about dog and father in law hope your all ok now.

back to aquariums love the 120p looking forward to seeing what you come up with ed.

Best of luck mate

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## Ed Wiser (30 Apr 2020)

Dean it’s life.  Aquariums just make it fun. Takes your mind off the issues that come up


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## Deano3 (1 May 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> Dean it’s life.  Aquariums just make it fun. Takes your mind off the issues that come up


Thats great to hear ed  get cracking then and get some updates going  

Really looking forward to this ed best of luck.

Dean

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## Ed Wiser (26 May 2020)

So I having working on getting my lighting mounted to the stand. 
The Mitras flex stand require tow holes drilled into the stand. 



The slot holds a nut that allows you to move the bolt up and down to adjust the height of the light over the stand. Minimum suggested height is 7.5 inches. I set mine at 10 inches. 
So after drilling the holes 12 inches from the end of 4 foot stand both ends I drilled and upper and lower hole. 
In the above picture you see the trick that they don’t mention in the directions. Screw the bolts into the nut so that you can easily Aline the bolts with the drilled holes. 
I then added a 1/2 pvc cap and drilled a hole for a spacer. This is for the of the tank lighting that will be on the rear of the tank. 






The treaded knobs secure the light mounts to the stand. 



The next step is making the board to mount a power bar and the two ballast’s for the to lights. 


Here is how I am laying it out. This panel will be mounted to the back of the stand with stand offs and threaded knobs. An the wiring will be secured to the rear of the panel. This keeps the inside of the stand clean. All other PLC and dosing for the aquarium is outside in my garage making it easy to work on the tank. 

Getting closer to finishing this long project.


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## Ed Wiser (2 Jun 2020)

So I finished mounting the electrical panel. 



This gives the electrics in the cabinet a clean look. Hiding all the wiring makes for a safe install also. 





I use 2” desk grommets to cover the wiring. 





I used 2” pieces of grey pvc to stand off the panel off the back of the stand. 





Installed these led lights that turn on and off with motion too.


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## Deano3 (2 Jun 2020)

looking good ed, looks great so far i need some in cabinet lighting too so will look into that. Glad its coming along lookomg forward to more. Also wiring etc looks very very tidy. 

Dean

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## Ed Wiser (7 Jun 2020)

Worked on my light screen today.


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## Ed Wiser (17 Jun 2020)

Featured on Marine Depot US online seller


https://blog.marinedepot.com/2020/06/are-you-salty-or-fresh.html


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## Filip Krupa (19 Jun 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> Featured on Marine Depot US online seller
> 
> 
> https://blog.marinedepot.com/2020/06/are-you-salty-or-fresh.html



Nice write up & nice to hear your Mrs enjoys it too. Makes our life so much easier 
I am only slowly recognising how amazing it is to have and care for plants around the house. We are creatures evolved in the outdoors, I think we forget that sometimes.

Also, Im not surprised that learning new things is what kept you in the hobby. Everything gets boring after a while, especially if things keep going wrong, then you cant help but drop out.
I keep a few spare ideas of what to do with my large tank, in case I get bored with running a high tech planted.

Thanks
Fil


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## Ed Wiser (19 Jun 2020)

Fil, you need to find something new after a time to grow in the hobby. 
One can get into space where the aquarium becomes a chore and you never want to be there. As your aquarium will suffer.


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## Ed Wiser (13 Jul 2020)

With all the shipping issues lately due to Covid. I was surprised that this package arrived so quickly from Italy. 




It’s ELOS REA 50 Co2 reactor. 













Now I am just waiting for the background light from Poland to finish the equipment part of this aquarium build.


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## Melll (13 Jul 2020)

You have got some sexy equipment there 😀 following this with interest.


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## Deano3 (13 Jul 2020)

Agree that looks cool, interesting to see someone using a reactor.

Dean

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## Ed Wiser (13 Jul 2020)

I will be doing a video as I go forward. 
I have the unboxing video in the works.


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## ChrisD80 (13 Jul 2020)

Melll said:


> You have got some sexy equipment there 😀 following this with interest.


me too! thanks for sharing your journey.


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## LondonDragon (13 Jul 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> It’s ELOS REA 50 Co2 reactor.


Had not seen one of these things in about 10 years!! WOW Filipe Oliveira used one when he did some work for Elos! 
Looking forward to see how you get on with it!!  looks like a nightmare to clean


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## Ed Wiser (19 Jul 2020)

So in my 30c tank I had hair algae. I tried all the tips on freshwater forums. Water changes, lighting adjustments and watching my feed of fish. No success. So I went with a saltwater fix. 
Phosphate is the number one cause of hair algae. Phosphate comes from food and Fish waste. 
So I went to my media shelf and picked up my jar of phosban and measured out the amount needed for a 30c. 
Within 3 days all the hair algae in the plants where gone. An now on my second month of running all algae are gone even in the glassware in the tank. I had a little but not fully covered before the phosban was placed in the filter.


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## hypnogogia (20 Jul 2020)

@Ed Wiser you May be interested in this thread.
https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/a-fresh-look-at-preventing-algae.61671/


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## Ed Wiser (20 Jul 2020)

Read it already. I have trim back plants every week they are growing 3 inches a week.  Plant grow is not the issue it is excess phosphate in the water. I have a automatic testing system so I was able to watch the change of phosphate in the water.


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## hypnogogia (20 Jul 2020)

The thread is about ratio between nitrate and phosphate, not about plant growth.  Might not be excess phosphate, but too low nitrate - that’s why I suggested dreading that thread.


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## dw1305 (21 Jul 2020)

Hi all, 





Ed Wiser said:


> So I went to my media shelf and picked up my jar of phosban and measured out the amount needed for a 30c. Within 3 days all the hair algae in the plants where gone. An now on my second month of running all algae are gone even in the glassware in the tank.


My guess is that the plants will eventually begin to show phosphorus (P) deficiency symptoms.

While phosphorus is one of the "big three" macro nutrients, plants actually need a lot less of it than they do nitrogen (N) or potassium (K).
Phosphorus is highly mobile within the plant, which means the plant can scavenge any spare from the older leaves, as well as from the reserve in the substrate.

Also deficiency symptoms are also nothing like as obvious as they are with N and K, more a slowing of growth and stunting. The interesting thing is the likely time scale for deficiency symptoms to appear, which could potentially be a <”very long time”>, depending on the <”nature and extent of the phosphorus reserve”> in the substrate.

The situation for the algae is slightly different, they don't have any "internal plumbing" so can't access substrate phosphorus etc., and they have a quick turn-over of cells, which means new cell growth is dependent upon PO4--- ions diffusing through the cell wall. If you remove all the PO4--- ions from the water column, then PO4--- becomes <"Liebig's limiting nutrient"> for the algae and the growth "assembly line" stops.

It is the <"iron (Fe) and algal growth issue"> in reverse.





Konrad Michalski said:


> After 7-10 days between water changes my glass was spotlessly clean and never had to even wipe it off. After dosing some additional Iron (only about 2ml/day) my glass became green after 4 days. After 7 days I had to scrape it off as it looked disgusting. Now stopped dosing it again and my glass is clean again.


In the case of Fe it is highly immobile in the plant, so even when iron ions (Fe++(+)) become available it takes some time before the plant can produce new non-iron deficient leaves.

For the algae it is different, iron ions can diffuse straight into the cells, through the cell's walls, and you get an instant growth response.

cheers Darrel


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## Ed Wiser (7 Aug 2020)

Wahoo just received my Lightbackground from Poland. 
Day an a half shipping. 


https://www.thelightground.com/about-1


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## hypnogogia (7 Aug 2020)

Love their “what we do” blurb on their website:
Mainly - the lightground ! 

LED illuminated background panel for aquarium. Available in any size with custom gradient foils to make it shine even more. It is powerful as the sun, strong as Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator II and beautiful as Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct.


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## Ed Wiser (7 Aug 2020)

Will be doing a video on the unboxing and set up. That I will post here.


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## Ed Wiser (8 Sep 2020)

Yellow/Green film





Blue/White film.


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## alto (8 Sep 2020)

Somehow I didn’t expect the films to look quite like that

I’ve only see these used in video/photos so not sure what I was expecting ... but certainly no crinkles - though I suspect these won’t be visible when in place (or perhaps just as shading)

Did you end up creating video that’s still coming?


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## Luketendo (9 Sep 2020)

Would be interesting to see the colour of the white light w/o the film as well.


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## CooKieS (9 Sep 2020)

Love that green yellow one!!


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## Wookii (9 Sep 2020)

I didn’t realise these relied on gradient films for the colour either - I assumed strips of RGB LED’s top and bottom to allow full control of the colours.


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## Ed Wiser (9 Sep 2020)

The wrinkles are only noticeable when I put them on the lightground. I use small 
Adhesive circles used to put the films on the lightground. You never see them when the lightground is on the aquarium. 
I have been shooting video of each step from unboxing to setting up. 
I have the plants coming in this week so should be more pictures coming along. 
It’s been a long build delayed due to family health issues this year. Glad to see the finish line.


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## Peter B (10 Sep 2020)

Ed,

I have the same Polish lightground , with 3 films/foils (also the orange/yellow/green one, don't think i"ll be using that, maybe at Christmas) .
The films have a protective (paper)layer, you can pull it of.
Then you have a 'sticky' foil tot put on your lightground.
No wrinkles. Be gently, use a creditcard or something else plastic. Look out for air-bubbles!

Greetings,
Peter


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## CooKieS (10 Sep 2020)

does the sheet come with the light panel or do you have to buy them separately ?


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## Ed Wiser (11 Sep 2020)

Well mine came with the lightground But they shipped me the wrong one. I wanted the blue/white one. I contacted the US distributor and they where able to get it shipped. I just want to show the two different films I have. 
As for as the sticky part of the film I used the poster sticky circles because it is real easy to come off if need be. 
As you will see as more pictures I post you see a perfect background. Really love the background. Really couldn’t buy the ADA one as for my size tank it was 3 grand and would take 6
Months to make per quote from ADA.


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## Luketendo (11 Sep 2020)

Anyone looking for a cheap alternative, I am using half a LIFX Z strip on the back of my tank. The I have it sitting on a strip of polystyrene which contours the back of my substrate. Works pretty well and the light spill of my Aquasky RGB creates a gradient with the light. Tank is against a wall which is painted off white.

With LIFX Z you can set a lot of colours, but I have it set on a daily cycle between "ultra warm 2500K" at sunrise/sunset which has an orange tint and something like "noon daylight 5500k" in the middle of the day which gives a slight purple.

This seems to work well on a 60p tank but if you have a large tank or strong main lighting maybe not so much.


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## Ed Wiser (11 Sep 2020)

I tried this LIFX Z and the Current lightbar An built mine own panel. Before I bought the lightground. It just didn’t put out the even coverage that the lightground and ADA panels. You can see the led points of light. I am very picky about this kind of stuff. 

The lightground was a all white panel no led points of light in the panel.


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## CooKieS (11 Sep 2020)

China cheap alternative coming soon guys.


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## Ed Wiser (12 Sep 2020)

Don’t waste my money on china junk.


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## Luketendo (13 Sep 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> I tried this LIFX Z and the Current lightbar An built mine own panel. Before I bought the lightground. It just didn’t put out the even coverage that the lightground and ADA panels. You can see the led points of light. I am very picky about this kind of stuff.
> 
> The lightground was a all white panel no led points of light in the panel.



Yeah totally different approach but it is actually working for me, not seeing any LED points with mine it blends nicely.


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## Ed Wiser (13 Sep 2020)

Of coarse I am dealing with a 4 foot tank. So it’s not a simple task.


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## Luketendo (14 Sep 2020)

Ed Wiser said:


> Of coarse I am dealing with a 4 foot tank. So it’s not a simple task.



Yeah, not going to blend nicely if tank height is 45cm or more. Mine's 36 cm tall and probably wouldn't work above that.


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## Ed Wiser (14 Sep 2020)

120 x 50 is a 120p ADA. I tried the other ways to do the background. It didn’t pass the wife test. THE most IMPORTANT person in this is the wife. 
If my wife doesn’t like the aquarium then you will hear about it it every second of every day. My wife doesn’t mine me making a beautiful aquarium money is well spent. If I do some cost cutting purchase and it fails to pass the wife test. I get in trouble.


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## Ed Wiser (26 Oct 2020)

Well after a lot of searching for plants. It’s quite hard here in the US to find plants. Everything is mail Order here. As the vast majority of LFS do not stock plants. 
I finally finished planting. 







ELOS Co2 reactor. 




This weekend I did a 100 % water change with RO/DI water. Then balanced the water chemistry.


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## Deano3 (26 Oct 2020)

Love the wood and layout cant wait to see how it turns out, very nature scape andnatural looking , hope you keep us updated and always sounds like people arnt as lucky as us here in uk etc with plants in local fish stores but glad your sorted  

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## Ed Wiser (27 Oct 2020)

Thanks it’s been a Journey for sure. 
Just Ordered my custom screen lid so I can some Rainbow fish in the aquarium.


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## Ed Wiser (16 Nov 2020)

During the water change yesterday. I cleaned all the glass work. It was easy cleaning the ELOS Co2 reactor. I have all the ADA spring brushes and one of those double end spring brushes. Which I am not fond of as the double ended brush bristles are not cut to fit standard aquarium tubing so it gets stuck when you try to pull it back out of a tube or line. 
Love the ELOS Co2 reactor lets me really dial in just the amount of Co2. So I don’t over use too much in this larger tank. Mix’s the Co2 and water well in the reactor. An was no big problem cleaning. Do need to get a bag of pipe cleaners for the small water line at the top of the reactor.


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## Ed Wiser (22 Dec 2020)

Our Maine Coon cat Ada loves the aquarium.


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## Tim Harrison (22 Dec 2020)

Love those cats, they are huge


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## Ed Wiser (23 Dec 2020)

She is a sweet heart.


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## Ed Wiser (28 Dec 2020)

Knew my phosphate level was getting as I was getting hair algae. So as it was time to clean the Lilly pipes and lines I cleaned out the inside of the ADA 1200 es. Wanted to add video of the flow out of this filter. As most have never seen one in action. Tons of flow out of the filter all over the tank.


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## Hufsa (6 Jan 2021)

Ed Wiser said:


> Knew my phosphate level was getting as I was getting hair algae.


Is there a missing word here? 
Ive been struggling a lot with hair algae, what levels have you observed triggers hair algae for you? And at what levels do they go away?
Maybe I could solve my problem


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## Inked_aqua (6 Jan 2021)

nice build


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## Ed Wiser (6 Jan 2021)

Hufsa said:


> Is there a missing word here?
> Ive been struggling a lot with hair algae, what levels have you observed triggers hair algae for you? And at what levels do they go away?
> Maybe I could solve my problem



I keep phosphate as low as I can get it .01 mg 
I use Ro/Di water. Lightly feed and use phosphate removing compounds. 

It is something that I am always keeping an eye on and if you keep it under control your aquarium will love you for it.


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## Hufsa (6 Jan 2021)

Ed Wiser said:


> I keep phosphate as low as I can get it .01 mg
> I use Ro/Di water. Lightly feed and use phosphate removing compounds.
> 
> It is something that I am always keeping an eye on and if you keep it under control your aquarium will love you for it.



Oh that is interesting indeed. I just changed some stuff in my tank so will give that a few weeks to settle out, but after that I might absolutely try running some lower phosphates. My tap should be pretty stripped, so if I dont dose there should only be the amount from fish food etc.


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## Ed Wiser (6 Jan 2021)

Never use tap water. I haven’t used tap water for 30 years now. I keep my water at as close to zero as possible. Tap water will always vary in quality over the coarse of the year. I want to control my water. Not fight with it.


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## Hufsa (6 Jan 2021)

I understand that approach, and while its not one im taking at the moment I see the value in having complete control over your water. There are some environmental concerns in doing RO though in my opinion. In my country tap water is generally very soft, mine comes out with 60 TDS and is very lightly chlorinated, and I think fairly stable throughout the year. Ive heard of lots of disasters in other countries though, especially from the US of the so called super chlorinator events that have wiped out whole fish rooms, really sad.


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## Ed Wiser (6 Jan 2021)

You would be surprised buy what is in water. I get a report on by city’s water every month.


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