Reducing phosphates

[WhistlingBadger]

So, my phosphates are a bit high and I'm pretty sure that's causing, or at least contributing to, a bluegreen algae outbreak. What do you recommend as a phosphate reducer?

Tank: 150 gallon, heavy hardscape, lots of plants
Huge canister filter
Nitrates, nitrites, ammonia all reading 0
Phosphates .25-.5 ppm

What do you recommend?

 

[Naughts]

I was told that 1ppm or less is not a problem. So I do nothing for my reading of 0.0-0.5. My BGA went away after a few months of cleaning. Maybe it just ran it's course?

 

[Byron]

First thing, @WhistlingBadger is that the phosphates at 0.25 to 0.50 are not high at all. I've no idea what phosphates are in my tanks, but it is not something to be concerned about unless they are truly high in the source water. Most phosphates in an aquarium come with fish food, and are thus inevitable. Diana Walstad writes that the phosphates in her natural planted tanks are in the range of 1 to 5 mg/l (= ppm), which is at the very least double your level and possibly as much as ten times your level. Not a problem.

Second, cyanobacteria is caused by organics in the presence of light. Several years ago I battled it twice, maybe 4-5 months apart in the same tank, and in both cases I got rid of it by doing substantial water changes including a very good cleaning of the substrate, keeping the filter very clean, reducing plant fertilizer (liquid) for 3 weeks, and feeding the fish minimally (sufficient, but not more). The organics naturally lowered, and were mainly used up by the plants (photo below shows the plant load).