NT Marine Lab Phosphate Test

What is phosphate?
Phosphate is an essential component in fish nutrition, but is also produced as a waste product by fish. Phosphate is practically non-toxic to fish, but excess phosphate can cause unwanted algae and will inhibit coral growth.

Why test for phosphate?
Maintaining a low level of phosphate is essential for reducing unwanted algae and maintaining coral growth rates. Phosphate tends to accumulate as an aquarium ages, so regular monitoring of phosphate is required to determine the health of the aquarium.

What is the correct level of phosphate?
Phosphate in natural seawater generally varies from 0.01 mg/l to 0.06 mg/l (in terms of phosphorus) in reef areas. However, in a reef aquarium, aim for 0.03 mg/l to maintain good coral growth and keep nuisance algae at to a minimum.

What to do if the phosphate level is wrong?
Regular maintenance and use of partial water changes with a good quality reef salt should help to keep phosphate low. To remove additional phosphate, use a phosphate remover in your filter or add anti-phosphate liquid regularly to instantly remove phosphate.

How to test for phosphate?

• Using the syringe provided, add approximately 5 ml of water to the glass test tube. Cap the test tube and shake briefly to wash the test tube. Uncap the test tube and discard this water.
• Add 10 mL (2 x 5 ml using the syringe) to the test tube. 3. Add 10 drops of Phosphate-1 Reagent.
• Add 10 drops of Phosphate-2 Reagent.
• Cap the test tube and shake well to mix.
• Wait for 5 minutes for the colour to develop.
• Once the 5 minutes has elapsed, uncap the test tube. View from the top and compare to the colour chart to determine the amount of phosphate present in the water.