# Phosphates and Kh2po4



## AheartlessFish (Mar 18, 2008)

I just filled up my tank with water after doing a complete shut down and before i start dosing kh2po4, i tested my phosphate with the api kit.

Its showing up 1-2ppms of phosphate in my tank.

I tested my tap and it showed up about .25 ppms...so im guessing it was something in the tank that increased the phosphates and my assumption is the gravel which has been sitting in a bucket after the shut down.

My question is should i be dosing for phosphates since its high? Last i checked my plants suffered from me not dosing Kh2po4 but everything else due to the high amounts of it in the tank.


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

If it was me, I'd dose the KH2PO4.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

My first set up in my 75 had gravel that kept loading the water column with phosphate. It took me a while to figure out that the issue was coming from the gravel. I had a test kit that went up to 50ppm and I was pegging it.


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## AheartlessFish (Mar 18, 2008)

IF i were to dose the phosphate, the levels would rise to 5ppms again...should i just dose more nitrates and potassium to compensate for the high phosphates?

i figure there was that ratio of 10-1-10 or something like that


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## Left C (Jun 14, 2005)

You can dose them all, if you want. I dose EI and have been for a long time. It works for me.

But, there are other dosing methods around too. It is whatever works for you.


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