Anyone using the Merc Phosphate Kit

[Jason McKenzie]

I have just done test on both my tanks and really can't believe I have readings of 0.0
I believe I have done what the instructions ask
fill both Vials to line
add 10 drops of agent 1
add 1 level spoon of reagent 2
shake until reagent is dissolve
wait one minute
compare 2 vials on chart.

Thanks
Jason

[JohnO]

Sorry Jason, never heard of a Merc Phosphate Kit, who makes it? Merc?

John

[Jason McKenzie]

deltec aquarium solutions a UK company is the distributer but Merc is the manufacture I believe

http://www.deltecaquariumsolutions.com/home.php

No info on the web site.

[JohnO]

Jason,

I'll have to look out for it over here. For the benefit of others this is a quote from the web site

&quot-D aquarium solutions have brought out a new High Sensitivity Phosphate Test Kit which they have specifically developed with Merck for the aquarium market place.

Standard Merck test kits have been around for many years for laboratory use but the high cost that comes with their accuracy has made them prohibitively expensive for use by the general hobbyist.

There are currently several phosphate test kits on the market and many will measure down to the low levels of phosphate required to prevent algae problems.

The problem however with nearly all other test kits is that at the lower end it is almost impossible to differentiate between the different pale colour swatches due to extraneous light and reflection from other colours on the comparison card.

The new D-D test kit overcomes this by providing two flat bottomed glass test tubes and a black polystyrene block, which allows the user to look down onto the colour card without any stray light or colour to alter the perception of which is the correct reading.

The second test tube is used as a standard so that any colouration of the aquarium water does not affect the ability of the user to read off the concentration.

With the new kit it is now easy to measure phosphate levels within the range of 0.14 – 0.008 (P) which equates to 0.43 – 0.023 (PO 4 )."

D-D recommend that for marine aquariums the phosphate level should be kept below 0.046 (PO4 ), and for freshwater aquariums that it should be below 0.092 (PO4 ).

The test kit with its nice plastic case contains sufficient chemicals to carry out 100 tests after which time a refill is available rather than replacing the whole kit.

[Jason McKenzie]

Thanks John,
and Yes I'm a moron that buys a $119.00 Test kit and then it reads 0.0
I can only assume that my algae problem is the result of high nitrates that are being used and that is why my test readings are so good.
I can;t believe what a hard time I'm having with my 40G while my 75G is a picture of health. It make me think that my regular maintenance must be lacking. The 75G is able to with-stand my short comings while the 40G just can't handle it.
Time to kick it into high gear.

J

[JohnO]

Not sure about the moron tag, but I am sure that you haven't got a phosphate problem :-)

How old is the 40g ?

John

[Jason McKenzie]

It 40G is going on 8 months. It has every time of algae in it known to man. Even cyano. I'm skimming like a mad man and running a UV 24/7. I purchased a phosban reactor that I guess now I don't really need but will use to run carbon.
I have reduced my feeding and my photo period, performed 25% water change then every week a 10% change. Change water reads zero of phosphates and 2 for TDS. I run with a filter sock and I know if I run too long with one it will start to produce Nitrates but I change it every other day.

Anyway it's a new big challenge

J

[JohnO]

Jason,

I really shouldn't surprise me anymore but it still does :-) The way different tanks behave, when, in general terms, things are equivalent.

With my tank, now about 5-6 months old I also had the normal algae runs but they were minimal. Not one of the normal 'types'of algae really got to the nuicance level. They simply appeared and then disappeared within a few weeks.

The only type that I actively treated was the Cyano which was wiped out within 48 hours using Chemi-Clean.

I also have another smaller tank which has been treated the same but the algae 'blooms' seem to persist. The only difference that I can see between the 2 tanks is the water temperature. The first tank is set to 75f and generally remains there, but the smallert tank is set to 80f and it fluctuates quite a bit ( gets hotter ). I'm not sure if this have anything to do with the matter BTW, just thought it was worth a mention :-)

JOhn

[redboy]

Jay, it's deffinetly true about smaller taks being high maintanence!!! My 10 has also had every type of algae known to man in it.

[redboy]

oops...I mean tanks...