Aquarium Phosphate Control Additives

AquaVision Aquatics Phosphate Solution is another "dose and done" type of product that is marketed as quickly reducing phosphate levels in your aquarium. Six drops is supposed to lower phosphate by 0.5 ppm for every 10 gallons of water. A 1 ounce bottle treats 1,000 gallons of water for removal of up to 1 ppm of phosphate. The cost is quite high, at over twenty dollars for a single once ounce bottle. Although designed for both freshwater and saltwater, the cost probably limits its use to reef tanks, which warrant the investment to resolve phosphate problems.

Blue Life Phosphate Rx is a liquid additive that removes phosphate from both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Six drops will lower the phosphate by 1 ppm for every 10 gallons of aquarium water. This additive should be dosed in a high flow area, such as the outlet flow from the filter. Some cloudiness has been reported initially, but does clear within 24 hours of dosing. The price is relatively high, but a single bottle has approximately 100 doses.

Brightwell Aquatics Phosphat-E removes phosphate from all types of aquariums, including freshwater, as well as marine fish and reef aquariums. Each ml eliminates 1 ppm phosphate in 4 gallons of aquarium water, 250 ml will treat 1,000 gallons. Comes in 250 ml, 500 ml, 2 L and 20 L sizes.

CaribSea PhosBuster Pro quickly removes dissolved phosphates and is safe for freshwater, saltwater and reef aquariums. Is safe to use in all environments, and should be dosed in the water flow, as with all products of this type.A four ounce bottle removes at least 1.5 ppm in up to 250 gallons of aquarium water. Comes in four ounce and eight ounce sizes, and is comparably priced to similar products.

This is one of the more unique and interesting approaches to phosphate control. Fashioned to resemble a ball of moss, the product has a adsorption resin interior with a moss like exterior. A single moss ball treats a 10 to 20 gallon aquariums effectively for up to 2 months.

I've used this moss balls myself, and they do work well. A number of my fish fond it entertaining to play with the moss ball, picking at it and even rolling it around the tank. I found these balls do reduce phosphates over time, but do not remove phosphate as quickly as either the liquid or filter media products. If you need rapid phosphate reduction, use a different method, then once the phosphates are under control, add a moss ball to keep things stable. Personally, I recommend regular tank maintenance and a couple of moss balls as a phosphate control method, rather than using other more aggressive chemical treatments.

Formulated to quickly remove phosphate from freshwater, saltwater and reef aquariums. Does not affect pH or alkalinity. Should be added to the outflow from the filter to quickly disperse in the water column. Comes in 4 ounce, 8 ounce, and 16 ounce bottles. 16 ounces will remove between 1.0 to 1.5 ppm of phosphate from up to 1,600 gallons of aquarium water.

CaribSea PhosBuster Pro is designed for rapid removal of phosphates in either freshwater or saltwater aquariums, including reef tanks. Feedback from others who have used it is mixed, however I've heard from so few people that I haven't formulated an opinion. The one time I used this product myself, it worked well. However, that was a single use, which isn't sufficient to either confirm or deny its efficacy. Be aware that this product is quite expensive. Comes in an 8 ounce bottle removes treats up to 250 gallons of water, removing 1.5 ppm of phosphate.

Ultralife Reef Liquid Phosphate rapidly binds phosphate in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Like other liquid products it should be added to the water flow, and used only in recommended doses. Comes in a two ounce or four ounce bottle. Two ounces will treat up to 1,850 gallons of aquairum water. I've found that prices vary widely on this product, so shop around before making a purchase.