Tropic Marin Phos-Start 75 g

Tropic Marin Phos-Start is the opposite of a phosphate remover. It is a startup supplement that adds phosphate, and it does it the way a reef does: as insoluble particles rather than dissolved liquid. On a natural reef, corals get phosphate and the rest of what they need from the particulate waste of fish and plankton, and Tropic Marin built this powder around that mechanism. It is aimed at the first months of a new marine tank, especially reef tanks started on fully cured rock, reef ceramics or a bare bottom, where there is almost nothing to feed the microbiome. Browse the rest of our additives and supplements.

What It Does

• Feeds the microbiome. Natural marine biopolymers act as bacterial food to get the biology going in a new tank.
• Delivers particulate phosphate. Tropic Marin says recent studies show the insoluble, particulate form is far more efficient for coralline algae and coral growth, color and health than soluble liquid forms.
• Builds coralline. Calcium and trace elements stimulate and support coralline algae growth on fresh rock and ceramics.
• Replaces what fast growth consumes. The halogen trace elements iodide, fluoride and bromide go back in as coralline and corals take off.
• Targeted, not a water-column dump. Because the nutrients are particulate, they go where they are used instead of driving up dissolved nutrient levels.
• Preps the tank for corals. Tropic Marin positions it as getting a young system ready to support and grow corals, including sensitive SPS.

How to Dose

• When. Through the first 2 to 3 months, during cycling and in the young aquarium.
• Mix it first. Half fill a container with about 200 ml of aquarium water, not RO water, add the measured dose and stir until it is mixed.
• Add it. Pour the mixture into a high flow area of the tank, then rinse the cup out with aquarium water so nothing is left behind.
• How much. Start at 1 ml, the small measuring spoon, per 100 US gallons daily. If after four weeks phosphate has not reached 0.05 to 0.15 ppm, go to 2 ml per 100 gallons. Do not exceed 4 ml per 100 gallons.
• When in the day. Dose around lights out. It clouds the water slightly, and it lines up with corals opening their polyps at night.
• Test as you go. The 0.05 to 0.15 ppm window is the target you are dosing toward, so you need a phosphate test that actually reads that low.

Specifications

Recommended Pairings

• Hanna HI774 Ultra Low Range Phosphate Checker, the test that reads the 0.05 to 0.15 ppm window this product targets.
• Tropic Marin All-For-Reef for calcium, alkalinity and trace elements once the tank is running.
• Tropic Marin Plus-NP if you need to carry nitrate and phosphate support past the startup phase.
• Tropic Marin Reef Actif for the microbiome and coral color in an established reef.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this remove phosphate?
No, and the name trips people up. Phos-Start supplies phosphate, in particulate mineral form, to a new tank that does not have enough of it. If you are trying to pull phosphate down, you want GFO or a phosphate binder instead.

Why would I add phosphate to a reef tank?
A tank started on cured rock or ceramics can run so clean that there is nothing to feed bacteria, coralline algae or corals. Tropic Marin's position is that a startup system needs a small, controlled supply, in the 0.05 to 0.15 ppm range, rather than zero.

Can I mix it with RO water?
No. Tropic Marin specifies aquarium water, about 200 ml, for mixing.

My water goes cloudy and the corals browned out. Is that wrong?
Some clouding right after dosing is expected, which is why it goes in at lights out. Temporary algae growth and corals browning slightly early on are described as normal for the startup phase.

How long do I use it?
The first 2 to 3 months. After that the tank's own feeding and waste usually take over, and you move to maintenance products.