It's been three water changes since removing the power filter and nitrates have not budged from 10ppm.
More seriously, phosphates seem to be accruing into the water column at an average of .06ppm per day.
Even though I'm performing water changes to get the nitrates as close to zero as possible, phosphates are actually REQUIRING the change to be made.
Yesterday I did pick up some Chaetomorpha macroalgae (chaeto). I don't have a "hobby refugium" or a "water treatment tank", so I just plopped the fist-sized chaeto in as much flow as i could while having it be stationary and not interfere with anything else.
To be quite honest, I was hoping for less than 10ppm nitrate this morning when I tested the water. But I can live with 10ppm nitrates. Maybe the chaeto will keep the phosphates down long enough that a water change will be necessary due to a buildup of ammonia. And as it grows, it will be able to remove more nitrates and phosphates in a given time period than prior.
So I guess the race is on between ammonia and phosphates to see who crosses the water-change finish line.
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