Effects of phosphate?

[abpositive]

Hi.
I know all about the nitrfying cycle, but could somone please answer a couple of questions?

I want to know what causes levels of phosphates to rise? and
What are the effects of high levels of phosphate on fish?

Please?
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[WyldFya]

High phosphates can be caused by excessive amounts of detritus laying in the tank. Regular wcs will fix this. High phosphates 2ppms or less are not too much a problem, but it will cause really high amounts of algae growth, particularly cyanobacteria or slime algae.

 

[ChileRelleno]

Excessive waste, low quality carbons, plant fertilizers and from what I've heard some buffering agents can cause PO4(phosphate).
The only effect that I've dealt with is increased algae growth, I'm not sure of detrimental effects on fish health.

 

[RadleyMiller]

Phosphate causes plant and algae growth. It is only a problem for fish when algae blooms and then dies, stealing all of the O2 from the water. Usually this happens in bays and lagoons, not tanks.

 

[sabotage]

I learned something, thank you