JBL PhosEx Rapid - 100ML

JBL PhosEx Rapid is a liquid phosphate remover for freshwater aquariums, turtle tanks and shrimp tanks. JBL's mechanism is a liquid iron compound that binds the phosphate dissolved in the water. A brownish haze appears as it works and clears again within two to twenty-four hours, which is how you know it has done something.

Key Features

• Binds dissolved phosphate: phosphate is one of the two nutrients that let algae take over a tank, and it is the one most people never measure.
• Iron-based and immediate: JBL describes it as acting at once rather than over days.
• The haze is the indicator: a brownish clouding that clears in two to twenty-four hours.
• Aquariums, turtle and shrimp tanks: JBL lists all three for freshwater use.
• Two bottle sizes: 100ml and 250ml.
• Test, then treat: a reading before and after tells you whether the dose did anything. Treating blind is how tanks end up over-dosed.

Using It Sensibly

• Measure phosphate first, with a sensitive test if your tank is planted. Without a number you cannot dose and cannot tell whether it worked.
• Bring the level down in stages over several days rather than in one hit.
• Re-test a day after each dose, once the haze has cleared.
• Look at what is adding the phosphate: heavy feeding, a lot of fish for the water volume, and some mains supplies all contribute.

Good To Know

• Keep the bottle closed, upright and out of direct sun. Heat and light shorten the shelf life of any liquid water treatment.
• Keep it away from children and pets, and do not decant it into a drinks bottle.
• A water conditioner is not a medicine. A fish that is visibly ill needs a diagnosis, not a bottle of conditioner.
• Plants need some phosphate. Stripping a planted tank to zero causes deficiency and stunted growth, so aim low rather than none.
• This is the aquarium version. JBL sells a separate phosphate binder for ponds, so check which one you need.