phosphate help needed

jenfire11

i have an established tank that all of a sudden has ridiculously high phosphate levels. my water is very cloudy and the nitrates are high too. nitrite and ammonia tests are within safe limits. i have tried phoszorb, seachem phosphate remover, fritz phosphate remover and phosban. none of these seem to work and they send my ph level way down as well(about 6.4). my town water is not the issue as i have tested it and all levels are fine. this happened to me a few years ago in a different tank as well. the only thing that worked then was getting a new tank. that is not an option for me this time. i am wondering if any one has used a product that works that doesn't mess with the ph? or should i get rid of my gravel? i am at a loss and could use some help. thank you in advance.
my tank is 36 gallon fresh with no plants, water about 78 degrees and ph (usually)around 7.0 for a community environment.[/i]

Dtld9

Cut down on feeding and maybe try some live plants. You will have to wait it out but it will eventually go away with water changes. I had a huge problem in my 10G, I couldn't see any farther then 2 inches into the tank. I put in some plants and added DIY co2 injection and it went away within days.

You could try a small UV sterilizer, petsmart.com has one for $30 that is good for up to 50 gallons I think. The sterilizer will sterilize any water that passes through it, since you don't have any plants it might be a good idea if you don't want any.

jenfire11

i feed once a day and have ben doing weekly water changes and it actually seems to be getting worse. i will try the uv sterilizer, though. i guess i will post when i check it out.
thanks.