Another ICP test result review

[Jimbo662]

Any advise on whether any of the highlighted items need to be corrected? Tank is LPS. Only real ongoing issue I have is the polyps on my toadstool only extend about 1/8". The tank has had corals in it since about the end of May. The toadstool was fine in the QT tank. It was in there about 2 months.

Edit: Forgot to mention that my acans also are not doing well. In all my previous tanks they've always thrived. Now they just survive. Two of them are completely sunken in and the other two the flesh will occasionally extend beyond the rim for maybe a day. All of my blasto's are growing like crazy.

In my last test, done on 10/3, the Iodine was at 0 so I started dosing. The last dose was two weeks ago. I had been dosing 3 drops each Monday.
Center column numbers are my tank

 

[anthonygf]

On the ICP-Analysis.com they have a list of Baseline Test Results from 4 areas of the ocean. Silicon is high I think, mine is 0.67, need to do more water changes now to fix that. Yours is a little high, Fiji water silicon level is 0.17. I think all your results look good.

 

[anthonygf]

Looks like you have been doing this longer than I have, I have been reefing going on 6 years now and still learning. Lithium is as high as .35 for St Thomas water.

 

[anthonygf]

Just got my results today and my iodine is 0.0 and I have been dosing a little. Normal range .03 to .04.

 

[Jimbo662]

On the ICP-Analysis.com they have a list of Baseline Test Results from 4 areas of the ocean. Silicon is high I think, mine is 0.67, need to do more water changes now to fix that. Yours is a little high, Fiji water silicon level is 0.17. I think all your results look good.

I saw that...it defaulted to Florida and had wondered which option was best. My previous tank that I had in my previous apartment (same complex) had much higher silicon.

 

[anthonygf]

I saw that...it defaulted to Florida and had wondered which option was best. My previous tank that I had in my previous apartment (same complex) had much higher silicon.

I am not sure which option is best, as long as it is within range. I am battling diatoms I think because of the silicon.

 

[Jimbo662]

I am not sure which option is best, as long as it is within range. I am battling diatoms I think because of the silicon.

I thought my problem was because of the silicon too. Does it happen to look like this? I was battling this in both the current tank and my last tank. Covered the sand and rocks. You can blow it off with a turkey baster. Once a week I'd clean all the rocks off and vacuum the sand and within a couple of days it would be back. I finally saw someone post on here that they were told it keeps coming back because you stir up all the junk in the sand. I followed his advise and stopped vacuuming and got some Astrea snails. The snails had the rocks clean within about two weeks and the sand was completely clear after about 3 weeks.

 

[anthonygf]

Mine is more of a rust or brown color, blows of easy. I clean my rocks with cordless dental water pick type of instrument and use a polishing filter to clean the water fast and remove when clear, usually within a couple hours so it can be removed from the system. Comes back the next day but not as bad, my guess is as it is consuming the silicon and when depleted so are the diatoms I imagine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don't see any concern with the highlighted values. i don't even understand why some are highlighted. Did you highlight, or the ICP test company?

What is the right hand column?

Silica is required by most diatoms, but the "blows off easily" sounds more like cyano.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just got my results today and my iodine is 0.0 and I have been dosing a little. Normal range .03 to .04.

That is not correct. While we can debate whether iodine is useful to dose, it is incorrect to claim 0.03-0.04 ppm is a normal level of iodine in seawater. It is 0.06 ppm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Looks like you have been doing this longer than I have, I have been reefing going on 6 years now and still learning. Lithium is as high as .35 for St Thomas water.

I would ignore lithium at any level. It is not particularly useful or toxic. I'd think of it as a bystander in seawater.

 

[anthonygf]

I don't see any concern with the highlighted values. i don't even understand why some are highlighted. Did you highlight, or the ICP test company?

What is the right hand column?

Silica is required by most diatoms, but the "blows off easily" sounds more like cyano.

Hi Randy. My ICP tests from another company also highlights some values that are out of range but is nothing to worry about in reality. I must have cyano then if it is brown to rust colored and blows off easy. If I may ask, what causes cyano if it is not the silica? as mine is very high, and is that still ok at 0.67? Thanks.

 

[anthonygf]

That is not correct. While we can debate whether iodine is useful to dose, it is incorrect to claim 0.03-0.04 ppm is a normal level of iodine in seawater. It is 0.06 ppm.

Ok then, ICP-Analysis.com has it wrong then. According to them the water at St. Thomas tested at zero.

 

[anthonygf]

That is not correct. While we can debate whether iodine is useful to dose, it is incorrect to claim 0.03-0.04 ppm is a normal level of iodine in seawater. It is 0.06 ppm.

Again I am sorry for spreading wrong info here, but I think I did mention I got those results from ICP-Analysis.com from there list of baseline test results on there website. I use them because of the cost factor. Sorry to get too involved in someone else post but maybe helpful for others also. I will update the results on my list, I have a burning desire to learn all I can on reefing for the care of my reef animals.

 

[Jimbo662]

I don't see any concern with the highlighted values. i don't even understand why some are highlighted. Did you highlight, or the ICP test company?

What is the right hand column?

Silica is required by most diatoms, but the "blows off easily" sounds more like cyano.

Thanks for the reply. I highlighted them. The right hand column is the number of the water they were comparing it to. In this case it defaulted to Florida Ocean water.

 

[anthonygf]

Just got my results today and my iodine is 0.0 and I have been dosing a little. Normal range .03 to .04.

Sorry for this, As Randy stated normal iodine level in seawater is .06. And sorry not to mention I got these numbers from ICP-Analysis.com.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would not overly rely on those claimed "normal" values.

 

[anthonygf]

I would not overly rely on those claimed "normal" values.

Check. Thanks again. I guess it is only useful for unwanted dangerous elements that are not normal in sea water.

 

[anthonygf]

Any advise on whether any of the highlighted items need to be corrected? Tank is LPS. Only real ongoing issue I have is the polyps on my toadstool only extend about 1/8". The tank has had corals in it since about the end of May. The toadstool was fine in the QT tank. It was in there about 2 months.

Edit: Forgot to mention that my acans also are not doing well. In all my previous tanks they've always thrived. Now they just survive. Two of them are completely sunken in and the other two the flesh will occasionally extend beyond the rim for maybe a day. All of my blasto's are growing like crazy.

In my last test, done on 10/3, the Iodine was at 0 so I started dosing. The last dose was two weeks ago. I had been dosing 3 drops each Monday.
Center column numbers are my tank

Thanks for posting this Jimbo662, learned some good lessons today. Now I just hope I can retain them, I am retired and 63 yrs old and test most water params almost daily.