ATI ICP test - analyze my results

[JayFish4004]

Hi team! Wanted to get the reefers united to analyze my latest ATI ICP results.

I somehow have a tiny amount of copper - nothing new introduced and I run these monthly and have never seen copper before. Is this a level you would worry about? I do keep a small strip of polyfilter in the back chamber.

Also working on my nutrients - they are crazy. I can almost solely blame feeding frozen baby brine for this - just ends up getting caught in the filter foam. I’ve moved to TDO pellets recently and am phasing out the tiny frozen foods.

Here is link: https://lab.atiaquaristik.com/share/61058d27c80383435625

What actions would you take from here? Corals and fish all doing fine.

 

[blaxsun]

You could try turning your return pump off for 15-20 minutes during feeding to minimize how much gets sucked into the overflow. Changing your filter floss out a day or two earlier will also help bring nutrients down.

It looks like you need to increase your iodine - but most of your other trace elements are fine. Not sure about the copper, but you could always run some carbon or Cuprisorb if you're concerned (despite showing up the test results indicated it was still in the green).

 

[JayFish4004]

You could try turning your return pump off for 15-20 minutes during feeding to minimize how much gets sucked into the overflow. Changing your filter floss out a day or two earlier will also help bring nutrients down.

It looks like you need to increase your iodine - but most of your other trace elements are fine. Not sure about the copper, but you could always run some carbon or Cuprisorb if you're concerned (despite showing up the test results indicated it was still in the green).

I do actually shut the pumps off for about 30min when I feed - the frozen baby brine was specific to feeding the mandarins and it ends up being the most wasteful way to feed because most of the food never leaves the water column - its too light to sink to where the mandarins will eat it. I rinse filter sock almost daily and do 20% weekly water changes - and nutrients are still this high which is crazy haha. TDO pellets are proving to be more efficient and the other fish will pick them off as well.

I’m assuming my polyfilter should strip that copper provided something isn’t introducing more of it somehow - can tdo pellets come with copper? Thats the only new thing since last ICP.

I do monthly ICP’s for specific purpose of figuring out how to dose my iodine. Been doing 0.15ml per week on my 20gal - gonna step up to 0.2ml.

 

[iamahab]

How do I go about getting my water tested? What's the process and how much does it cost?

 

[Smite]

Iodine can be hard to bring up as it gets depleted quickly. How long before you took your sample for ICP did you dose Iodine?
The reef moonshiner's program has me dosing iodine daily, I'm at 10 drops per day in my 210g and still a bit low. My level was near yours on my last test.

Have you tried to hatch live brine? Maybe that would pollute your water less.

 

[Smite]

How do I go about getting my water tested? What's the process and how much does it cost?

ATI is $45 bucks. Buy your ICP on Amazon or from a online vendor. Create an account on ATI website and a tank profile. When your test comes, register your bar code under the tank's profile. Fill 3 vials with display water. Red cap vial, fill with RODI (one of the reasons I love ATI). Seal them in the package and send them off. 10-14 days later you'll get your email it made it to Germany facility. You'll have results next day.

 

[JayFish4004]

How do I go about getting my water tested? What's the process and how much does it cost?

Here’s a link - they provide the shipping label and instructions. Pretty straightforward just fill 3 vials with tank water and the 4th vial with RODI which they’ll also test. Super valuable to do at least a few times a year.

ATI ICP-OES Complete Saltwater Water Test Kit

 

[areefer01]

What actions would you take from here? Corals and fish all doing fine.

If your display looks fine why would you do anything at all?

 

[JayFish4004]

Iodine can be hard to bring up as it gets depleted quickly. How long before you took your sample for ICP did you dose Iodine?
The reef moonshiner's program has me dosing iodine daily, I'm at 10 drops per day in my 210g and still a bit low. My level was near yours on my last test.

Have you tried to hatch live brine? Maybe that would pollute your water less.

Yeah I’ve been at trying to dial this in for months now - not easy haha

I dosed my weekly 0.15ml the day before - I do a weekly water change and dose it right after.

In March my iodine was at 35 and I was dosing less, but I also started doing weekly vs biweekly water changes around that time so that probably plays a hand.

 

[JayFish4004]

If your display looks fine why would you do anything at all?

Mainly worried about the copper with my pistol shrimp - what level would you be worried about there for inverts? Also super confused what would’ve introduced it since nothing changed since last time it was undetectable minus doing tdo pellets. @Reef Nutrition is this possibly copper sulfate in the tdo?

ATI recommends this - I bought the supplements but have not grown the balls to dose ‘em. It took me forever to even do iodine - dosing scares me haha


Following ATI supplements should be applied in order to provide a stable water quality:

• Vanadium supplement per day 0.37 ml for 1 day
• Zink supplement per day 0.88 ml for 1 day
• Mangan supplement per day 0.44 ml for 1 day
• Iod supplement per day 0.18 ml for 2 days

 

[areefer01]

Mainly worried about the copper with my pistol shrimp - what level would you be worried about there for inverts?

ATI recommends this - I bought the supplements but have not grown the balls to dose ‘em. It took me forever to even do iodine - dosing scares me haha


Following ATI supplements should be applied in order to provide a stable water quality:

• Vanadium supplement per day 0.37 ml for 1 day
• Zink supplement per day 0.88 ml for 1 day
• Mangan supplement per day 0.44 ml for 1 day
• Iod supplement per day 0.18 ml for 2 days

I can only say that I personally do not rush to do what they recommend. Especially if my display is perfectly fine with no signs of duress or issues. If that makes sense. ATI is one of the better ICP analysis providers but there are several cases whereas hobbyists sent in two samples drawn at the same time with different results. That is a bit troubling. Likewise we don't really know their calibration policy and what is done in between tests. My point is that I personally use it as a high level overview of results outside looking in. Compare to what I see/assess, manual tests, automated tests, done at the same time I draw the sample.

I think out of everything I see the copper reading is a bit odd. I would ask have you treated the display with anything or medicated? Was the display previously used for treatment? Is it connected to a isolation or QT system? That is really the only thing I would try to understand a bit more.

If you have a test copper test kit you could manually run one and see if it also shows values. Or buy one from Salifert or Hanna. not sure which one is better. Sorry about that.

tl;dr - copper is interesting. see if lfs can test, or buy a kit. Test before and after maybe a 20% water change.

Copper

1.16 µg/l

 

[JayFish4004]

I can only say that I personally do not rush to do what they recommend. Especially if my display is perfectly fine with no signs of duress or issues. If that makes sense. ATI is one of the better ICP analysis providers but there are several cases whereas hobbyists sent in two samples drawn at the same time with different results. That is a bit troubling. Likewise we don't really know their calibration policy and what is done in between tests. My point is that I personally use it as a high level overview of results outside looking in. Compare to what I see/assess, manual tests, automated tests, done at the same time I draw the sample.

I think out of everything I see the copper reading is a bit odd. I would ask have you treated the display with anything or medicated? Was the display previously used for treatment? Is it connected to a isolation or QT system? That is really the only thing I would try to understand a bit more.

If you have a test copper test kit you could manually run one and see if it also shows values. Or buy one from Salifert or Hanna. not sure which one is better. Sorry about that.

tl;dr - copper is interesting. see if lfs can test, or buy a kit. Test before and after maybe a 20% water change.

Copper

1.16 µg/l

The only thing I can think of is maybe the Hikari Baby Brine, Can O’Cyclops or TDO pellets are made with copper sulfate - those are the only new things I’ve been doing since an undetectable test a couple months ago. Puzzling

 

[areefer01]

The only thing I can think of is maybe the Hikari Baby Brine, Can O’Cyclops or TDO pellets are made with copper sulfate - those are the only new things I’ve been doing since an undetectable test a couple months ago. Puzzling

That is an interesting question. If so then I would water more people would see similar results. I use a couple different Hikari dry pellets along with PE mysis (also dry). I went back through my ATI test results and do not see a copper reading. They are all blank.

One suggestion I have is to send off a email to ATI and ask for clarity around that test result. Ask if they can report anything else since it is showing green, no recommendation related, and how it is calculated. They are usually pretty quick to answer and good to deal with. It won't hurt anything.

Also not sure but you can also run a manual test to see if anything is reported.

 

[blaxsun]

I rinse filter sock almost daily and do 20% weekly water changes - and nutrients are still this high which is crazy haha.

You may actually need to start laundering your filter socks (bleach. etc.) to kill off any organics. I have around 20 for this express reason.

 

[JayFish4004]

You may actually need to start laundering your filter socks (bleach. etc.) to kill off any organics. I have around 20 for this express reason.

My current method is I will rinse out daily and toss for a new one every 2-4 weeks depending on how they start to look. They are nylon so it doesn’t seem like much if anything stays behind post-rinse.

When I rinse out my filter sponges on water change days they are just filthy - pre-Hikari Baby Brine and Can O’Cyclops it would take months to get the sponges as dirty as they get in a week now.

 

[JayFish4004]

That is an interesting question. If so then I would water more people would see similar results. I use a couple different Hikari dry pellets along with PE mysis (also dry). I went back through my ATI test results and do not see a copper reading. They are all blank.

One suggestion I have is to send off a email to ATI and ask for clarity around that test result. Ask if they can report anything else since it is showing green, no recommendation related, and how it is calculated. They are usually pretty quick to answer and good to deal with. It won't hurt anything.

Also not sure but you can also run a manual test to see if anything is reported.

Not a bad idea - I dont think the level its at is harmful (guessing) but Im a little nervous about what is bringing it in and if it is progressing.

 

[TheGulag]

My current method is I will rinse out daily and toss for a new one every 2-4 weeks depending on how they start to look. They are nylon so it doesn’t seem like much if anything stays behind post-rinse.

When I rinse out my filter sponges on water change days they are just filthy - pre-Hikari Baby Brine and Can O’Cyclops it would take months to get the sponges as dirty as they get in a week now.

How are you rinsing them out, like with what water?

 

[JayFish4004]

How are you rinsing them out, like with what water?

Tap water from the sink… I see where you’re going here - maybe coming from my tapwater huh?

putting 2 and 2 together here - I accidentally rinsed the RODI tube in tapwater on my last test, and just with a rinse it picked up copper in my RODI test among other stuff.

We might’ve found our culprit.

Auswertungsergebnis

ATI Aquaristik - Lab

lab.atiaquaristik.com

 

[JayFish4004]

That is an interesting question. If so then I would water more people would see similar results. I use a couple different Hikari dry pellets along with PE mysis (also dry). I went back through my ATI test results and do not see a copper reading. They are all blank.

One suggestion I have is to send off a email to ATI and ask for clarity around that test result. Ask if they can report anything else since it is showing green, no recommendation related, and how it is calculated. They are usually pretty quick to answer and good to deal with. It won't hurt anything.

Also not sure but you can also run a manual test to see if anything is reported.

Here is ATI’s response:

“The copper value is very low and in itself far from being a problem. As a possible source I would suspect the feed. Here it sometimes comes to an increased copper concentration, often with shrimps and copepods (Cyclops). Observe the value, if it should be higher at the next analysis, I would change the food”

The Can O’Cyclops or the tapwater Im using to rinse my filter socks are my current frontrunners. I put in an extra bit of polyfilter inside my filter sock to try to strip out a little quicker.

I’ve also been adding a TON of live copepods lately - any chance that adds copper somehow or is it probably the frozen variety?

 

[JayFish4004]

Tap water from the sink… I see where you’re going here - maybe coming from my tapwater huh?

putting 2 and 2 together here - I accidentally rinsed the RODI tube in tapwater on my last test, and just with a rinse it picked up copper in my RODI test among other stuff.

We might’ve found our culprit.

Auswertungsergebnis

ATI Aquaristik - Lab

lab.atiaquaristik.com

If this is the case - how the heck can I rinse my socks with RODI water if I cant create a stream from it? I just have it in 5gal buckets

Also slightly wondering why this wasnt happening before too - ive been rinsing them in tapwater for awhile now so wouldnt say this is a guarantee