ATI Result question on numbers to compare home test kits

User1 · Oct 10, 2018

How accurate (subjective question I guess) are the results? Maybe a better question is how does the lab equipment and results compare to something we use at home? Can I use them has a baseline to compare my test kits to and follow the recommended actions?

Background: I'm in month 6 of a tank upgrade and know it is going through a lot of the cycle and maturing. I noticed my Xenia was actually declining and a leather shrinking so figured I should do some tests. I have dry Pukani rock and know it leaches a lot of phosphates and also noticed high nitrates so sent off a ATI test just to get a set of numbers assuming they would be something I could use has a reference. Thus my question.

First thing I noticed is that it said my Salinity is 31.90 PSU and off by -3.10(had to convert it to SG and that appears to be 1.024). My digital Milwaukee unit is reporting 1.026 after I calibrate it using ri/ro water. That seems pretty far off.

Calcium and Magnesium are within the results from my salifert kits. Nitrates didn't match the red sea kit but are a lot closer using the kit from nyos that a I recently picked up. Dkh I think is within the range Hanna reports at 10.2 and ATI reports 10.37.

So I guess the TL;DR version is are the numbers ATI or any other laboratory test reasonable to use for a baseline to compare home test kits?

Thanks!

Muttley000 · Oct 10, 2018

If found it to be reasonably close to my red sea pro and Hanna checkers. As for the Milwaukee I suggest you get some 1.026 calibration fluid. I've always found it best to calibrate close to the reading that you expect to be measuring.

User1 · Oct 10, 2018

Muttley000 said:
If found it to be reasonably close to my red sea pro and Hanna checkers. As for the Milwaukee I suggest you get some 1.026 calibration fluid. I've always found it best to calibrate close to the reading that you expect to be measuring.

Didn't think of the calibration fluid. Thanks for the tip.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Oct 13, 2018

saf1 said:
How accurate (subjective question I guess) are the results? Maybe a better question is how does the lab equipment and results compare to something we use at home? Can I use them has a baseline to compare my test kits to and follow the recommended actions?

Background: I'm in month 6 of a tank upgrade and know it is going through a lot of the cycle and maturing. I noticed my Xenia was actually declining and a leather shrinking so figured I should do some tests. I have dry Pukani rock and know it leaches a lot of phosphates and also noticed high nitrates so sent off a ATI test just to get a set of numbers assuming they would be something I could use has a reference. Thus my question.

First thing I noticed is that it said my Salinity is 31.90 PSU and off by -3.10(had to convert it to SG and that appears to be 1.024). My digital Milwaukee unit is reporting 1.026 after I calibrate it using ri/ro water. That seems pretty far off.

Calcium and Magnesium are within the results from my salifert kits. Nitrates didn't match the red sea kit but are a lot closer using the kit from nyos that a I recently picked up. Dkh I think is within the range Hanna reports at 10.2 and ATI reports 10.37.

So I guess the TL;DR version is are the numbers ATI or any other laboratory test reasonable to use for a baseline to compare home test kits?

Thanks!

While the resultys are not "subjective" in the true definition of the word, I would not use ICP results to "calibrate" any home kit, and there's very little overlap in what they test by ICP and what you test at home.

FWIW, alkalinity and nitrate are not determined by ICP.