Can I get some help deciphering my ATI ICP test results?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I thought they just calculated it from P. that’s what Triton does.

According to ATI, they do separate lab grade tests to determine things ICP doesn't test for (like alk).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

According to ATI, they do separate lab grade tests to determine things ICP doesn't test for (like alk).

Yes, but do they have a separate test to phosphate? Triton does not. The P by ICP is a good surrogate for phosphate since organic forms do not generally seem to be that high.

I also don't believe this tank has 400 ppb P, and no detectable phosphate.

Anyway, I'll ask in their forum.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Yes, but do they have a separate test to phosphate? Triton does not. The P by ICP is a good surrogate for phosphate since organic forms do not generally seem to be that high.

I also don't believe this tank has 400 ppb P, and no detectable phosphate.

Anyway, I'll ask in their forum.

Thanks Randy. I'll be interested to know that too. I was surprised by those readings as well.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/your-results-for-p-vs-phosphate.395497/

 

[rkpetersen]

It is weird that they put a "u." there. The calculated value is likely 1.5 ppm.

I wondered about that too. That's not usually the case with ATI, it would seem that they do a calculation as Triton does, as my P and PO4 results from them have always correlated exactly per calculation. Perhaps a software bug that couldn't handle the unusually high value? Here's my last result as an example:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

ATI responded. They don't measure phosphate, but the number based on measured P was so high they didn't add it to the chart. Strange.

 

[CNDReef]

It’s at the top of the page as a comment

 

[Caravanshaka]

ATI responded. They don't measure phosphate, but the number based on measured P was so high they didn't add it to the chart. Strange.

I believe they call that "Off the Charts" ;Wacky

 

[rkpetersen]

It’s at the top of the page as a comment

Good point, although perhaps they should have emphasized it a bit more? Maybe thrown in an exclamation point or two? In the middle of several terse comments there, it's like, 'Oh, by the way...'

 

[taricha]

Good point, although perhaps they should have emphasized it a bit more? Maybe thrown in an exclamation point or two? In the middle of several terse comments there, it's like, 'Oh, by the way...'

"Your phosphate is [fire emoji]"

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

IMO, it reflects badly on them. At best it is a software glitch that they should fix.

 

[Lukas75]

So then...what's killing my corals? I was hoping to find something in this thing that would tell me something was tremendously off...

I’m right there with you. I had a die off that I only stopped with several water changes. I sent a test in first to see what was off. Molybdenum was low, nitrates 20 ppm. That’s it everything else was in the green.