FOWLR parameters/Triton ICP-OES test

[jaxteller007]

I got the Triton ICP-OES test done and I'm a little confused about some of the results. Granted I'm definitely not an expert on what some of these levels should be for a FOWLR (with 1 duncan coral) tank. It's 180 Gallons. I'm wondering how accurate these are? I'm sure the measurements are throwing me off too.

Tin = 4.367 ug/liter (micrograms?) with a set point of .1 No idea how Tin would have gotten in the water
Aluminum = 72 ug/liter with set point of 2 Same question
Copper = 48 ug/liter with set point of .1 I've never dosed this tank. Wouldn't copper in the tank kill all my inverts including the coral?
Iodine = 464 ug/liter with a set point of 60 I've dosed Iodine for the inverts, it seems that I do not need to lol. Is that level dangerous to anything?
Silicon = 378 ug/liter with set point of 100. Not sure how that would have gotten in there and if it's dangerous? If so, how do I lower it.

Phosphorus = 497 ug/liter with a set point of 6
Phosphate = 1.52082 mg/liter with a set point of .01836
With both of those, I would think I would have a much worse algae situation than I do...
There's other random elements but these are the ones I figured I'd ask about first.
Again maybe it's the units of measurements throwing me off? Thanks for any help

#reefsquad

 

[Miller535]

Most likely you have something rusting in or above your tank

And Triton is VERY accurate, especially with trace metals such as Copper, Tin, and Aluminum like you have.

 

[jaxteller007]

Most likely you have something rusting in or above your tank

I'll double check but I've never seen anything rusting. I'll have to give it a once over today after work. Still wouldn't I be losing inverts and my coral?

 

[Miller535]

I'll double check but I've never seen anything rusting. I'll have to give it a once over today after work. Still wouldn't I be losing inverts and my coral?

If left as is, you may over time. I had a copper of 40 ug/l and I eventually did start losing inverts. Common things that rust in tanks are magnets like the ones on power heads (my MP40 did not look like it from the outside, but when I took the wet side apart is was rusted). The impellers inside of pumps also. And and hardware above your sump or tank that gets condensation that could drip back into the tank. A common example of this is screw used for mounting and metal hose clamps.

 

[Miller535]

If you have a canopy look everywhere above and in the canopy. Inspect all of your equipment, power heads, pumps, heaters, etc. Look above and around your sump if you have one.

 

[jaxteller007]

If left as is, you may over time. I had a copper of 40 ug/l and I eventually did start losing inverts. Common things that rust in tanks are magnets like the ones on power heads (my MP40 did not look like it from the outside, but when I took the wet side apart is was rusted). The impellers inside of pumps also. And and hardware above your sump or tank that gets condensation that could drip back into the tank. A common example of this is screw used for mounting and metal hose clamps.

Yea ill go look through everything tonight and double check. Good thing we have an RO/DI system finally so I can do some water changes.

 

[Miller535]

Yea ill go look through everything tonight and double check. Good thing we have an RO/DI system finally so I can do some water changes.

There are somem products that you can use also. Cuprisorb is reported to work good, Triton makes a product called "Detox" that worked really well in my tank.

 

[jaxteller007]

There are somem products that you can use also. Cuprisorb is reported to work good, Triton makes a product called "Detox" that worked really well in my tank.

I was a little leary because both test kits only had 2 tubes when I opened them and the instructions said there should be 3. No idea if maybe I got a faulty kit or something. But I'm going to proceed like those results are right.

 

[jaxteller007]

If you have a canopy look everywhere above and in the canopy. Inspect all of your equipment, power heads, pumps, heaters, etc. Look above and around your sump if you have one.

No canopy and I used double sided velcro for most stuff near the sump but I'm definitely going to double check it all tonight.

 

[Miller535]

I was a little leary because both test kits only had 2 tubes when I opened them and the instructions said there should be 3. No idea if maybe I got a faulty kit or something. But I'm going to proceed like those results are right.

I have done probably 6 of them. I actually just sent one in today. There has only ever been 2 since I have been doing it. I believe it says on Triton's site that they only need 1, the second is just in case the first one would break in shipping.


Now ATI does 3.

 

[jaxteller007]

I have done probably 6 of them. I actually just sent one in today. There has only ever been 2 since I have been doing it. I believe it says on Triton's site that they only need 1, the second is just in case the first one would break in shipping.


Now ATI does 3.

Maybe I was blind but I'm 99% sure the paperwork I had in my box said 3. Now o wish I hadn't thrown that away lol.

What about the other levels I listed? I guess I could just post the whole PDF lol.

 

[saltyhog]

Silicon can sometimes get by RO/DI units. Do you have any problem with diatoms? Do you have a lot of sponges growing? I dosed silicates for several months while battling dinos and still have high silicates despite not having dosed in a few momths.

Do you have any ceramic biomedia? That could be your source of aluminum

 

[jaxteller007]

Here we go

 

[jaxteller007]

Silicon can sometimes get by RO/DI units. Do you have any problem with diatoms? Do you have a lot of sponges growing? I dosed silicates for several months while battling dinos and still have high silicates despite not having dosed in a few momths.

Do you have any ceramic biomedia? That could be your source of aluminum

We do have green diatoms on the rocks but no sponges. No ceramic biomedia.

 

[jaxteller007]

Most likely you have something rusting in or above your tank

And Triton is VERY accurate, especially with trace metals such as Copper, Tin, and Aluminum like you have.

Silicon can sometimes get by RO/DI units. Do you have any problem with diatoms? Do you have a lot of sponges growing? I dosed silicates for several months while battling dinos and still have high silicates despite not having dosed in a few momths.

Do you have any ceramic biomedia? That could be your source of aluminum

This is the only thing I could find that looks like it may be the culprit. It's the clamp for my fuge light. But I honestly don't remember if I put this up before or after I sent the water sample in. To my untrained eye, I couldn't see anything else rusting.

 

[jaxteller007]

Also, according to the cheap floating hydrometer/thermometer I could find today at the store (I need to buy the salinity probe for my apex) my salinity is 1.10 which would definitely be way low. I'm pretty sure I mixed my salt according to the directions but I did leave power heads running in the water tank overnight. Would that decrease the salinty of the water in the storage tank?

If that's my true salinity I definitely need to get that up.

 

[jaxteller007]

The Triton site says bio-pellets can be a source of copper in my system. I am using a bio-pellet reactor with aquamaxx bio-pellets in it. Could that really leach copper into my system?

 

[jaxteller007]

Sorry, that thing says my salinity is 1.01 not 1.10 lol

 

[saltyhog]

If that salinity is correct, I'm surprised the duncan is alive. I would recommend getting a refractometer and salinity standard solution.

 

[jaxteller007]

If that salinity is correct, I'm surprised the duncan is alive. I would recommend getting a refractometer and salinity standard solution.

Yea there's no way it could be that low without something seriously wrong right?