Got my ATI ICP test, biggest surprise. Feedback welcome.

[Butuz]

Guys, got my first ICP test back. Screenshots are below. Reactions? By far, the biggest (and only) surprise for me is that my salinity apparently has been at 1.024 this entire time, since the tank’s inception 9 months ago. This entire time, I have been calibrating regularly and using the BRS refractometer and their refracto juice, which has been showing 1.026/35. Apparently, thats off.

I owe huge apologies to @eKoProCS. Apparently, my eKoral salinity probe has been right the whole time, showing 1.024. I traded emails with eKoral on this a few times in the past, they even sent me a new probe that showed the same 1.024, but I stopped relying on their probe reading. I should not have.

Other than that, question for you guys. 3 trace elements are showing zero (even though they are present in Seachem Trace) that I have been manually dosing for a while. I guess means all are getting consumed by corals. So the dosing recommendations they made below (for vanadium, manganese, iod) appear to reference a one time dose. How do I convert and make these into regular dosing amounts? I am most worried about manganese, as I have really cool dragon fire goni that I understand depend on manganese. Will research the importance of vanadium and iod soon).

Feedback, suggestions are welcome. Thanks, guys.

 

[rcpalmer1]

I have struggled with trace elements. What I have done was put my tank on auto pilot. All dosing done the same every day. Feeding the same food, the same amount by auto feeders. Same amount of water changes with the same salt on the same schedule. Let it run for a few weeks then sent in ICP test. Make corrections and send in another test. Let it continue to run for a few weeks unchanged and send in other ICP. Divide the amount you dropped between the last two test and the number of days. This is the daily amount you need to increase. Then you can test every few months and if you are still dropping some you can slow increase the amount of that.

I use BRS two part. I have added the Tropic Marin part C and it has help several elements. Now I am struggling with strinium. I am going through a bottle a month and every test is still low but getting better.

 

[Butuz]

Thanks, very helpful. I will try that. I dose AquaForest Component 1+,2+,3+ and use Red Sea Coral Pro salt. In addition I dose Acropower and manually dose Seachem Trace. Taking a step back, since I have no reference, - their summary shows 88/100 for major and 93/100 for minor elements. Is that good, bad, average etc? Is getting 100 on both impossible? Are my results healthy in general or? I will add 3 specific ones they mentioned, but dont know if I should chase to get 100 on both.

 

[rcpalmer1]

I was using RS coral pro. I just switched. Trying to figure all the elements out I just mixed a batch of fresh saltwater. These are the results I just got today. I haven't fully processed it yet but right off i see my iodine is low. The more i do water changes the lower my iodine level will be. I also notice the strontium is low. I am currently working on an auto water change system. Currently my water changes have not been consistent. I think my next step is to send in my trace element mix and have it icp tested. I emailed and talked with Tropic Marin and they would say just what levels are in their product. I am not sure what 88/100 means. I know if my salt mix only has 8 I will never reach 12 with just water changes.

 

[Potatohead]

Major elements you pretty much want at 100. You’re not far off really, magnesium is totally fine and 500 calcium is high but many people purposefully run it up there. Salinity you do want to correct definitely. Other than that it looks pretty good. I never test high enough for iodine either and I think that’s pretty common. Otherwise just work on getting your nutrients down, don’t do anything drastic but maybe consider running some gfo or running a refugium, and do some more water changes.

 

[ZaneTer]

I believe the simplest option available to you might be a large water change. I would probably do 50% going by how high your nitrates are along with PO4.

That being said it will only drop them to NO3@36 and [email protected] but will replace a large number of lost elements.

If you have the space a refugium is probably a good option. Just keep a very close eye on nutrients if using chaeto, it’s vicious in its removal of them from the water column.

Hope this helps
Zane

 

[jsvand5]

I don’t trust any refractometer solution anymore. I was losing a ton of sps for a while and I couldn’t figure it out. Everything tested out fine. Then I eventually took a water sample to the LFS. My salinity was 1.031. My Pinpoint calibration fluid was off by that much. A $5 bottle of calibration fluid probably cost me $500 in losses. Definitely made me feel stupid for not thinking that could be the problem sooner.

 

[rcpalmer1]

I don’t trust any refractometer solution anymore. I was losing a ton of sps for a while and I couldn’t figure it out. Everything tested out fine. Then I eventually took a water sample to the LFS. My salinity was 1.031. My Pinpoint calibration fluid was off by that much. A $5 bottle of calibration fluid probably cost me $500 in losses. Definitely made me feel stupid for not thinking that could be the problem sooner.

I know everyone like the refractometers. I have hydrometer that is over 10 years old. I trust it. I bought a refractometer from BRS. I use it just to verify.

 

[lapin]

I noticed a few people like myself have low iodine showing with RS Coral Pro salt. I wonder if the salt mix does not have enough to keep up with a reef tank with 10% water changes per week?
Any opinions?

 

[Graffiti Spot]

I have a hydrometer a few refractometers and a digital meter too. Every single one reads different by far and I never know what to trust so I just try and stay in the middle of them all. And each time I get new 35 ppt it reads at least 2 points off either way. I got a packet of some and it read 20ppt!!! what the heck.
Anyone know a good way to be 100% about salanity without buying a crazy meter?