Help with Triton test result

[coweyes298]

I ran my first Triton test several days ago. It is a 100 gallon display with 25 gallon or so sump. GFO, and 5 gallon refugium. Not able to grow much chaeto since I have 0~1 ppm nitrate. But the display has huge amount of brown dust and green film algae on rock work every four or five days. Some brown/green algae on glass for the same frequency as well. I only do two part dosing. I did Kalkwasser before but I took it off line two months ago. The ATO reservoir has lots of Kalk residual at bottom and I haven't got time to clean it.

Tank has been running since last June. 6 fishes right now and minimum coral in it. All the coral were moved into separate frag tank for quarantine due to ick outbreak.

One thing about Triton test. Is there any ALK and Nitrate value shown? I didn't see them in the report.

Can someone help me examine the Triton test result as attached? I know my silicon is high, as well as calcium. But don't know other values is within range or not.

Thanks.

 

[XNavyDiver]

Congratulations, you're not high in tin . I don't think Triton does alk or no3. Looks like you can reduce your cal dosage a bit and let it come down slowly. The brown dust/algae sounds like new tank syndrome type stuff. Did you start with dry rock?

 

[coweyes298]

I stop 2 parts for three days but the calcium is dropping slowly, while the ALK is dropping faster. Which make sense as the consumption ratio of the two. I don't have the schedule to manual dose ALK while stopping 2 parts so I was back to 2 parts again. Is it OK to adjust only Ca to be dosed at less amount than ALK? It seems unbalanced to me for the two parts concept so I am hesitated to do that for a while.

Yes, I started with Reefclaner dry rock. Shouldn't be an issue as two months ago my diatom is at minimum. And all the rock were covered by coraline algae. After I added MAME calcium sand two months ago I started dealing with dusty water (my powerhead is set at an angle and it will blow sand off the bottom if the particle is too fine, which MAME calcium sand is a super fine particle + much more brown dust and film algae on rock work.) Maybe the sand is the culprit of higher Si as it also indicates the smae thing on Triton test, which brings me back to diatom outbreak again I believe...

So other than Cal and Si does the parameter look normal? I maintained the ALK value around 7~8 dKH for about half year now, and I am planning to switch to Triton other methods. I want to make sure I don't have to do other WC or detox for my current water. (well I rarely do WC, only 5 gallon every two weeks while changing the GFO media)

 

[lilchris_357]

The brown dust is diatoms and they feed off silicates which you are in the red on your ICP test. Eliminate the silicates and the diatoms will go away. Sources of silicates are TDS in your RO water or leaching from your rocks if you used dry rock and sand. I would make sure your RO water is perfect 0 TDS. If you have a RO/DI unit make sure your filters are good and get a silicate buster filter. I have heard some salts have high silicates in them. Not 100% sure on that one though.

 

[coweyes298]

Yup. TDS is 0 after the DI stage. And my pressure is high through RODI, 80 to 90 psi. DI changed about 5 months ago. Haven't got chance to test silicate in my newly saltwater or RODI. I will have to check that to make sure the Si source. I am also leaning to get a silicate buster if the RODI is the culprit.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you using any biomedia that might release silicate? Siporax?

As noted, I'd let the calcium decline.

Other things look OK to me.

 

[coweyes298]

Nope from what I remembered. I did have a Fluva biomax in mesh bag sitting at the sump for almost a year. I did this for seeding filter media for my frag tank. And I took this biomax media out 5 months ago.

Only recent thing added besides MAME sand was a AVAST spyglass reactor, acrylic filter socks replacement and bag of ROX 0.8 carbon in high flow area. I did lube the spyglass reactor with provided silicon based lube on the O ring, but I don't think it is leaking to the water.

 

[coweyes298]

I just switched to Hanna 713 low range phosphate checker instead of 736 phosphorous ULR. I got 0.05 ppm from 713 checker, given that there might be +- 0.01 to 0.02 ppm tolerance, it matches what Triton result...

I stopped using Hanna 713 low range after the 736 came out. And 736 gave me solid result for almost a year before my diatom outbreak (I assumed silicate outbreak as well). I heard some said 713 does not actually fit saltwater, but in my case it seems like the other way. There are some discrepancy in between 713 and 736 checkers for my water.