ICP test results = yikes

[Lavey29]

So, I had my first ICP test done on my 10 month old tank. Wow, was that an eye opener. Even things I regularly test for were different then their results. Some by small margin and some not. I really like the detailed analysis and highly recommend any new reefers consider it early on to help you get going in the right direction. Some of my biggest areas of concern are as follows:

Salinity 33 = 1.024 (my digital refractometer reads 35 = 1.026)
Mag 1350 - my test kit says 1450
Iodine really low (I dont test for this but do dose chaeto gro)
Manganese low
Aluminum really high ( I have no idea where this comes from or how to address it)
Calcium 374 (Hanna test at 470)
KH 7.6 (Hanna test 8.1)
Iron very high

These are the ones on the top of my memory now but there are a few other minor areas to. I was doing weekly water changes but changes to every other week. I may have to go back to weekly. I ordered some red see ABCD essentials to help balance the trace elements. I have been dosing 2.5ml of alk daily due to consumption but my calcium was always good so didn't does it. Appears I need to start now. Somewhat concerned about the salinity reading being off too. I did start dosing some iodine also. I was surprised to see this one so low. I did not know corals used this element that much. I'm wondering if cuprasorb will lower the aluminum number which is listed as a pollutant on the report?

Overall my tank is doing fairly well and corals seem to be thriving but not 100% throughout. Algae is minimum now. Fish are happy. Just got my first SPS frags and want to get my water in better shape for them. I know I have to get a doser started for alk, cal and mag it appears now. Not sure where I am going to put it though. Maybe in an external cabinet.

 

[KrisReef]

Marine Pure blocks Aluminum

I posted in here before worried about my chemistry being off because of low nutrients and starving my sps but turns out that wasn't the case. My water analysis has come back and the only thing really out of wack on the entire this is an elevated level of aluminum and the only thing I had...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Lavey29]

Marine Pure blocks Aluminum

I posted in here before worried about my chemistry being off because of low nutrients and starving my sps but turns out that wasn't the case. My water analysis has come back and the only thing really out of wack on the entire this is an elevated level of aluminum and the only thing I had...

www.reef2reef.com

Interesting, I do have about a dozen marine pure balls in my sump fuge area. The threads do say that elevated aluminum is not hazardous to the tank. Not totally convinced of that though.

 

[Pistondog]

Interesting, I do have about a dozen marine pure balls in my sump fuge area. The threads do say that elevated aluminum is not hazardous to the tank. Not totally convinced of that though.

If it is aluminum oxide from the marine pure, my guess, it is OK.

 

[Lavey29]

If it is aluminum oxide from the marine pure, my guess, it is OK.

Don't know the source.

 

[Pistondog]

Don't know the source.

The marine pure is most likely the source. I had the same icp high aluminum result. After removing the marine pure blocks a year later, the aluminum was normal. Aluminum oxide is like sand, very hard and unreactive. It is the abrasive on Emory boards, and used to coat high quality, factory finished wood floors.

 

[ying yang]

Also I've read can get aluminum from plastic tubing on our reef tanks

Edit : was tin I was thinking off ^_^ But will leave here anyways

Tin Leaching from Common Plastic Tubing and a Very Inert Tubing that I Found

I'm sure many of you are tired of me posting about tin leaching from plastic, but for those having "tin problems" this might be helpful. Although I found tin leaching from many plastic products, I found that plastic tubing may be the worst culprit. I performed "soak tests" where I would soak...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[nereefpat]

People do have some trouble with the Hanna Calcium kits. That one specific kit is the one people complain about, that and one of the Nitrate kits.

ICP can not measure alk or carbonate hardness (KH). They are liking measuring that separately. So I don't know rather to trust yours or theirs.

People do commonly reports high tin and aluminum. It probably depends on what form, if it's a problem or not.

Iodine is depleted in our tanks by algae, mostly, I believe.

 

[rtparty]

Daily dosing of Iodine and Manganese is easy enough. Alkalinity is close enough. I wouldn't bother worrying about it. Keep using your test and keep the number stable. No difference between 7.6 and 8.1. At least not enough to go buying a new test over or changing how you do things.

If you are dosing a balanced 2 part solution, you will want to dose the same amount of both parts daily.

Aluminum from Marine Pure is aluminum oxide and poses no threat. Iron is likely high from Chaeto Gro. Back off dosing it and do another ICP in a couple months. I don't like additives that contain multiple elements personally. You can't control anything that way.

Look into the Reef Moonshiners method. Even if you don't run the full system, there is fantastic knowledge to be gained just from reading the handbook a couple times.

 

[Lavey29]

Daily dosing of Iodine and Manganese is easy enough. Alkalinity is close enough. I wouldn't bother worrying about it. Keep using your test and keep the number stable. No difference between 7.6 and 8.1. At least not enough to go buying a new test over or changing how you do things.

If you are dosing a balanced 2 part solution, you will want to dose the same amount of both parts daily.

Aluminum from Marine Pure is aluminum oxide and poses no threat. Iron is likely high from Chaeto Gro. Back off dosing it and do another ICP in a couple months. I don't like additives that contain multiple elements personally. You can't control anything that way.

Look into the Reef Moonshiners method. Even if you don't run the full system, there is fantastic knowledge to be gained just from reading the handbook a couple times.

Thanks for the detailed reply. I have only been dosing about 2.5ml of bionic alk daily to supplement minimal alk depletion between water changes. My cal always seemed to be ok between water changes but not now apparently. I bought the bionic cal supplement also. Directions on the back indicate for me to use 15ml daily for an 80g system. That is way more then the alk I dose. How to you balance the bionic dosage between the 2? Should I just dose the small amount of both but at separate times? I am purchasing a Red Sea 2 head doser this week.

 

[rtparty]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I have only been dosing about 2.5ml of bionic alk daily to supplement minimal alk depletion between water changes. My cal always seemed to be ok between water changes but not now apparently. I bought the bionic cal supplement also. Directions on the back indicate for me to use 15ml daily for an 80g system. That is way more then the alk I dose. How to you balance the bionic dosage between the 2? Should I just dose the small amount of both but at separate times? I am purchasing a Red Sea 2 head doser this week.

ESV B-Ionic is a complete 2 part with major and minor trace elements. Dose both parts in equal proportion. Just dose to what your tank needs, not what the instructions say.

If it takes 2.5ml daily to keep your alk where it is, dose 2.5ml a day of calcium as well. Have your doser separate the doses out. Either 30 minutes apart or 1 hour apart. Something like that

 

[Lavey29]

So I keep finding out more and more variations from the ICP test and my hanna checks. They also show my RODI water has some issues also with silicates and aluminum and zinc. the filters are 10 months old so I ordered new ones but still get a 0 TDS reading.

Hanna check today shows 474 cal and the ICP showed 372? My phosphate shows .17 on hanna and .33 on the ICP? Nitrate shows 19.4 on Hanna and 24 on the ICP.

I repeat these tests over a couple days and am pretty sure I'm following the Hanna instructions. How much accuracy should I give the ICP test versus my in home testing? Some big differences there.

 

[rtparty]

I wouldn't trust the Hanna Calcium at all. It is the worst test they have along with the Nitrate Low Range. Get a Salifert or Red Sea calcium kit and use that instead.

The Nitrate is close enough. Nothing to worry about there.

0TDS doesn't really mean anything. I know we have been conditioned to think 0TDS means pure water but it doesn't. A lot of things can get through that don't have an electrical charge and thus they don't register on a TDS meter. What RO unit are running and how many DI stages?

The Tripe DI setup from BRS has been amazing for me. I deal with silicates as well and with the tripe DI, they are always zero now.

 

[Lavey29]

I wouldn't trust the Hanna Calcium at all. It is the worst test they have along with the Nitrate Low Range. Get a Salifert or Red Sea calcium kit and use that instead.

The Nitrate is close enough. Nothing to worry about there.

0TDS doesn't really mean anything. I know we have been conditioned to think 0TDS means pure water but it doesn't. A lot of things can get through that don't have an electrical charge and thus they don't register on a TDS meter. What RO unit are running and how many DI stages?

The Tripe DI setup from BRS has been amazing for me. I deal with silicates as well and with the tripe DI, they are always zero now.

I use a BRS 4 stage. Our house water is pretty clean so it seemed the 4 stage would be sufficient. I have a full red sea test kit also just thought Hanna was more accurate.

 

[rtparty]

I use a BRS 4 stage. Our house water is pretty clean so it seemed the 4 stage would be sufficient. I have a full red sea test kit also just thought Hanna was more accurate.

I run an ATI ICP test every 6 weeks or so. I send my tap water instead RODI every 3rd or 4th test. Let's me know if the water plant changed anything that I need to watch for. That's how I found I have higher than normal silica in my water.

Try out the Red Sea and see what you get. Hanna alkalinity is awesome. Calcium, not so much