Icp test
- Thread starter Vagabond
- Start date
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Roli's Reef Ranch
Well-Known Member
You may be aware of this, or not, but there are massive discrepancies between different ICP vendors, particularly with respect to so-called "trace" elements. Even some of the macro-elements are far off from one brand to the other. There are a fair number of YT videos from prominent hobbyists who have addressed this. That being said, I send one out to Triton every 6 months or so. Why Triton? They were one of the first ones and I just stuck with them. When I'm lucky, I get the results in 3 to 4 weeks... seriously. If your tank had issues, it'd be dead by the time you got the results back. One well-known reefer in Canada recently had copper poisoning in his tank, and the ICP showed no signs of contamination. Unfortunately, he is heavily sponsored and wouldn't call out the brand. ICP is horribly inaccurate at detecting and quantifying trace elements, which is ironic considering there are entire dosing systems (ReefMoonshiners) that are based on these tests. Another guy to check out is Telegram on YT. He's sent off multiples of the same and received completely different results. I suppose it's better than flying blind, especially if you have major problems, but your money may be better invested in some test kits and a water change. YMMV. Caveat Emptor.
Very interesting, I don’t know all that.
Someone following the Triton method must notice how inaccurate the tests are, if they get told to increase a certain element one month, then to lower it the next.
What is your reason for doing a test? Sounds like you don’t trust the results?
Vagabond
Active Member
With different readings on all the three tests, I'm not sure I even want to spend the money on this.The main reason for wanting to do the test in the first place is my first three acro frags are showing signs of stn.
Roli's Reef Ranch
Well-Known Member
I don’t trust the tests because they are completely inconsistent among brands and even within particular brands. In theory they may detect issues in your tank. Think of it as if you’re dying from a disease and you have the choice of seeing a doctor who has a 50% chance of figuring out a diagnosis versus laying in bed and hoping for a miracle cure. What would you do?
ekandler
Active Member
I would say ATI or triton are the most trusted. I use Triton and have always received what seemed to be reasonable results. I’ve used ICP analysis before too and got results that I questioned. I guess you get what you pay for.
