ICP Trace elements low

[araziza]

I just got my ICP results from fauna marin (posted below). It's recommending I dose a whole slew of trace elements which are currently low, including Zinc, Vanadium, Copper (heck no...), Nickel, Manganese, Molybdenum, Chrome, Cobalt, Phosphorus, Boron, Strontium and Iodine. My aluminum is apparently also a little high, apparently.

From what I can tell, this would result in buying a laboratory's worth of elements additives, for something like $350-$400. This seems somewhat excessive. Is there another approach I should be taking here?

Not that it matters, but with regards to the phosphorus/phosphate numbers, all the tests I've done so far have been closer to 0.03 or 0.02, not 0.

For posterity's sake, it's a reefer 200XL
Alk: around 8.7
Calcium :around 415
Magnesium: 1290 (salifert), 1386 (trident), 1444 (ICP), believe whichever you choose...
PH: 8.15-8.3 over the course of a typical day
Salinity 1.026/35
Nitrate: down to 1.9 last I checked (last wednesday), needs a boost
Phosphate: 0.03 (Hanna) or 0 (ICP)


For a link to the analysis:

Fauna Marin Lab

high-level ICP, IP and titration water analysis

lab.faunamarin.de

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ui...0628&th=183597119631d114&view=att&disp=inline

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You might just get a commercial trace element cocktail such as tropic Marin A and K.

There little to no evidence that any specific value of most trace elements is optimal. So don’t get too wound up aiming for a specific value.

 

[Crustaceon]

I'm in the camp where if everything is growing fine, don't chase numbers regardless of what the ICP test results say.

 

[araziza]

Heh, I'm in the 'everything's barely growing' camp...

 

[araziza]

I picked up a small kit of components A, B and C from aquaforest. I looked at the little Red Sea one, but it also added aluminum. Component B adds nearly everything that’s low, a adds strontium and c adds iodine. Should help. It’s not as accurate as adding a known quantity of each individually, but this way it shouldn’t cost me a major amount, and as long as I can see growth I’ll be happy.

 

[Hans-Werner]

Heh, I'm in the 'everything's barely growing' camp...

In the analysis I see two things I would address with priority:

1) Iodine concentration is really low and in my eyes correcting iodine to concentrations between 40 and 90 ppb will help.

2) Maybe even more serious when it comes to growth is the low phosphate concentration. Especially SPS need phosphate for growth. I recommend around 0.1 ppm phosphate. You will see this will boost growth quite a bit.

Other elements may be a bit low and dosing a mix like Randy suggested will most likely improve coral growth but not as obvious, I expect. Tropic Marin A- Elements contain iodine (as iodide).

 

[dochou]

I picked up a small kit of components A, B and C from aquaforest. I looked at the little Red Sea one, but it also added aluminum. Component B adds nearly everything that’s low, a adds strontium and c adds iodine. Should help. It’s not as accurate as adding a known quantity of each individually, but this way it shouldn’t cost me a major amount, and as long as I can see growth I’ll be happy.

I'm in the same boat you're in. Thanks for posting the question.
So how's the SPS growth been since adding trace elements. What brand did you finally end up liking the best?

 

[araziza]

I'm in the same boat you're in. Thanks for posting the question.
So how's the SPS growth been since adding trace elements. What brand did you finally end up liking the best?

SPS growth is still nonexistent. Some of my LPS and softies have finally, begrudgingly, shown some growth, but I have a feeling I should do another ICP in a month or so, and if the values are close to what they were on the last test, I should cherry pick some of the more obvious ones (iodine, phosphate, etc) and start boosting them individually. We’ll see where this gets me.

 

[dochou]

SPS growth is still nonexistent. Some of my LPS and softies have finally, begrudgingly, shown some growth, but I have a feeling I should do another ICP in a month or so, and if the values are close to what they were on the last test, I should cherry pick some of the more obvious ones (iodine, phosphate, etc) and start boosting them individually. We’ll see where this gets me.

Sorry to hear that. Keep us posted on how your corals grow. Thank you.