Marinlabs icp results
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Finhead
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Yeah I have seen that but totally useless for what we do. I would think since it's actually a spice/food product it would be under a different law.
Seriouly last time I went looking for Potassium nitrate to do some tool bluing I was actually yelled at by a few placed (farm supply places) and told they were supposed to report peoples names that asked for it.
That's why I went with calcium nitrate (you can get Mag or sodium as well) super easy to just pickup from the hydroponics shops.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I'm not sure if they are measuring or calculating the salinity from the ICP. I do not know if a water change is needed, but I'd double check the salinity and boost to 35 ppt with IO.
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Hello,
Afaik they are just calculating salinity from ICP data. - Not 100% trustworthy in my opinion. Doublecheck you current salinity before making any adjustments.
Best,
Christoph
Afaik they are just calculating salinity from ICP data. - Not 100% trustworthy in my opinion. Doublecheck you current salinity before making any adjustments.
Best,
Christoph
OP
OP
I did my test kits before i sent it off and nothing reads the same or even close. Magnesium was 1500 by salifert. Calcium was 450 by salifert. Alkalinity was 8dkh salifert. Potassium was about 500 that was correct. Almost makes me want to biy nsw so i dont have to guess.
Finhead
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Curious are you running a Triton or something similar or did you just send in your water to see where your at? And did you just send your ICP Canada post, time for return email? I have a few tests that I want to send off soon as well to marinlabs.
OP
OP
It only took 8 days. They sent my results today on Saturday. The cost in the end was 100 bucks. Canada post shipping.
I did it to see where i am at. I got a calibration solution to see how my hydrometer is. Ill post the results later. Plus i picked up a bucket of instant ocean to hopefully correct these imbalnces.
I never had any problems with the tank besides a little hair algae. My green chromis have slowly gonen blind and it had me curious if something was off. My tangs are great and so are my other livestock. I did have a montipora that slowly bleached and died after it got covered in hair alga.but i attributed that to an uln system. Previously po4 and no3 always regisgered zero. So i believe it starved to death. My snails also slowly died off so i wondered if thats why. But i has some 2 years.
OP
OP
So i did tests again today:
Salifert:
Mag 1350
Calcium 480 ppm (near expiry)
Alk 9.3 dkh
Potassium 470 ppm
Api:
9dkh
420-440 calcium (expired)
Salinity after refractometer calibration 34 ppt
Salifert:
Mag 1350
Calcium 480 ppm (near expiry)
Alk 9.3 dkh
Potassium 470 ppm
Api:
9dkh
420-440 calcium (expired)
Salinity after refractometer calibration 34 ppt
OP
OP
So Randy im doing some investigation. You said:
"Assuming ikaite is the calcium carbonate crystal that formed when it froze, I think it is unlikely to substantially impact the major elements since the primary major element precipitates (NaCl, CaSO4, etc.) will redissolve."
In my icp results sodium was low, sulphur was high, calcium was low, and mag was low. Alkalinity was also lower than expected. This sort of makes me wonder if something happened durring the freezing and perhaps major ions didn't redissolve as expected. -40c is very cold. I think ikatite didnt form but something else. It sounds like there was some precipitation in the sample since alk and cal were low. I think you were originally right.
"Assuming ikaite is the calcium carbonate crystal that formed when it froze, I think it is unlikely to substantially impact the major elements since the primary major element precipitates (NaCl, CaSO4, etc.) will redissolve."
In my icp results sodium was low, sulphur was high, calcium was low, and mag was low. Alkalinity was also lower than expected. This sort of makes me wonder if something happened durring the freezing and perhaps major ions didn't redissolve as expected. -40c is very cold. I think ikatite didnt form but something else. It sounds like there was some precipitation in the sample since alk and cal were low. I think you were originally right.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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I can't really be sure what would happen at that very low temp except that nearly all the salts will have precipitated.
All of the normal things that precipitate that involve the major ions (sodium, chloride, sulfate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.) when evaporating seawater will redissolve except calcium and magnesium carbonate (and anything trapped into it). That may be true when freezing as well, but I'm not 100% certain. The studies I have seen rarely take seawater that low in temp.
If it is still cold where you are, try it! Freeze some seawater in a clear container as cold as you can get it, then warm it up and see if there is any cloudiness or apparent precipitate on the walls of the container.
All of the normal things that precipitate that involve the major ions (sodium, chloride, sulfate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.) when evaporating seawater will redissolve except calcium and magnesium carbonate (and anything trapped into it). That may be true when freezing as well, but I'm not 100% certain. The studies I have seen rarely take seawater that low in temp.
If it is still cold where you are, try it! Freeze some seawater in a clear container as cold as you can get it, then warm it up and see if there is any cloudiness or apparent precipitate on the walls of the container.
OP
OP
This is a great idea. Its warmed up now, only -19c. I guess the freezer is cold enough? I can try this test.
Another thing crossed my mind, what would happen with repeated freeze,thaw,freeze, thaw as might be expected when being transported. Sometimes a package will go from canada to Florida then to germany for example, and that would cause repetative freeze thaw.
rkpetersen
walked the sand with the crustaceans
I'll chime in here as the guy who's also been plagued by elevated tank potassium. I am 99+% sure at this point that it is due to dosing Seachem's Reef Fusion 2 at levels near (but still under) the recommended maximum. Another Seachem product. They seem to be embracing elevated potassium at the moment for some reason. I'm probably going to switch to a different two-part, although any change like this makes me (and my SPSs) nervous. I am starting a new tank nearly identical to my current one, and will use a different two-part from the outset with it.
Randy Holmes-Farley
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Let it thaw without any possible excess heating.
rkpetersen
walked the sand with the crustaceans
It's possible that they just measured the sample's salinity with a refractometer that gave an erroneous reading, before putting the sample in the spectrometer. Some of the numbers provided by some of these companies don't seem to be derived from the ICPOES test itself. For example, ATI reports a value for NO3 with their results.
OP
OP
So here is partially unthawed results:
Magnesium 1600 salifert (should be 1350)
Calcium 620 salifert (should be 490)
Alk 12.1 dkh (should be 9dkh)
Salinity 44ppt
View attachment 20180211_180354.jpg
Magnesium 1600 salifert (should be 1350)
Calcium 620 salifert (should be 490)
Alk 12.1 dkh (should be 9dkh)
Salinity 44ppt
View attachment 20180211_180354.jpg
OP
OP
The sample was frozen outside at minus 23c for about 4 hours set in a paper cup and covered with plastic so it doesnt evaporate.
I will do the test again when it fully unthaws.
I wonder if minus 40c would make a huge difference.
I will do the test again when it fully unthaws.
I wonder if minus 40c would make a huge difference.
OP
OP
Im not sure. I removed a total of 17ml from the cup and the cup was about half full. I can refreeze a new sample if Randy thinks its necessary. But it really wasnt much like 3% of the sample as a guess.
