It really comes down to water chemistry. I think most will agree with that. I’ve never seen a reef with absent elements or depleted elements produce anything amazing. If it did, it definitely didn’t do it quickly. Corals may grow “slowly” over time and “adapt” to suboptimal conditions, but most reefers who care for their animals will not leave them in poor conditions if they know how to fix it. Isn’t that why we’re all here on these forums and social media groups? We’re sharing information looking for the “fastest” way to grow corals. We want our corals healthy and growing. We want colorful corals. Why would a person not correct depleted elements.? I may never understand. It can’t be about safety concerns. I’ll elaborate more below. I’ve seen guys literally spend their kids college money in this hobby chasing down coral growth. It’s really peculiar that some are so against correcting their chemistry. It’s the very foundation of coral growth.
In the beginning testing was limited to basic water parameters (pretty much still is at home). Reefers would have paid anything to have the technology and data we have available today. Back then, merely keeping a brown Acropora alive was considered a win. For years we wished and hoped we could test for “everything” and now we don’t want it.?
“We’ll, the ICP’s aren’t accurate.”
Which ICP? Yes, there’s been companies in it for the money and they’ll tell you anything, but I don’t see that with Christoph. He works hard, he’s a Chemist, and more importantly he’s one of us.
I’ve literally watched OCEAMO’s ICP-MS results color up my reef with targeted precision. There may be some uncertainties, but it’s not enough to effect my corals. I can tell you want it’s doing though, it’s growing them.
Double standards are being applied to ICP analysis or Reef Moonshiner’s who uses ICP analysis as a tool, but not for hobby grade test kits at home. Hobby grade kits are difficult to read for most folks. I personally don’t trust myself with Colorimetric, and Titration gives me a headache. I only use them when I can’t rely on ICP data, and I try to use Hanna Checkers so that I can get an actual number. I know their not perfect, but if you know your reef, you’ll know when a value isn’t accurate. If we apply these standards to ICP-MS, we need to apply them across the board. With limited data from hobby grade test kits, we can only correct about 1/4 of the elements. We can’t test for most pollutants. Source water likely isn’t being tested. If the issue is about safety, which sounds safer to you?
