Need Advise Please...Kinda Urgent

[BaliReefBox]

Well as a bit of background my tank is 12 months old and for the last 6 months Alk 8.0-8.2 Ca 410-420 and Mg 1320-1350 have been solid and stable, I am pretty sure the only reason for slight drift is the time of day I test. I have battled with highish NO3 (30-50) and PO4 (1.4-1.8). Now when I save high IMO not enough to kill the sps as quick as there are dropping...From what I read people have heaps higher values and successfully raise sps. These values have also been stable, well until I started carbon (VV) dosing. Now my NO3 are 5-10 and PO4 is 0.05..With the NO3 I have trouble with the colors so I have a hanna HR OTW. Do you agree that My parameters are OK?

Now I now metal filings on my tunze glass scraper when I pulled it out for cleaning..this got me worried so I pulled out each gyre, pump and anything else with metal and inspected them..I found a Hygger mini magnet that was starting to fail but I dont think it was the cause however i didnt feel like it should be in the tank so its on the bench. I was baffled so I tried to get an ICP test done but here it is super hard and expensive. $300 and with that cash I can restock the tank 4 times over.. I got online and order some ICP from Australia and will have friends bring them over and send them back to Oz and it will only be about $80.

So today I was doing my weekly water change 20litre into a 220litre capacity and I pulled the mixing pump apart and found this..see pic. This pump has never been in the tank and only ever used as a mixer, washed thoroughly each time but in reality its only a cheapy resun ac. So each week when i thought i was doing the right think I have only been topping up my heavy metals into the tank.

Now my question is what metals have been leaching into the display..I am guessing iron due to the magnet fillings but what else... I plan to do 20 litre wc for the next 3 days...My icp want arrive for another 4 weeks..

Any other suggestions cheers

 

[littlefoxx]

Sorry not good with this stuff but since
You said urgent Ill give ya a bump to the top of the form

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

If I were you, I'd add Cuprisorb and other some of Julian Sprungs products designed to remove high heavy Metal levels from aquariums. If you haven't noticed toxicity I'm fish or corals yet, I would guess that nothing will start to die rapidly before the test comes back as long as you remove all sources of heavy Metal contamination and do frequent water changes.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Try to find this. It's designed to absorb metals from corroded aquarium equipment.

 

[gsb67]

Metasorb, poly filter pad as well

 

[gbroadbridge]

Well as a bit of background my tank is 12 months old and for the last 6 months Alk 8.0-8.2 Ca 410-420 and Mg 1320-1350 have been solid and stable, I am pretty sure the only reason for slight drift is the time of day I test. I have battled with highish NO3 (30-50) and PO4 (1.4-1.8). Now when I save high IMO not enough to kill the sps as quick as there are dropping...From what I read people have heaps higher values and successfully raise sps. These values have also been stable, well until I started carbon (VV) dosing. Now my NO3 are 5-10 and PO4 is 0.05..With the NO3 I have trouble with the colors so I have a hanna HR OTW. Do you agree that My parameters are OK?

Now I now metal filings on my tunze glass scraper when I pulled it out for cleaning..this got me worried so I pulled out each gyre, pump and anything else with metal and inspected them..I found a Hygger mini magnet that was starting to fail but I dont think it was the cause however i didnt feel like it should be in the tank so its on the bench. I was baffled so I tried to get an ICP test done but here it is super hard and expensive. $300 and with that cash I can restock the tank 4 times over.. I got online and order some ICP from Australia and will have friends bring them over and send them back to Oz and it will only be about $80.

So today I was doing my weekly water change 20litre into a 220litre capacity and I pulled the mixing pump apart and found this..see pic. This pump has never been in the tank and only ever used as a mixer, washed thoroughly each time but in reality its only a cheapy resun ac. So each week when i thought i was doing the right think I have only been topping up my heavy metals into the tank.

Now my question is what metals have been leaching into the display..I am guessing iron due to the magnet fillings but what else... I plan to do 20 litre wc for the next 3 days...My icp want arrive for another 4 weeks..

Any other suggestions cheers

That impeller is probably not leaching anything to your tank.

What makes you think it is leaching anything of consequence?
There are many marine safe pumps of that construction.

 

[BaliReefBox]

That impeller is probably not leaching anything to your tank.

What makes you think it is leaching anything of consequence?
There are many marine safe pumps of that construction.

Um i disagree. this pump has only been used in a salt mixing rubbish bin, so where did all the iron fillings come from? Also as marked in the pic the left end is chamfered away eroding the rotor, you can easily see the marks and damage...well thats my theory.

 

[BaliReefBox]

I have ordered cupri sorb and that will be here in a few days. I read that zeolite will absorb iron and other metals so I have throw some of that in the sump along with a bag of carbon... see how we go

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I have ordered cupri sorb and that will be here in a few days. I read that zeolite will absorb iron and other metals so I have throw some of that in the sump along with a bag of carbon... see how we go

If you can get the Metasorb I'd really advise it since I believe Cuprisorb is specific to copper but Metasorb is designed for your issue in mind.

 

[BaliReefBox]

If you can get the Metasorb I'd really advise it since I believe Cuprisorb is specific to copper but Metasorb is designed for your issue in mind.

thx i found it after lots of searching tokopedia..cheers mate

 

[gbroadbridge]

Um i disagree. this pump has only been used in a salt mixing rubbish bin, so where did all the iron fillings come from? Also as marked in the pic the left end is chamfered away eroding the rotor, you can easily see the marks and damage...well thats my theory.

You asked for advice. I gave it.

If you want to ignore it that's fine.

I have 4 similar pumps. I can see the scraping but it is not ferrous and is not toxic.
FYI, all the Jaebo pumps use the same construction and I've never had any toxic metals released.

Exactly what symptoms are you seeing in your fish and inverts to make you think the pumps are causing a problem?

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I am with @gbroadbridge on the pump possibly being a red herring. Over what time period did your phosphate go from 1.4-1.8 ppm to 0.05 ppm?

As you noted, SPS can be kept successfully at high nutrient levels, but where they really struggle is with phosphate levels decreasing by substantial amounts without it being spread over several months.

If you add SPS frags to the tank, do they show the same symptoms as your existing SPS?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I don't see anything wrong with playing it safe especially since trace elements were periodically added.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, some folks find metal bits in sand.

Do you use sand and what type?

Unelss corals are showing a problem, and absent an ICP test suggesting otherwise, I would not overereact.

A metal bind may be prudent, but bear in mind they will also take out metals you want, so they are a double edged sword.