Sorry another triton test question

[JDJP]

The recommendations are to dose
"very important" potassium.
"important" Iodine, and strontium.
"Beneficial" bromine.

"Fine tuning" manganese, molybdenum, and vanadium.

Advanced fine tuning reccomends dosage of zinc and nickel.

I have found lots of people saying they wouldnt dose nickel.
Havent found much about zinc. I did find Randy's triton results but his zinc levels were good so he didn't mention dosing.

My tank is doing well at the moment other than zoanthids aren't growing much. Ill attach triton results below.

Just wondering whitch elements are worth buying and dosing.


Any help would be appreciated

View attachment doc.pdf

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The recommendations are to dose
"very important" potassium.
"important" Iodine, and strontium.
"Beneficial" bromine.

"Fine tuning" manganese, molybdenum, and vanadium.

Advanced fine tuning reccomends dosage of zinc and nickel.

I don't think that typical reef tanks have any demonstrated need or benefit from iodine, strontium, or bromine. Keeping them at NSW levels is certainly a fine goal, but perhaps not any priority (IMO).

While things like nickel, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, and zinc can be toxic at elevate levels, they are clearly biologically beneficial for many organisms.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

For some of these, I have not compared the natural levels to Triton's ability to test for them, so I cannot be sure that showing none indicates a clear need for them.

 

[JDJP]

I don't think that typical reef tanks have any demonstrated need or benefit from iodine, strontium, or bromine. Keeping them at NSW levels is certainly a fine goal, but perhaps not any priority (IMO).

While things like nickel, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, and zinc can be toxic at elevate levels, they are clearly biologically beneficial for many organisms.

So it would probably be good to get the potassium up a little at least.
Iodine and zinc tested 0. Would you try to raise them or not bother?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So it would probably be good to get the potassium up a little at least.
Iodine and zinc tested 0. Would you try to raise them or not bother?

I wouldn't do anything about iodine. Zinc might be worth considering, perhaps as part of a trace element mix.

What was the potassium level?

 

[JDJP]

I wouldn't do anything about iodine. Zinc might be worth considering, perhaps as part of a trace element mix.

What was the potassium level?

340 mg/l

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Yes, I'd raise that. Was the salinity low? Maybe raising it will give part of the solution to that low potassium.

 

[JDJP]

My refractometer reads 1.026 but i haven't calibrated it in a long time. But my readings were very similar to yours as far as sodium calcium and magnesium . Mg is high and sulfer is high.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Salinity looks OK. I'd dose potassium.

 

[JDJP]

Salinity looks OK. I'd dose potassium.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

You're welcome.

Happy Reefing.

 

[dz6t]

How accurate is ICP-OES to measure potassium? Will it be accurate with the interference of sodium? which there is a lot of sodium in seawater. Over dose of potassium can lead to algae bloom. Any ideas ? Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

How accurate is ICP-OES to measure potassium? Will it be accurate with the interference of sodium? which there is a lot of sodium in seawater. Over dose of potassium can lead to algae bloom. Any ideas ? Thanks

Triton's methods have been optimized for ICP of seawater, and potassium seems accurate enough.

This test showed it got very close to a standard submitted to them (399, 391, 393 for a 390 ppm standard):

https://reefs.com/magazine/triton-lab-icp-oes-water-testing-154/

Why do you think potassium leads to an algae bloom? I think that highly unlikely. I have never heard of potassium limiting algae in marine systems. There is a lot already there.

 

[dz6t]

That is from a test system I ran. Excess potassium did lead to accelerated algae growth, both Marco and hair algae. It is also reasonable as potassium is a fertilizer.

 

[dz6t]

Potassium can be a limiting factor for algae in reef aquarium as N and P normally are much higher in aquarium.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

That is from a test system I ran. Excess potassium did lead to accelerated algae growth, both Marco and hair algae. It is also reasonable as potassium is a fertilizer.

That test was in a marine system? I do not think it likely to hold true in a marine system.

Potassium is sometimes (but not often) a limiting nutrient in freshwater systems, but note that seawater has 10,000 times the concentration mentioned below as only rarely limiting in freshwater systems:

Potassium — A Non-Limiting Nutrient in Fresh Waters?
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1608/FRJ-3.2.1?journalCode=frer

"The range of K concentrations in inland waters is surveyed. Most concentrations exceed 10 µmol L, and are greatly in excess of those (under 1 µmol L) found limiting specific growth rates of test species. They are also in excess of the content in most natural populations of phytoplankton when yields have the experimental minimum or limiting cell/biomass quota, of the order of 1% dry weight. Limiting concentrations for specific growth rate in nature are therefore probably rare. They, and yield limitations, might possibly be reached after extreme depletion by dense stands of aquatic macrophytes; some depletions are recorded for a charophyte and water-cress (Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum)."

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Potassium can be a limiting factor for algae in reef aquarium as N and P normally are much higher in aquarium.

Sorry, I just don't believe it becomes limiting in reef tanks, and no one has hugely elevated or depleted values anyway.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I can easily believe that dosing potassium or anything else might increase algae growth if the product has enough iron or other limiting element in it as an impurity.