Triton - very high iron

[BCSreef]

I just got my 1st set of Triton results.

All looked great as I scrolled down, until I hit iron. 4.935 µg/l, which is 50X higher than Triton setpoint and even higher compare to ocean! I have a few softies and LPS and about 50 SPS (most Acros) and all look great. Fish and BTAs are fine. I didn't believe the result, but decided to check any possible sources. I first checked an old cheap power head and found the wet side magnet had corroded, swelled and burst the housing. It had to have happened a long time ago since I can see small tube worms inside the burst housing.

Out with the power head and now how to eliminate the high iron? I'm doing water changes every day or so. Any other suggestions on iron removal. I have some Polybio filters coming tomorrow. I have never needed or tried them before.

Any advice is appreciated.

Bob

 

[BCSreef]

Photo:

 

[d2mini]

Does Triton's Detox remove it?
What did Triton recommend?

 

[Txdragonslayer]

Wow good thing u caught that early!

 

[BCSreef]

Hi Dennis,

Real ugly!

Thanks, I'll try Triton for advice!

Bob

 

[BCSreef]

Wow good thing u caught that early!

Another few years and it could have been bad!

 

[d2mini]

Hi Dennis,

Real ugly!

Thanks, I'll try Triton for advice!

Bob

Bob, I'm referencing the Triton test results.
When something is out of whack, it tells you how to fix it.
Click the "help" tab when looking at your results on their website.

 

[nervousmonkey]

The Poly filters should help a lot, but Triton will be able to eliminate it.

 

[BCSreef]

Bob, I'm referencing the Triton test results.
When something is out of whack, it tells you how to fix it.
Click the "help" tab when looking at your results on their website.

Hi Dennis,

Strangely, my Fe+ levels are only "slightly elevated"! This is the advice on the Help tab:

Your Iron levels are slightly elevated.

Check for possible contamination source. To help you in finding the source of error, we have listed the most common sources of iron (sorted in descending order of frequency):

1. Trace element overdose / contamination
2. Metals near or in the aquarium (as rusty clamps or screws)
3. Iron based Phosphate remover (too much flow in reactor)
4. Low pH in the aquarium

If you have problems in your tank, we recommend to carry out 4 x 15% water changes with TRITON PURE 2.0 salt, spread over 4 weeks.
If you are dosing additional iron on top of regular doses then stop.

I'm going to do water changes, add a Polybio filter. Fortunately Fe does not stay in solution for long in sea water. So, I expect levels to drop with water changes, Poly filters and time.

The other oddity is P and PO4 are off the charts (60X setpoint). I have almost no algae. I did a Hanna ultra low PO4 test a week ago and it's < 20 PPB. I know from experience that ICP methods can skew results when one analyte is way too high. So, I don't believe the P and PO4 reuslts.

I'll do another Triton test next week.

Thanks Again! Bob

 

[d2mini]

Yeah, I've kind of gone when looking at some of those triton scales for each element and what they consider "slightly" vs "very" or whatever they call it.

Maybe @Randy Holmes-Farley has some insight into how high your iron really is and how concerned you should be.

 

[jason2459]

Removal was good. It will drop on its own as it's a required trace element for life in your tank. If you do water changes it will go down quicker. If you grow algae and or dose a carbon source for bacteria even quicker.

Poly filter is supposed to bind a certain amount.

FYI, the LOD for Triton is above normal ocean levels. Many run iron levels much higher then ocean levels.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

This iron level is not a concern, IMO.

As mentioned, iron drops fast when not dosed, and is not generally a concern anyway.

I have dosed it many, many times (i.e., biweekly) to levels much higher than the Triton "set point".

 

[BCSreef]

Thanks Jason and Randy for the info!

I had actually read Randy's articles on iron a few weeks before I received the high iron result. So, I was not terribly concerned since all corals seemed fine and the fact that Randy's articles pointed out that soluble Fe has such a short half-life in seawater. I would have been concerned if I had not found and eliminated the source since it could be leaching other metals & toxins besides iron.

A side note - I use grape caulerpa in my refugium for nutrient export. It has been growing like crazy for the last few months!

Thanks Again, Bob

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sounds good.

You may need to dose it in the future. lol

 

[BCSreef]

Sounds good.

You may need to dose it in the future. lol

Yes, I may just throw the rusty magnet back in! Good source of slow release Fe.

In all seriousness, I looked at the Red Sea Coral Colors recommendations for Fe and my Triton numbers are way low! I think I will have to dose in the future.

I'm done with the worries!

Thanks Again, Bob

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I think Red Sea recommends way too much. lol

 

[BCSreef]

FWIW, I think Red Sea recommends way too much. lol

It does seem crazy high for a recommendation. I'll dose on the low side, when I start to dose iron.