Tropic Marin test kit

[puddleglum]

I ordered a Tropic Marin compact test kit from Amazon. It arrived yesterday but I didn’t get to using it until tonight. I opened it up and one of the glass vials was broken.

I tried to return it to Amazon and was told it can’t be returned. Needless to say, I was annoyed, but when I pressed Amazon they gave me a returnless refund. Maybe it wasn’t eligible for a return because it was chemicals?

So I ordered another, which should be here Friday and I will have a spare vial, as well as double the reagents.

I was able to use the broken vial as a comparison vial for the Phosphate test and I do like the way they use the two vials for comparison. It works pretty slick.

 

[areefer01]

It is due to the shipping regulations. However it says you still can. You just need to contact Amazon and then explain the wording.

 

[puddleglum]

I am curing dry rock in saltwater to leech out remaining phosphates after it was bleached. I will test for phosphates at the end of a week of soaking.

Out of curiosity, I tested my tapwater, which I am using for the curing process, as there is no real reason to use RO. The freshwater side of the color comparator is a little harder to use, the color of my tap water being tested looked more like the <.03 ppm on the saltwater side. I guess it would read about 0.05-0.1 on the freshwater side.

Is it possible the hard water out of my tap is causing the reading to look darker, or is the hue of the water with reagents what I am looking at, rather than the darkness of the color?

Thanks
-pg

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I am curing dry rock in saltwater to leech out remaining phosphates after it was bleached. I will test for phosphates at the end of a week of soaking.

Out of curiosity, I tested my tapwater, which I am using for the curing process, as there is no real reason to use RO. The freshwater side of the color comparator is a little harder to use, the color of my tap water being tested looked more like the <.03 ppm on the saltwater side. I guess it would read about 0.05-0.1 on the freshwater side.

Is it possible the hard water out of my tap is causing the reading to look darker, or is the hue of the water with reagents what I am looking at, rather than the darkness of the color?

Thanks
-pg

I’m not sure what exactly you are asking, but calcium and magnesium are much higher in seawater than your tap water and are not likely causing interference.

 

[puddleglum]

I’m not sure what exactly you are asking, but calcium and magnesium are much higher in seawater than your tap water and are not likely causing interference.

I was just curious since my tap water, tested for phosphates, was a dark yellow, and the yellow on the freshwater test color sheet was much lighter. I am guessing it is just a case of looking at the color, not the darkness of the color.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

TM has different phosphate test with different color matching cards, but generally it is true that a test with different colors, one looks to the shade of color, while one with different intensities of the same color will be looking at darkness.

Tap water can be loaded with phosphate as it is sometimes added intentionally by water supplies to reduce pipe corrosion and release of lead and copper.

My biggest concern with tap water is copper from your own pipes.

 

[puddleglum]

TM has different phosphate test with different color matching cards, but generally it is true that a test with different colors, one looks to the shade of color, while one with different intensities of the same color will be looking at darkness.

Tap water can be loaded with phosphate as it is sometimes added intentionally by water supplies to reduce pipe corrosion and release of lead and copper.

My biggest concern with tap water is copper from your own pipes.

I have well water, but am in an agricultural area, so it doesn't surprise me there are some phosphates. I should test it for nitrates as well, just for my knowledge.

I am soaking the dry rock in saltwater to let phosphates leech out. There is nothing of consequence alive in the tank so I am just using tap water for this phase. I will definitely switch to RO/DI before cycling the tank.

Do you think the copper you are concerned with from the pipes could be adsorbed into the rock to any meaningful level?

Thank you,
-pg

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I have well water, but am in an agricultural area, so it doesn't surprise me there are some phosphates. I should test it for nitrates as well, just for my knowledge.

I am soaking the dry rock in saltwater to let phosphates leech out. There is nothing of consequence alive in the tank so I am just using tap water for this phase. I will definitely switch to RO/DI before cycling the tank.

Do you think the copper you are concerned with from the pipes could be adsorbed into the rock to any meaningful level?

Thank you,
-pg

Copper can bind to calcium carbonate.

 

[puddleglum]

Copper can bind to calcium carbonate.

Doing the 100% water changes while leeching out phosphate with RO simply isn't practical. I have been using tap water, running the lines for a while before doing the change.

Do you think coper could be adsorbed to the rock, and would this will be a big enough concern that it could cause trouble for inverts in the tank?

Would putting some CupriSorb in a filter help pull it out of the water, and any that may have ended up in the rock?

Thank you,
-pg