Wrong ICP test?

Viva'sReef · May 12, 2021

So, I purchased an ICP test kit from my LFS. I thought I would get results back that helped me decide what to do but the results I received back from ICP-Analysis.com didn't really help me much like I've seen from other tests on R2R. No information on what to dose, how much, etc. The control is simply Florida water results to compare too.

So, I am going to ask if you all could take a look at my results and at least clue me in on if I should dose something specific, or if I need to work on reducing something specific.

I'm also confused at the Chlorine results. My RODI test showed 5.99ppm and the tank water is 19,000+ ppm. Here I thought Chlorine was bad, why is it registering so high?

Also, excuse my ignorance but is Silicon the same thing as Silicates? Something else I was thinking would be on the low end but my RODI tested out at 13.43 ppm and the tank water is 0.55 ppm.

I attached the Tank water results to share if someone could point me in the right direction I would be very thankful.

Mike konesky · May 12, 2021

Your numbers look fine. The 'Cl' is chloride.

Viva'sReef · May 12, 2021

Mike konesky said:
Your numbers look fine. The 'Cl' is chloride.

I appreciate the reply but I was hoping for something a little more substantial in a reply than your numbers look fine. It also specifically says Chlorine on the ICP results, spelled out as such.

Viva'sReef · May 12, 2021

Am I also crazy to expect to get DKH and Phosphate results back from an ICP test and this one has zero?

KStatefan · May 12, 2021

Viva'sReef said:
So, I purchased an ICP test kit from my LFS. I thought I would get results back that helped me decide what to do but the results I received back from ICP-Analysis.com didn't really help me much like I've seen from other tests on R2R. No information on what to dose, how much, etc. The control is simply Florida water results to compare too.

So, I am going to ask if you all could take a look at my results and at least clue me in on if I should dose something specific, or if I need to work on reducing something specific.

I'm also confused at the Chlorine results. My RODI test showed 5.99ppm and the tank water is 19,000+ ppm. Here I thought Chlorine was bad, why is it registering so high?

Also, excuse my ignorance but is Silicon the same thing as Silicates? Something else I was thinking would be on the low end but my RODI tested out at 13.43 ppm and the tank water is 0.55 ppm.

I attached the Tank water results to share if someone could point me in the right direction I would be very thankful.

Salt is NaCl so salt water has Chlorine in it.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 12, 2021

Viva'sReef said:
Am I also crazy to expect to get DKH and Phosphate results back from an ICP test and this one has zero?

Alkalinity cannot be determined by ICP. Companies that provide it do a different test.

The phosphate is zero by this test. I have no idea if that is accurate or not.

capted · May 12, 2021

Other icp tests will show dkh and phosphate. Not icp-analisys. But it does show phosphorus. As far as the chlorine I also think it's chloride but I'm not the chemist on here. My tap water showed high "chlorine" on my icp-analisys test but I checked it with a chlorine test kit and it showed 0 chlorine.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 12, 2021

capted said:
Other icp tests will show dkh and phosphate. Not icp-analisys. But it does show phosphorus. As far as the chlorine I also think it's chloride but I'm not the chemist on here. My tap water showed high "chlorine" on my icp-analisys test but I checked it with a chlorine test kit and it showed 0 chlorine.

Yes, no ICP can distinguish chloride (19,000 ppm in seawater) from chlorine gas (Cl2).

capted · May 12, 2021

Thanks for the clarification!! Maybe they should change it to chloride. I noticed the German tests show chloride. But there numbers can confuse me(6,234 = 6.234) ect.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 12, 2021

capted said:
Thanks for the clarification!! Maybe they should change it to chloride. I noticed the German tests show chloride. But there numbers can confuse me(6,234 = 6.234) ect.

ICP only EVER detects individual atoms. ALL atoms. So they detected chlorine atoms. It's up to the users to infer what the chemical form might be for every atom they detect.

FWIW, I find the atom labels to be a mishmash of atoms and chemical forms that they cannot actually distinguish. Might be a translation issue, or lack of knowledge from the person designing the data forms, or who knows what. .

This person recently got ICP from ATI.

How am I looking? ATI ICP results

My tank in question is 90 gallon with about 25 gallon in sump. Set up last October with 50 lbs dry rock, 30 lbs kpaquatics liverock, and bagged sand. Started adding corals by late November. Sps grew and encrusted well, lps big and puffy. Then mid March I noticed some paleness in some of my SPS...

www.reef2reef.com

Listed are chloride and fluorine and bromine.

The first is a specific chemical form (Cl-).

The latter two are just atoms or diatomic molecules, but there certainly is not any detectable amount of F2 in the water. So why not be consistent and list just chlorine, or just fluoride?

Hard to explain...

capted · May 12, 2021

Mishmash is a good way to explain it!! Ha. I just wanted to check my basic results to there's. Mag, calc, phosphorus and to check my ro water also. I can see why people freak out when they think they have "chlorine" in the tank!!