Below is the test results from AquariumWaterTesting.com They send you a pdf file that has the test results and then a discussion section for each test. I have cut and pasted the entire pdf here so anyone thinking about using this service will have an idea of the testing.
My tank is 140 gallon mostly softy with a large (10") Derasa Clam, 2 maxima clams and one Crocea Clam. I guess the clams use a lot of Calcium. I do not dose anything. I have a Calcium Reactor and I do a 10 gallon water change every two weeks. I have an RO Filter for my make up water and top-off water. I use Tropic Marin Salt and will soon start using the Tropic Marin Reef Salt.
With my last dry good order I got some Turbo Calcium so I will start dosing that to see about getting my levels up. Other than that I will plan to increase my water change amount to 15 gallons and see what happens.
I may also dose a little more Iodine to see if it helps my softies since I am at the lower limit.
Anyone want to offer any other suggestion. What do you think I should do about the silica?
Ammonia (NH3-4) 0.004 Good
Nitrite (NO2) 0.005 Good
Nitrate (NO3) 0.4 Good
Phosphate (PO4) 0.12 Good
Silica (SiO2-3) 1.4 High
Potassium (K) 360 Good
Calcium (Ca) 286 Low
Boron (B) 2.3 Low
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.2 High
Strontium (Sr) 7.8 Good
Magnesium (Mg) 1307 Good
Iodine (I¯) 0.03 Good
Copper (Cu++) 0.01 Good
Alkalinity (meq/L) 3.74 Good
Ammonia (NH3-4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.050 mg/L
Tested: 0.004 mg/L
(GOOD) Your ammonia level is within the recommended range. We
recommend staying with the current feeding and stocking levels. Be sure to
maintain a good schedule of water changes and additives. Ammonia levels
can rise after the addition of new animals, after a water change, or after the
changing of food diet. Any ammonia level above 0.05 mg/L is a cause for
concern, and the source should be found and corrected.
Nitrite (NO2)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.100 mg/L
Tested: 0.005 mg/L
(GOOD) Your nitrite level is within the recommended range. We recommend
continuing with your current maintenance and feeding schedules. Residual
levels of nitrite are common in marine aquariums. Levels of 0.05 or less are
of little concern. If the levels are higher than this, the source should be found
and corrected.
Nitrate (NO3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.050 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 25 mg/L
Tested: 0.4 mg/L
(GOOD) Your nitrate level is within the recommended range. Be sure to
maintain reasonable stocking and feeding levels, as well as a regular water
change schedule. Nitrate is not toxic in and of itself, but a rising level is
indicative of deteriorating water conditions, and any level above 5.0 mg/L in
reef aquariums is a reason for concern.
Phosphate (PO4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.250 mg/L
Tested: 0.12 mg/L
(GOOD) Your phosphate level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing the current maintenance and water change schedule.
The use of a phosphate absorbing resin is recommended to keep phosphate
levels below 0.05 mg/L.
Silica (Sio2-3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/L
Tested: 1.4 mg/L
(HIGH) Your silica level is too high. We recommend that you use a silica
specific R/O membrane in addition to deionization resin for your makeup/
top-off water. You may also use a commercially available phosphate
absorber, as these will also remove some silicate. Silicate is required by many
types of sponges for growth/reproduction, but will also encourage brown
diatom algae growth. Any level above 0.3 mg/L may cause a diatom bloom in
the aquarium.
Potassium (K)
Natural Seawater Value: 390 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L
Tested: 360 mg/L
(GOOD) Your potassium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current water change and chemical additive
schedule. Potassium is an important constituent of seawater, being found in
almost the same concentration as calcium. Potassium is important for
neurological functions in fishes, as well as being a critical plant nutrient
required by zooxanthellae and macro algae.
Calcium (Ca)
Natural Seawater Value: 400 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L
Tested: 286 mg/L
(LOW) Your calcium level is too low. We recommend using a commercial
calcium additive to raise this level. There are several methods for doing this.
Calcium is a critical parameter for coral growth in reef aquariums, and
chronically low levels will cause coral mortality and loss of coralline algae and
other invertebrate species.
Boron (B)
Natural Seawater Value: 4.6 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 3.0 – 6.0 mg/L
Tested: 2.3 mg/L
(LOW) Your boron level is too low. We recommend performing a water
change, and possibly the addition of a commercial buffer containing borate
salts. Boron is an important part of the water buffering capacity, and a lack of
boron can lead to dangerous fluctuations in pH and alkalinity.
Molybdenum (Mo)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.01 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.0 to 0.12 mg/L
Tested: 0.2 mg/L
(HIGH) Your molybdenum level is too high. Molybdenum is found in many
common additives and at highly elevated levels in most salt mixes and so a
vast majority of reef tanks demonstrate a level 10 to 50 times higher than
natural levels. 0.12 mg/L is the upper toxicity limit for Molybdenum, the
point at which negative effects can begin to manifest themselves. You should
suspend the use of any additives containing molybdenum. If your level is
significantly higher than acceptable you may benefit from a partial water
change to reduce this level, though your salt mix may be a contributor to the
elevated level itself. Molybdenum is important for the biological processes of
bacteria, and may be of some benefit to corals as well. High levels of
molybdenum are known to encourage blooms of slime algae or cyanobacteria.
Strontium (Sr)
Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/L
Tested: 7.8 mg/L
(GOOD) Your strontium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current additive schedules. Strontium is
important to coral growth, as they incorporate strontium ions into their
skeletal mass, particularly SPS corals. It is also important to coralline algae
growth.
Magnesium (Mg)
Natural Seawater Value: 1280 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 1100 to 1400 mg/L
Tested: 1307 mg/L
(GOOD) Your magnesium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend staying with your current water change and additive schedule.
Magnesium is a very important part of the water buffering system, and is
incorporated into coral skeletons. It is also critical to any photosynthetic
processes.
Iodine (I¯)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/L
Tested: 0.03 mg/L
(GOOD) Your iodine level is within the recommended range. We would
recommend continuing with the current water change and additive schedule.
Please be advised that many iodine supplements are difficult to dose
accurately, and “above normal” readings are easy to achieve with common
iodine additives.
Copper (Cu++)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.030 mg/L
Tested: 0.01 mg/L
(GOOD) Your copper level is within the recommended range. We recommend
continuing with your current water change schedule, being careful to use only
RO/DI water for make-up/top-off water. Use of activated carbon can also help
keep this level in check. Copper is fatal to marine invertebrates at levels as
low as 0.05 mg/L for many species.
Alkalinity (meq/L)
Natural Seawater Value: 2.5 meq/L
Acceptable Range: 2.5 to 5.0 meq/L
Tested: 3.74 meq/L
(GOOD) Your alkalinity level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current water change and buffering
schedule. Maintaining an appropriate alkalinity is crucial to maintaining a
healthy aquarium. A fluctuating alkalinity will lead to serious problems in
maintaining an appropriate pH, as well as problems keeping calcium and
magnesium levels within required ranges.
Thank you for using
AquariumWaterTesting.com
My tank is 140 gallon mostly softy with a large (10") Derasa Clam, 2 maxima clams and one Crocea Clam. I guess the clams use a lot of Calcium. I do not dose anything. I have a Calcium Reactor and I do a 10 gallon water change every two weeks. I have an RO Filter for my make up water and top-off water. I use Tropic Marin Salt and will soon start using the Tropic Marin Reef Salt.
With my last dry good order I got some Turbo Calcium so I will start dosing that to see about getting my levels up. Other than that I will plan to increase my water change amount to 15 gallons and see what happens.
I may also dose a little more Iodine to see if it helps my softies since I am at the lower limit.
Anyone want to offer any other suggestion. What do you think I should do about the silica?
Ammonia (NH3-4) 0.004 Good
Nitrite (NO2) 0.005 Good
Nitrate (NO3) 0.4 Good
Phosphate (PO4) 0.12 Good
Silica (SiO2-3) 1.4 High
Potassium (K) 360 Good
Calcium (Ca) 286 Low
Boron (B) 2.3 Low
Molybdenum (Mo) 0.2 High
Strontium (Sr) 7.8 Good
Magnesium (Mg) 1307 Good
Iodine (I¯) 0.03 Good
Copper (Cu++) 0.01 Good
Alkalinity (meq/L) 3.74 Good
Ammonia (NH3-4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.050 mg/L
Tested: 0.004 mg/L
(GOOD) Your ammonia level is within the recommended range. We
recommend staying with the current feeding and stocking levels. Be sure to
maintain a good schedule of water changes and additives. Ammonia levels
can rise after the addition of new animals, after a water change, or after the
changing of food diet. Any ammonia level above 0.05 mg/L is a cause for
concern, and the source should be found and corrected.
Nitrite (NO2)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.010 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.100 mg/L
Tested: 0.005 mg/L
(GOOD) Your nitrite level is within the recommended range. We recommend
continuing with your current maintenance and feeding schedules. Residual
levels of nitrite are common in marine aquariums. Levels of 0.05 or less are
of little concern. If the levels are higher than this, the source should be found
and corrected.
Nitrate (NO3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.050 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 25 mg/L
Tested: 0.4 mg/L
(GOOD) Your nitrate level is within the recommended range. Be sure to
maintain reasonable stocking and feeding levels, as well as a regular water
change schedule. Nitrate is not toxic in and of itself, but a rising level is
indicative of deteriorating water conditions, and any level above 5.0 mg/L in
reef aquariums is a reason for concern.
Phosphate (PO4)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.250 mg/L
Tested: 0.12 mg/L
(GOOD) Your phosphate level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing the current maintenance and water change schedule.
The use of a phosphate absorbing resin is recommended to keep phosphate
levels below 0.05 mg/L.
Silica (Sio2-3)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/L
Tested: 1.4 mg/L
(HIGH) Your silica level is too high. We recommend that you use a silica
specific R/O membrane in addition to deionization resin for your makeup/
top-off water. You may also use a commercially available phosphate
absorber, as these will also remove some silicate. Silicate is required by many
types of sponges for growth/reproduction, but will also encourage brown
diatom algae growth. Any level above 0.3 mg/L may cause a diatom bloom in
the aquarium.
Potassium (K)
Natural Seawater Value: 390 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L
Tested: 360 mg/L
(GOOD) Your potassium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current water change and chemical additive
schedule. Potassium is an important constituent of seawater, being found in
almost the same concentration as calcium. Potassium is important for
neurological functions in fishes, as well as being a critical plant nutrient
required by zooxanthellae and macro algae.
Calcium (Ca)
Natural Seawater Value: 400 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 350 to 450 mg/L
Tested: 286 mg/L
(LOW) Your calcium level is too low. We recommend using a commercial
calcium additive to raise this level. There are several methods for doing this.
Calcium is a critical parameter for coral growth in reef aquariums, and
chronically low levels will cause coral mortality and loss of coralline algae and
other invertebrate species.
Boron (B)
Natural Seawater Value: 4.6 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 3.0 – 6.0 mg/L
Tested: 2.3 mg/L
(LOW) Your boron level is too low. We recommend performing a water
change, and possibly the addition of a commercial buffer containing borate
salts. Boron is an important part of the water buffering capacity, and a lack of
boron can lead to dangerous fluctuations in pH and alkalinity.
Molybdenum (Mo)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.01 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.0 to 0.12 mg/L
Tested: 0.2 mg/L
(HIGH) Your molybdenum level is too high. Molybdenum is found in many
common additives and at highly elevated levels in most salt mixes and so a
vast majority of reef tanks demonstrate a level 10 to 50 times higher than
natural levels. 0.12 mg/L is the upper toxicity limit for Molybdenum, the
point at which negative effects can begin to manifest themselves. You should
suspend the use of any additives containing molybdenum. If your level is
significantly higher than acceptable you may benefit from a partial water
change to reduce this level, though your salt mix may be a contributor to the
elevated level itself. Molybdenum is important for the biological processes of
bacteria, and may be of some benefit to corals as well. High levels of
molybdenum are known to encourage blooms of slime algae or cyanobacteria.
Strontium (Sr)
Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/L
Tested: 7.8 mg/L
(GOOD) Your strontium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current additive schedules. Strontium is
important to coral growth, as they incorporate strontium ions into their
skeletal mass, particularly SPS corals. It is also important to coralline algae
growth.
Magnesium (Mg)
Natural Seawater Value: 1280 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 1100 to 1400 mg/L
Tested: 1307 mg/L
(GOOD) Your magnesium level is within the recommended range. We
recommend staying with your current water change and additive schedule.
Magnesium is a very important part of the water buffering system, and is
incorporated into coral skeletons. It is also critical to any photosynthetic
processes.
Iodine (I¯)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/L
Tested: 0.03 mg/L
(GOOD) Your iodine level is within the recommended range. We would
recommend continuing with the current water change and additive schedule.
Please be advised that many iodine supplements are difficult to dose
accurately, and “above normal” readings are easy to achieve with common
iodine additives.
Copper (Cu++)
Natural Seawater Value: 0.030 mg/L
Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.030 mg/L
Tested: 0.01 mg/L
(GOOD) Your copper level is within the recommended range. We recommend
continuing with your current water change schedule, being careful to use only
RO/DI water for make-up/top-off water. Use of activated carbon can also help
keep this level in check. Copper is fatal to marine invertebrates at levels as
low as 0.05 mg/L for many species.
Alkalinity (meq/L)
Natural Seawater Value: 2.5 meq/L
Acceptable Range: 2.5 to 5.0 meq/L
Tested: 3.74 meq/L
(GOOD) Your alkalinity level is within the recommended range. We
recommend continuing with your current water change and buffering
schedule. Maintaining an appropriate alkalinity is crucial to maintaining a
healthy aquarium. A fluctuating alkalinity will lead to serious problems in
maintaining an appropriate pH, as well as problems keeping calcium and
magnesium levels within required ranges.
Thank you for using
AquariumWaterTesting.com
