What are you're thoughts : ICP results

Gatorbait01

Premium Member
So, I've been really trying to keep tabs on my water parameters via ICP testing. I want to really understand what my tank utilizes and try to keep it optimal. My ultimate goal is to try and get a baseline of element consumption and try to supplement it every month to try to stabilze all my elements. Ive been tracking my elements for the last 2 years initially doing an icp every 6 months, or whenever something looks off in my tank. I have since been trying to be more regimented and done one a month out and then 2 months out to get better statistical data. At this point ideally I want to do ICP every quarter. Im trying to keep it simple and doing a monthly correction of all my elements to hopefully keep all elements somewhat stable. Its essentially a poor man's moonshiners method for you who know of this method. I don't use his elements, but exclusively use ATI elements as I use their 2 part for my alk/ca. So far it seems to be working out fairly well and my latest results are the best so far and when I make adjustments, I always error on the side of caution to not overdose anything. The one issue I have is this consistent high Aluminum that I see in my water. It's not my source water, but not sure where it's coming from. It's been somewhat consistently there the entire 2 years. I do have some have some marinepure media spheres in my setup. Maybe only 2lbs of these balls and I have them in my filter cups. Does anyone had issues with these? I've heard of them potentially leaching Aluminum? I just pulled half of them out and will replace them w some live rock rubble to see if I can get it down. Is there anything that will pull Aluminum out of the water? Fyi...I don't run any p04 removers, but I do have some miracle mud in my fuge and run a small amt of carbon. Hers a link to my latest icp.


My latest ICP results
 
I'm not sure i would worry about it. aluminum is one of the most common elements in the earths crust (second to silicon - not counting oxygen). any clay/ceramic/mud etc. will have it in its various oxides. Normally its very insoluble, but at higher alkalinities it gets just slightly more soluble (as does silicon). my guess is you run a tad high on the PH and dKH (which is proven to increase coral growth/health) and therefor have a bit more aluminum in solution as a consequence. if not.. well, not sure what else would cause it to be elevated. it would be hard to increase if you wanted to.
but either way, it seems unlikely to be something to be concerned with in itself. as far as i can find or have even seen it just isn't toxic in any reasonably obtainable concentration. but if anyone knows different please chime in.
 
I'm not sure i would worry about it. aluminum is one of the most common elements in the earths crust (second to silicon - not counting oxygen). any clay/ceramic/mud etc. will have it in its various oxides. Normally its very insoluble, but at higher alkalinities it gets just slightly more soluble (as does silicon). my guess is you run a tad high on the PH and dKH (which is proven to increase coral growth/health) and therefor have a bit more aluminum in solution as a consequence. if not.. well, not sure what else would cause it to be elevated. it would be hard to increase if you wanted to.
but either way, it seems unlikely to be something to be concerned with in itself. as far as i can find or have even seen it just isn't toxic in any reasonably obtainable concentration. but if anyone knows different please chime in.
I currently trying to keep my dkh around 7.5-8.5. I do struggle to keep my pH near the 8.3 level. Currently run a c02 scrubber and a outside air line and dose kalkwasser at night. Been swinging btwn 8-8.3. The one issue I have with my tank is I have had random rtn events w my sps and it seems to be the corals I have had the longest. Doesn't happen often, but disheartening when it does especially since they are well established in my tank. I also like goni's and have had occasional struggles with only a few of them. Out of the 11 varieties i have, 2 arent doing as well as the others (which coincidentally are my 2 more expensive pieces). They are surviving, while most of the others seems to be more thriving. They also did well initially and did get some growth. I keep relatively low nutrients at around 2ppm NO3 and 0.05ppm Po4. I still have the old school mindset and keeping low nutrients and this might be a possibility too.
 
How high is the Aluminum reading?
Trace elements are one of those topics you don't hear a lot about, except like you said Moonshiners or Zeovit or Coral Essentials.
Over the summer, I was dosing specific trace elements daily, and my corals responded nicely to that. I don't know if dosing them weekly or slower will have the same impact.
 
How high is the Aluminum reading?
Trace elements are one of those topics you don't hear a lot about, except like you said Moonshiners or Zeovit or Coral Essentials.
Over the summer, I was dosing specific trace elements daily, and my corals responded nicely to that. I don't know if dosing them weekly or slower will have the same impact.i
I have a link to my full icp results at the bottom of my 1st post. The latest reading was 27ug/L. It shows ideal as 0.11ug/L. It doesn't have any recommendations to correct this, and doesn't flag it as out of range. Thinking more water changes is my only real option. I just wonder if it has any significance to any losses incurred, and my curiosity makes me wonder the source of the Aluminum. I even went back 2 years ago and checked all my icp results and the Aluminum is relatively consistent at 20-60ug/L. Maybe I'm just being unrealistic in my expectation that I will never lose a coral and maybe it's totally unrelated. When I take a aquacultured frag and grow it into a large colony then suddenly lose it after 2 years of growth makes me contemplate the cause when nothing seems out of whack. I like to watch my frags grow into colonies and dont frag as much as i probably should. Thinking I should start banking some frags with others just in case.

I have always used ATI icp, maybe I should try another company to see how they compare. I'm worried that will just cause more confusion 😀
 

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Every company has a different measurement. What is their out of range number?

ICP-Analysis suggests 60 ppb
Reef-Labs suggests .01 mg/l

Aluminum can make corals a little bit brighter.

Kent used to sell something that would absorb aluminum. And Two Little Fishies has Meta-Zorb to absorb trace metals like AL. Bringing it down sounds wise.
 
Every company has a different measurement. What is their out of range number?

ICP-Analysis suggests 60 ppb
Reef-Labs suggests .01 mg/l

Aluminum can make corals a little bit brighter.

Kent used to sell something that would absorb aluminum. And Two Little Fishies has Meta-Zorb to absorb trace metals like AL. Bringing it down sounds wise.
They show 0.11ug/L as a ideal target, but ot sure of what's considered out of range. Of all my readings I had a high of 60ug/L in the past and it still was within their boundaries. I will look into those products you mentioned.

Still curious if the marinepure media balls were the source or maybe like suggested earlier by hnurge, it's potentially byproduct of something else I'm dosing. Assuming since it never shows up in my ro water sample and the measurements are somewhat consistent in my tank water, the data is probably correct. In the icp that's you have done, do you get any AL in your test?
 
It's very low. Let me grab that info for you.
 

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It's very low. Let me grab that info for you.
So am I reading your results correctly? Is the latest reading on the far right and currently at (0.003mg/L)? ATI icp units are ug/L. So comparing ours I would be at 27ug/L vs yours at 3ug/L. So 9x lower concentration.

I was looking over on the mooshiners fb page, and someone actually posted an interesting article in regards to common filter media and the effects on trace elements and pollutants in a reef system. Apparently it's a other icp company whi did the evaluation. It compares carbon,gfo,zeolite and aluminum absorbers and what it absorbs and releases into our systems. The aluminum absorbers seem to actually release more AL? It's one study and not 100% conclusive but is a really interesting study to see the net effects of various filter media. Check it out.

 
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