Help With ATI ICP Lab Results

[Nath514]

I sent my RO / Tank water off for analysis and it came back with a low quality score. I wanted to send the water off because after several years of great growth on my euphyllias they all started melting and the tank began to break out heavily in algae. I removed what was left of the euphyllias and have been slowing cleaning up the algae with manual removal and spot treating with hydrogen peroxide. I have always struggled with zoas / acans but the euphyllias had been growing well so I decided to try to see if there was something off in my water.

I have attached the results to this post. There are a few things showing as critically high, Sulfur / Strontium and Molybdenum being critically low. I wanted some advice on if these levels are actually something to worry about and how I might go about rectifying them / any of the other less critical problems. I did test my salinity and it was a little low 1.022 so I have been raising that back up to around 1.025. My RO / DI sample showed high copper but I don't see this in the tank results so I am treating that as a false positive.

Would like to get my water back into a good state and understand if anything else is out of whack before trying to add more coral (zoas, rock flowers and maybe euphyllias) back in.

I appreciate any help offered thank you!

My tank details are below:

Tank Details​

• Tank: FijiCube 32EXT
• Light: AI Prime 16HD running the BRS Profile for LPS see profile image on page below
• Skimmer: Reef Octopus essence 130
• Water Changes: RO Automatic nightly change handled by stenner pump 100 series doing 5 gallons every 20 days. Weekly 5 gallon additional manual changes.
• Return Pump: Octo varios 2 at level 3
• Powerhead: Nero 5 Running at 30% random
• Fish: 1 clown, 1 chromis, 1 dwarf angel
• Coral: Softies and LPS ( zoas, acans, euphyllias, mushrooms )
• Cleanup: Mix of snails and hermit crabs
• Sump: FijiCube 20
  • First stage: is a filter floss followed by a klir 4
  • Second stage: 20 marine pure balls ( 3 years old )
  • Third stage: Skimmer compartment
  • Fourth stage: Sera Siporax ( 3 years old )
  • Fifth stage: return pump
• Auto Top Off: AutoAqua ATO
• Dosing: Tropic Marin All for Reef daily ~6ml
• Salinity: 1.24

Feeding: 3 times weekly rods frozen food, 1-2 times weekly flake / pellet food

AI Prime lights at peak.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Salinity was very low. Raising it will solve many issues.

What salt mix are you using?

Was the ro water 0 ppm tds when collected?

 

[Nath514]

Salinity was very low. Raising it will solve many issues.

What salt mix are you using?

Was the ro water 0 ppm tds when collected?

Thanks for the reply Randy. It's been awhile since I bought the salt but I think it's just a box of instant ocean Reef crystals. As for the TDS of the RO water don't have a TDS meter so I'm not sure. If you have a recommended salt brand, I am getting pretty low on my current supply.

 

[Nath514]

Are the sulfur and strontium levels something I should be worrying about?

 

[underwaterwonders]

Are the sulfur and strontium levels something I should be worrying about?

The only thing you should worry about is getting tds to 0 on your Ro, and your salinity to 35 ppt or 1.026ish. Rest of the values are going to jump all over while you accomplish this so there’s no sense trying to tweak them yet.

 

[Nath514]

The only thing you should worry about is getting tds to 0 on your Ro, and your salinity to 35 ppt or 1.026ish. Rest of the values are going to jump all over while you accomplish this so there’s no sense trying to tweak them yet.

Sounds good, I have ordered an inline TDS meter and a new membrane / sediment filters for the RO and will slowly bring my salinity back to 1.026.

 

[BryanM]

I found one of these handheld TDS meters to be quite useful as well:

https://hmdigital.com/tds-3/

 

[Science/G]

Aside from water quality, I think you can increase the intensity on that AI Prime for better results.

 

[ReneReef]

Sounds good, I have ordered an inline TDS meter and a new membrane / sediment filters for the RO

Depending on your tapwater, your membrane and sediment are not your problem. High levels of silicate, zink, copper are common in tapwater and some will pass through an RO membrane.

So, unless your membrane is old, it's likely just fine and you are in need of a DI-stage after your membrane to filter out the remaining silicate, zinc and copper.

 

[Nath514]

Aside from water quality, I think you can increase the intensity on that AI Prime for better results.

Yeah you are probably right, I had lowered it a while back because the lens melted which is apparently a common problem on these devices. I just replaced the cooling fan so hopefully I can raise it back up.

 

[Nath514]

Yeah you are probably right, I had lowered it a while back because the lens melted which is apparently a common problem on these devices. I just replaced the cooling fan so hopefully I can raise it back up.

I do have a

Depending on your tapwater, your membrane and sediment are not your problem. High levels of silicate, zink, copper are common in tapwater and some will pass through an RO membrane.

So, unless your membrane is old, it's likely just fine and you are in need of a DI-stage after your membrane to filter out the remaining silicate, zinc and copper.

I do have a DI-stage but I realized the membrane hasn't been replaced in quite a long time. The sediment filters I have regularly replaced but not the membrane. I have a new membrane on the way so hopefully with that in place the RO water should be good to go.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FwIW, with or without a membrane, properly functioning di stages will remove mist ions.

 

[Science/G]

Yeah you are probably right, I had lowered it a while back because the lens melted which is apparently a common problem on these devices. I just replaced the cooling fan so hopefully I can raise it back up.

https://shop.aquaillumination.com/products/ai-light-lensThe lenses are in stock online. the bit to take the screws out costs more. lol That fan should help.

 

[Nath514]

https://shop.aquaillumination.com/products/ai-light-lensThe lenses are in stock online. the bit to take the screws out costs more. lol That fan should help.

Yeah I have a couple for backup now as the last time it happened I was without a light for 2 weeks waiting for a lens.

 

[Nath514]

I am still fighting some algae that I don't seem to be able to shake. Not sure if it is a lingering result of the coral death or maybe the low salinity throwing the tank off. I am still spot treating each night after the lights go off with Hydrogen peroxide but have not been able to fully get rid of it. Once I stop it starts coming back on most surfaces.

 

[Nath514]

Got the new membrane, filters and resin in place today along with the TDS meter. Reading 5 ppm going into the di stage and 0 coming out. Replacing the bronze spigot with stainless steel tomorrow.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Got the new membrane, filters and resin in place today along with the TDS meter. Reading 5 ppm going into the di stage and 0 coming out. Replacing the bronze spigot with stainless steel tomorrow.

If that spigot is before the system, it is not an issue since you probably have copper pipes anyway.

 

[Nath514]

Got some refractometer calibration solution to double check my refractometer

If that spigot is before the system, it is not an issue since you probably have copper pipes anyway.

The spigot was on my barrel holding the RO water so after the filter. Very minimal corrosion on it but just to be safe going to replace with stainless steel.

 

[Nath514]

Got some refractometer calibration solution, calibrated my refractometer and checked my salinity. I have been ramping it up have it back up to 1.026 now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Got some refractometer calibration solution to double check my refractometer

The spigot was on my barrel holding the RO water so after the filter. Very minimal corrosion on it but just to be safe going to replace with stainless steel.

Ah, I agree to replace it. Plastic would be even better.