High Metals in ICP Test Results

[scubaboy]

Good Morning,

I just received my Triton ICP test back a week ago and I have a few results that are extremely high. I did my weekly testing the same time I took the samples to send to Triton to compare how my test kits did with accuracy, but I had some metals that are alarming as well as the PO4 results. I am trying to determine the accuracy of the results.

Mine Triton
Aluminum 8.843 ug/l
Calcium (Red Sea) 440 mg/l 452 mg/l
Magnesium (Aqua Forest) 1320 mg/l 1389 mg/l
Zinc 15 ug/l
Manganese 6.377 ug/l
Iron 310 ug/l
Phosphorus (Hanna ulr) 143 ug/l 579 ug/l
Phosphate (Hanna ulr) .438 mg/l 1.77174 mg/l
Nitrates (Salifert) 30 mg/l (ppm)

Salinity 1.025
Temp 79.3
PH 7.8
dkH 9

I have been fighting what I though was high NO3 and PO4 for months, my tests were consistently NO3 25-35 & PO4 .4 - .6+, my tank will be one year wet 11/8/21. I have been fighting GHA for months too and have tried to get chaeto to grow multiple times but it just melts after a couple of days. I tried to dose ChaetoGro for about two weeks prior to doing the ICP test, I don't any more. I had also started dosing Phytoplankton about the same time and still do daily hoping the pods I added previously would help with the algae. I would manually remove GHA, add chaeto, it would melt and before I could get more chaeto the GHA would be back. vicious cycle.

I feed frozen 2 times a day, don't rinse. A little flake from time to time and Nori for my YT.

I have been getting my RO/DI and Salt Mixed (Red Sea Coral Pro) water from a LFS close to where I work out of convenience, have checked salinity often and thought I was good.

I had mentioned to someone at another LFS about my chaeto issue and where I get my water from (this store is a longer drive away) and she said to check the TDS of the RO water. I did and it was at 11! I got a little more from the other store to verify and it tested at an 8. I immediately quit getting water there and started doing WC's using her water (the other store) which tests at 0 like its supposed to. Could these TDS levels be part of my elevated metal issue?

It gets better, I sent my samples off for the ICP test on 10/4 and got results back 10/18. During that time (I have tested 4 times in the past week to make sure this was correct) my NO3 has dropped to 0 each test and PO4 has ranged from .003 - .021 ppm. Using the same test kits I have had. I am told possibly the phyto feeding has kicked in my bacteria and my tank has finally hit maturity. I have only a very little GHA in my refugium only, the snails have cleared the DT of it.

I have checked for metal in the fuge and tank. My heater does have magnets that I have removed and repositioned the heater. they didn't look rusted, but the heater is a JBJ True Temp Titanium Heater I got from BRS, but it is made in China, so no telling. No screws, clamps or other stuff. Return Pump is a Vectra M2. Skimmer is a Skimz SP207, Power Head is an AI Nero 5, ATO is a Tunze 3155. No other equipment is in the water and all was brand new when I built my system 1 year ago.

I am doing major water changes, the Iron level is crazy if its accurate, Any suggestions on how to get this down fast? I am going to send off another water sample to Triton this week.

I apologize for the long post, but I have always read more information is better.

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

 

[maleks.reef]

Did you check every single pump or piece of equipment? Even if it's a pump that you use to move water from the bucket to the tank. If yes, and you're 100% sure that there is absolutely no rusting anywhere close to your tank then the culprit is for sure the 11 TDS PPM water you used to buy.

You can do a few things to try to lower and get rid of those heavy metals since they can, and will, kill corals:
1) Buy cuprisorb and use according to instruction
2) Do more WCs as that is the most definitive way of removing contaminants out of the water (most imp one)
3) Use carbon, if you're already using carbon then use more

These 3 things will rid you of the heavy metals. Also, for the cuprisorb, you're supposed to use it until the heavy metals are out. Do not keep it in for a long time, in other words, do not use it like we use carbon because it will strip the tank of trace metals that corals do need.

 

[blaxsun]

I'd be inclined to trust any lab results over manual testing. As for things you could do, get your own RODI system and mix your own salt (I like Tropic Marin). Something like Nyos Phosi-Ex or Rowaphos can keep your phosphates down, and rinsing your frozen food will also help in the short and long-term.

Agree with @maleks.reef's suggestions.

 

[scubaboy]

Did you check every single pump or piece of equipment? Even if it's a pump that you use to move water from the bucket to the tank. If yes, and you're 100% sure that there is absolutely no rusting anywhere close to your tank then the culprit is for sure the 11 TDS PPM water you used to buy.

You can do a few things to try to lower and get rid of those heavy metals since they can, and will, kill corals:
1) Buy cuprisorb and use according to instruction
2) Do more WCs as that is the most definitive way of removing contaminants out of the water (most imp one)
3) Use carbon, if you're already using carbon then use more

These 3 things will rid you of the heavy metals. Also, for the cuprisorb, you're supposed to use it until the heavy metals are out. Do not keep it in for a long time, in other words, do not use it like we use carbon because it will strip the tank of trace metals that corals do need.

Thank you for your reply!

I will check everything thoroughly again to make certain.

I don't run carbon, but will get some and the Cuprisorb. can I run them both in separate bags in separate socks in my sump? It has 3 socks in it.

Doing another WC tomorrow and will keep doing them every 3-4 days until i can get a handle on this.

Is there a reliable Iron Test kit I can get so I can test daily? I have a Seachem Iron kit and it is orange instead of the pink/purple color and has black stuff floating in it. I have read a few other posts here where people have had the same issue with that test. it doesn't work.

Thanks

 

[scubaboy]

I'd be inclined to trust any lab results over manual testing. As for things you could do, get your own RODI system and mix your own salt (I like Tropic Marin). Something like Nyos Phosi-Ex or Rowaphos can keep your phosphates down, and rinsing your frozen food will also help in the short and long-term.

Agree with @maleks.reef's suggestions.

Thanks for your reply!

I am definitely getting my own RODI system, hopefully in the next few weeks.

Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I'm not sure these levels are a problem, but certainly the iron is unusual if you are not dosing a lot of it and I'd look carefully for zinc coated steel parts somehow in or near the water. Maybe the water was stored in a metal container.

I personally would not go crazy trying to lower the iron and zinc. The zinc is not that high and many folks dose quite high iron to reduce phosphate. Red Sea recommends 100 ug/L (high IMO, but indicates not a big tox problem).

 

[scubaboy]

I'm not sure these levels are a problem, but certainly the iron is unusual if you are not dosing a lot of it and I'd look carefully for zinc coated steel parts somehow in or near the water. Maybe the water was stored in a metal container.

I personally would not go crazy trying to lower the iron and zinc. The zinc is not that high and many folks dose quite high iron to reduce phosphate. Red Sea recommends 100 ug/L (high IMO, but indicates not a big tox problem).

Thank you Randy for your reply!

I am going to recheck all my equipment again for rust. I use only food grade plastic containers to transport water and do my WC's by hand with a pitcher right now. All my hose clamps are plastic and my ball / gate valves are the heavy PVC ones from BRS.

The only thing I have found that I have wondered about is my heater has coated magnets that attach to the heater and then coated magnets that go on the opposite side of the acrylic. I did have it mounted on the wall between my skimmer section and the return section which put all four magnets in the water. I have since changed that and now only the two on the heater itself are wet. I will check them again for rust.

I was dosing ChaetoGro for 2+ weeks, in the same section of the sump I got my samples from, but it was at the recommended amount for my 130 total gallon system. Could that be enough of that product to put the Iron at the 310 ug/l? Do you think the old water I was using at 8-11 TDS could be the issue?

Thanks again.

 

[maleks.reef]

Thank you for your reply!

I will check everything thoroughly again to make certain.

I don't run carbon, but will get some and the Cuprisorb. can I run them both in separate bags in separate socks in my sump? It has 3 socks in it.

Doing another WC tomorrow and will keep doing them every 3-4 days until i can get a handle on this.

Is there a reliable Iron Test kit I can get so I can test daily? I have a Seachem Iron kit and it is orange instead of the pink/purple color and has black stuff floating in it. I have read a few other posts here where people have had the same issue with that test. it doesn't work.

Thanks

Yes you can do that. Rn i have a bag of carbon and a bag of cuprisorb in my back chamber. Be sure to rinse the carbon before placing it in the tank. As for the cuprisorb, I am not sure if it needs rinsing but I gave a quick rodi rinse anyway. Cuprisorb is very fine by the way, so you would need a bag with holes that are smaller than 80 microns.
Also, randy knows way more than I do so you could take his advice and just do WCs and carbon without the cuprisorb. It's up to you to decide what you want to do. Good luck !

 

[maleks.reef]

Thank you Randy for your reply!

I am going to recheck all my equipment again for rust. I use only food grade plastic containers to transport water and do my WC's by hand with a pitcher right now. All my hose clamps are plastic and my ball / gate valves are the heavy PVC ones from BRS.

The only thing I have found that I have wondered about is my heater has coated magnets that attach to the heater and then coated magnets that go on the opposite side of the acrylic. I did have it mounted on the wall between my skimmer section and the return section which put all four magnets in the water. I have since changed that and now only the two on the heater itself are wet. I will check them again for rust.

I was dosing ChaetoGro for 2+ weeks, in the same section of the sump I got my samples from, but it was at the recommended amount for my 130 total gallon system. Could that be enough of that product to put the Iron at the 310 ug/l? Do you think the old water I was using at 8-11 TDS could be the issue?

Thanks again.

According to Brightwell, ChaetoGro contains 0.1% iron and 0.002% zinc. I am not sure if that is the main cause for the increase but it definitely has something to do with it. It might be a combination of the bad rodi water and chaetogro. Maybe @Randy Holmes-Farley can confirm.

 

[scubaboy]

Randy,

I have another question. Could these Iron

Yes you can do that. Rn i have a bag of carbon and a bag of cuprisorb in my back chamber. Be sure to rinse the carbon before placing it in the tank. As for the cuprisorb, I am not sure if it needs rinsing but I gave a quick rodi rinse anyway. Cuprisorb is very fine by the way, so you would need a bag with holes that are smaller than 80 microns.
Also, randy knows way more than I do so you could take his advice and just do WCs and carbon without the cuprisorb. It's up to you to decide what you want to do. Good luck !

Thank you!!!!

 

[scubaboy]

Randy,

I have another question. Could these Iron

Thank you!!!!

Sorry maleks.reef, I was writing another post and replied to you and they got mixed.

Thank you!!!!!

 

[scubaboy]

Randy,

I have another question. Could these Iron levels be the issue I have had with the chaeto / macroalgae melting after 2-3 days?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I've not seen iron this high, but I suspect that iron is not directly causing the problem.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

According to Brightwell, ChaetoGro contains 0.1% iron and 0.002% zinc. I am not sure if that is the main cause for the increase but it definitely has something to do with it. It might be a combination of the bad rodi water and chaetogro. Maybe @Randy Holmes-Farley can confirm.

0.1% iron = 1000 mg/L

I'm not sure of the size of the OP's tank, but if he added 1 L of that product (contains 1000 mg iron) to a 100 gallon (378 L) tank, iron would rise to 1,000 mg/378 L = 2,650 ug/L.

So he would have to have added more than 100 mL to a 100 gallon tank to get the reported iron levels.

 

[maleks.reef]

0.1% iron = 1000 mg/L

I'm not sure of the size of the OP's tank, but if he added 1 L of that product (contains 1000 mg iron) to a 100 gallon (378 L) tank, iron would rise to 1,000 mg/378 L = 2,650 ug/L.

So he would have to have added more than 100 mL to a 100 gallon tank to get the reported iron levels.

So we can conclude that it is highly unlikely that the high iron is due to chaetogro and more so because of the high tds water?

Never mind, just read the OP's new post.

 

[scubaboy]

0.1% iron = 1000 mg/L

I'm not sure of the size of the OP's tank, but if he added 1 L of that product (contains 1000 mg iron) to a 100 gallon (378 L) tank, iron would rise to 1,000 mg/378 L = 2,650 ug/L.

So he would have to have added more than 100 mL to a 100 gallon tank to get the reported iron levels.

My DT is 105 gal and my sump has at 8.5 depth of water right at 25 gal = 130 gal total volume. I was dosing every day at the recommended amount which was right under 1/2 tsp or 33 drops per Brightwell's instructions. I only dosed for about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before I found out about the TDS level and stopped.

Will the Iron level dissipate?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Iron declined rapidly in my tank, but I'm not sure why yours isd elevated so cannot be sure the source is gone.

" I only dosed for about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before I found out about the TDS level and stopped."

What does that mean? TDS will be high in any additive and is not an indication of a problem.

 

[scubaboy]

Iron declined rapidly in my tank, but I'm not sure why yours isd elevated so cannot be sure the source is gone.

" I only dosed for about 2 - 2 1/2 weeks before I found out about the TDS level and stopped."

What does that mean? TDS will be high in any additive and is not an indication of a problem.

TBH, being new to the hobby and reading a lot of different information, I understood that TDS needed to be at 0 and when I checked the RODI and realized the RO I was getting and that they were using for their salt mix was between 8 - 11 TDS, I stopped dosing ChaetoGro because I didn't know what was contained in what I assumed was a high TDS level. That was what made me send in the sample for the ICP test. I wanted to see what was going on. Not being able to grow macroalgae has been making me nuts and I haven't added any corals to my system as of yet because I feel I need to get it stabilized first. I figure if I cant grow chaeto, I bet I cant grow corals.

I do feel a lot better hearing you say that the Iron level isn't as alarming as I am interpreting it is. I do still need to figure out where it is coming from.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

TBH, being new to the hobby and reading a lot of different information, I understood that TDS needed to be at 0 and when I checked the RODI and realized the RO I was getting and that they were using for their salt mix was between 8 - 11 TDS, I stopped dosing ChaetoGro because I didn't know what was contained in what I assumed was a high TDS level. That was what made me send in the sample for the ICP test. I wanted to see what was going on. Not being able to grow macroalgae has been making me nuts and I haven't added any corals to my system as of yet because I feel I need to get it stabilized first. I figure if I cant grow chaeto, I bet I cant grow corals.

I do feel a lot better hearing you say that the Iron level isn't as alarming as I am interpreting it is. I do still need to figure out where it is coming from.

OK, I thought you meant the TDS of the chaeto grow.

YEs, TDS of top off water should be 0 ppm to ensure purity. Not all TDS is the same, and 10 ppm TDS may be fine, but in the absence of knowing what the 10 ppm is made of, best to have none.

 

[scubaboy]

OK, I thought you meant the TDS of the chaeto grow.

YEs, TDS of top off water should be 0 ppm to ensure purity. Not all TDS is the same, and 10 ppm TDS may be fine, but in the absence of knowing what the 10 ppm is made of, best to have none.

Thank you, any recommendations other than finding the source of the iron?