ICP results suggested corrections - water change or dose first?

[Nubbie]

I got my ICP results today and it says that I have high tin, iron, zinc, and manganese. Probably because I was an idiot and overdosed chaetogro.

It also said I was low on magnesium, strontium, iodine, etc.

Here is where I am confused. It’s telling me to do 6x 15% water changes in help section and then telling me to dose the mag and trace elements in dose section.

Am I supposed to do the 6 x water changes first then dose the amounts it tells me to? Or do I dose the amounts and then do the 6 x water changes?

It’s really confusing on what I should be doing. Please advise!

 

[daelie]

The water changes are to help correct your high contaminants. While doing the water changes, you'll also end up correcting the low Mg, Sr, etc. If you do the water changes, you shouldn't need to do the additional dosing to correct those parameters.

The extra dosing is to just correct the low elements as if you're not going to do any water changes. Technically you could dose them before doing the water changes, but I would personally just do the water changes and call it a day.

 

[Nubbie]

I guess my confusion is if you do the water changes, then add the supplement, did triton account for you doing this in their dosing recommendation because couldn’t you technically overdose doing this?

If you dose first, then do the water changes, it does seem like a huge waste. However, it does make the most logical sense because you essentially first “correct” your water and then you are changing out water 6x with “correct” water in order to dilute out the “bad stuff”.

If I just do the water changes, wouldn’t there still be a deficiency of trace elements? I don’t really know the exact math, but I’m pretty sure even 15% x 6 isn’t that much water overall....maybe 50-60%?

 

[daelie]

I would assume the system that tells you what the corrections are is automated and doesn't take into account whether or not you also are recommended to do the water changes or not.

Water changes would work out to just over 60% effective water change, so yes you'd technically be deficient if what you're replacing it with was at NSW levels, but some salt mixes tend to be higher.

You should post your ICP results to see what's deficient. Personally, I'd rather be a little deficient in some of the good stuff, as long as it's not too out of whack, than having something contaminating my water, so I'd be doing the water changes before worrying about correcting something else, again assuming it's not too out of line.

 

[Chris Villalobos]

How high is your Tin? Probably not coming from Chaetogro. More likely a something metallic corroding in your tank.

 

[gpwdr]

Nubbie, you don’t have to do the water changes if everything looks good in your tank. The test results are telling you what to do if you are having a problem. If the tank looks great just add in the missing elements. If the corals are taking a turn for the worst, then do a water change and add the missing elements at the same time.

 

[K7BMG]

Everybody has high TIN. Don't know why but its true.

I just got my results back today.
The tank is completely new just starting the cycle.
The sump is new.
The only thing I have used for my old system is the Varios 8 return pump, and that is less than a year old, and has been closely inspected.
100 lbs of bleach cleaned, then soaked in Prime for 48 hours, then dried for two months rock.
80 lbs of new triple rinsed by myself crushed coral for the bed.

So there is no tin item or other metal item corroding in or around the tank or sump.
I use Tropic Marin Pro salt that is Triton recommended by the way, but my Tin is through the roof.

My RO/DI system is above and beyond most others and have replaced all the media prior to making the water for this tank.
In this order

One Big Blue canister filter with a 5005 sediment filter before the BRS 7 stage RO/DI unit
One new BRS Sediment filter
Two new BRS charcoal cartridges
Two new BRS RO filters.
fresh BRS DI resins installed to include
20 inches of Cation
20 inches of Anion
20 inches of mixed bed
All were replaced before I made the water for this system.
Salinity was read by my Hanna HI98319 to read 1.026. Was actually 1.030.
(I now know the Hanna was faulty, link to my Hanna post .)
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/hanna-hi98319-salinity-checker.685821/
I took the sample before I added my bacteria to start the tank cycle.

I am on a well so no chlorines to remove.

So my results at a 1.030 salinity. The critical items I highlighted.

 

[gpwdr]

Only do a water change if there is something wrong with the tank. High tin may not be causing any problems.