ICP Testing is in, would appreciate some input

[g5flier]

Hello R2R! This is such a great forum, am really hoping to get some insight on my ICP results. I've done the ATI and this is the first time for the ICP.

Results came back today, would really value some input on some of the numbers. If some feedback from Randy Holmes- Farley that would be AMAZING, you have been such a help in so many areas throughout the last 12 months in getting my reef tank going.

System is 139 gallons and turning 1 next month.

Here they are...thanks in advance.

 

[Cory]

Everything looks good except for rubidium being 2.8. No idea what that would do.

Also id like to raise sulphur at little. Did you have any problems to attract you to doing icp testing?

 

[g5flier]

Everything looks good except for rubidium being 2.2. No idea what that would do.

Also id like to raise sulphur at little. Did you have any problems to attract you to doing icp testing?

Thank you for taking a look. My tank looks fantastic, softies, LPS and clams do quite well and no issues. Flow and lighting is all good. That being said, I can't grow an SPS coral to save my life in this tank. Montipora frags do well for 4-6 weeks and then turn brown and eventually die. Tank is close to 1 year old now and really coming together but SPS just haunts me. I started the tank with totally dead rock (Marcos) and after reading an article by Mike Paletta on introducing Live Rock I thought I had beat the SPS problems but frags placed in the tank a couple months ago are not doing well.

 

[don_chuwish]

Dosing anything? I've only ever seen monti die off when I have a bad Alk swing for whatever reason.

 

[g5flier]

Dosing anything? I've only ever seen monti die off when I have a bad Alk swing for whatever reason.

Alk is nearly rock solid at 9.0 (Hanna).

 

[Cory]

Thank you for taking a look. My tank looks fantastic, softies, LPS and clams do quite well and no issues. Flow and lighting is all good. That being said, I can't grow an SPS coral to save my life in this tank. Montipora frags do well for 4-6 weeks and then turn brown and eventually die. Tank is close to 1 year old now and really coming together but SPS just haunts me. I started the tank with totally dead rock (Marcos) and after reading an article by Mike Paletta on introducing Live Rock I thought I had beat the SPS problems but frags placed in the tank a couple months ago are not doing well.

Browning is an indication of high po4/no3 although your icp doesnt suggest high po4. Algae issues?

 

[Cory]

Maybe post a pic of your problem sps.

 

[g5flier]

Browning is an indication of high po4/no3 although your icp doesnt suggest high po4. Algae issues?

Nothing terrible, some bubble but it’s under control, some minor GHA, but added some turbos and it’s less then half of what it was, getting better every day.

 

[g5flier]

Maybe post a pic of your problem sps.

I could tomorrow, lights are off for the night.

 

[Cory]

I could tomorrow, lights are off for the night.

Id definitely put up a pic tomorrow then. Since theres lots of softies, it could be allopathy harming them. Got a devils hand in there?

 

[Cory]

Devils hand leather coral:

 

[g5flier]

Devils hand leather coral:

Maybe post a pic of your problem sps.

Cory, here you go. Not the best photo but one on the left is a red monti and on the right is a green monti. Both have lost nearly all color and turning brown. Its very strange; both went in the tank and nearly doubled in size within the first month, then downhill since NOV. I monitor everything at least weekly and keep a full log book, nothing has really changed. What is happening to these is exactly what's happened to every SPS frag I've put in this tank. Open to any suggestions at this stage. I have another tank that is only 6 weeks old I started with live rock and its doing fine. This one has me totally stumped and frustrated.

In terms of softies, not so many. I have a colt coral and a green leather which is on the opposite side of the tank. Nothing is near either of these two montis.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I do not have a lot of confidence in this company, and some of the results are likely test error (even their NSW results). The rubidium is a negative value and is not accurate, obviously.

The sulfate is not seriously low and may just reflect the salt mix you are using.

I don't see anything notable to worry about.

 

[g5flier]

I do not have a lot of confidence in this company, and some of the results are likely test error (even their NSW results). The rubidium is a negative value and is not accurate, obviously.

The sulfate is not seriously low and may just reflect the salt mix you are using.

I don't see anything notable to worry about.

Randy thanks for taking a look, feeling more relieved!

I've only had my water tested once before and it was from ATI. I went to ICP this time only because I received the test kit for free. Personally I liked the ATI much better, they tested for many things that ICP did not; basic things like Alkalinity, Nitrate, Salinity, etc, was pretty surprised to get back the results w/o these basic items included.

 

[Cory]

Cory, here you go. Not the best photo but one on the left is a red monti and on the right is a green monti. Both have lost nearly all color and turning brown. Its very strange; both went in the tank and nearly doubled in size within the first month, then downhill since NOV. I monitor everything at least weekly and keep a full log book, nothing has really changed. What is happening to these is exactly what's happened to every SPS frag I've put in this tank. Open to any suggestions at this stage. I have another tank that is only 6 weeks old I started with live rock and its doing fine. This one has me totally stumped and frustrated.

In terms of softies, not so many. I have a colt coral and a green leather which is on the opposite side of the tank. Nothing is near either of these two montis.

Its hard to tell but does it look like diatom algae growing or algae? What are your nitrates at? Your corals might be starving.

 

[g5flier]

Its hard to tell but does it look like diatom algae growing or algae? What are your nitrates at? Your corals might be starving.

Thanks for staying on this, clearly need some help! The brown is diatoms, it blows right off. RedSea test kit shows nitrates at 12ppm. I will say that when I first added some new live rock my nitrates got to 20 ppm and that's when the monti's grew a bunch and had good color. However that seems high and even 12 is higher then I would like. I have Potassium Nitrate in the house so I could take the Nitrates back to 20 as a test, what do you think? I guess at this point not a lot to loose.

 

[Cory]

Thanks for staying on this, clearly need some help! The brown is diatoms, it blows right off. RedSea test kit shows nitrates at 12ppm. I will say that when I first added some new live rock my nitrates got to 20 ppm and that's when the monti's grew a bunch and had good color. However that seems high and even 12 is higher then I would like. I have Potassium Nitrate in the house so I could take the Nitrates back to 20 as a test, what do you think? I guess at this point not a lot to loose.

Diatoms need silicate. Omce the silicate is gone they die. Look for the source. Sand and especially make up water.

 

[g5flier]

Last time I did an ATI test in SEPTEMBER my RODI water had high Silicates . Since then I replaced the DI and added two additional stages of DI. So if I still have silicates I have no idea where they could be coming from. I feed Mysis but always rinse it before it goes in tank.



Any thoughts to my bringing up the Nitrates higher?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Last time I did an ATI test in SEPTEMBER my RODI water had high Silicates . Since then I replaced the DI and added two additional stages of DI. So if I still have silicates I have no idea where they could be coming from. I feed Mysis but always rinse it before it goes in tank.



Any thoughts to my bringing up the Nitrates higher?

If you have diatoms, raising nitrate is not generally likely to deter them. What is your nitrate now? In general, keeping a few ppm nitrate is a good idea.

On the Si, just know that what you are seeing isn't necessarily silicate. Any Si compound or small particulate shows up in ICP. Do you use any media like Siporax?

FWIW, I dosed silicate to about 200 ug/L silicon equivalent about once a week.

 

[g5flier]

If you have diatoms, raising nitrate is not generally likely to deter them. What is your nitrate now? In general, keeping a few ppm nitrate is a good idea.

On the Si, just know that what you are seeing isn't necessarily silicate. Any Si compound or small particulate shows up in ICP. Do you use any media like Siporax?

FWIW, I dosed silicate to about 200 ug/L silicon equivalent about once a week.

Thanks Randy. My nitrate runs 8-10ppm. It was close to 20ppm when the montis were nicely colored.

I do have 2 marine pure blocks in my sump. Thoughts on those? Thanks!