Iodine and Aluminum holding steady even with water changes.

[Edgecrusher28]

As the title says, I have what I feel like is a slightly bizarre case where I can not seem to reduce Iodine or Aluminum with water changes or media use. For example, my Iodine levels spiked after several weeks of dosing, and they have now been stuck at 181.7 µg/l after 5 or so 30% water changes and of course a complete halt on dosing. Additionally, I was really hoping that the small amount of AI showing up in my ICP test was the cause of my soft coral issues. However, after two sperate 30% water changes and a heavy substrate/sump vacuuming along with two weeks of running PolyFilter and Cuprisorb my latest ICP test showed an increase in AI from 15 µg/l back to 25 µg/l which oddly enough is where it always seems to find balance (level wise) when I look over my ICP result from the last year. The one lingering doubt I have is the fact that I have 1.5 gallons of Marine Pure bio balls in the sump both in an active and passive filtration setup. Just because, I am going to remove them completely and re-test in a few weeks. I was however, curious to know if there would be a more common and perhaps easily overlooked reason why these levels would not reduce even with lots of water changes if they were not being introduced through food or dosing?

Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I don't think those aluminum levels are problematic, and the iodine might be in your salt mix, so it wouldn't decline. But many foods also contain it and you may be adding it in foods as fast as it is used or water changed out.

 

[Edgecrusher28]

I don't think those aluminum levels are problematic, and the iodine might be in your salt mix, so it wouldn't decline. But many foods also contain it and you may be adding it in foods as fast as it is used or water changed out.

Coming from food has crossed my mind, but I am only using frozen foods so doesn't seem super likely but what the heck do I know. I have seen several of your post where you had mentioned most levels of AI we find in our tanks were not perhaps toxic, but what about being high enough to be an irritant? This tank has a soft coral plague going on, and I have treated problem frags with broad spectrum Antibiotics, anti-pathogenic, bacterial, parasitic, and fungal treatments will no improvement. Just desperately looking for a solution is all.

 

[Kirkfrey]

I have similar but mainly with iodine. In my ICP tests it continues to rise. I stopped all dosing of things like Tropic Marin All For Reef thinking that might be it but it continues to rise. Iodine is now over 1000 ug/l (yes, one thousand). Aluminum is 98 ug/l which I know is high as well. I to refreshed some Marine Pure balls since the originals were starting to decay so maybe that is the common denominator. I hadnt thought about them until this thread. Not sure I can take my nitrate reactor all the way offline to test though.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I have similar but mainly with iodine. In my ICP tests it continues to rise. I stopped all dosing of things like Tropic Marin All For Reef thinking that might be it but it continues to rise. Iodine is now over 1000 ug/l (yes, one thousand). Aluminum is 98 ug/l which I know is high as well. I to refreshed some Marine Pure balls since the originals were starting to decay so maybe that is the common denominator. I hadnt thought about them until this thread. Not sure I can take my nitrate reactor all the way offline to test though.

I cannot imagine a process where Marinepure spheres cause elevated iodine.

Which ICP company? It may just be test error. FWIW, high phosphate can interfere and cause false high iodine readings if the company doing it is not very careful.

 

[Kirkfrey]

ATI ICP tests. its been higher than I want for more than a year
29-April-23 - 1006
3-March-23 - 294
22-Nov-22 - 917
19-July-22 - 284
27-May-22 - 356
14-April-22 - 240
25-Feb-22 - 61

Other than water changes (I do a weekly 15-20%) is there a way to remove iodine?

Most other parameters are +/- good for all of those tests.

It 0 in my RO water for all of those tests and I use Tropic Marin which I didnt think had crazy amounts of iodine in it.

 

[Edgecrusher28]

ATI ICP tests. its been higher than I want for more than a year
29-April-23 - 1006
3-March-23 - 294
22-Nov-22 - 917
19-July-22 - 284
27-May-22 - 356
14-April-22 - 240
25-Feb-22 - 61

Other than water changes (I do a weekly 15-20%) is there a way to remove iodine?

Most other parameters are +/- good for all of those tests.

It 0 in my RO water for all of those tests and I use Tropic Marin which I didnt think had crazy amounts of iodine in it.

A majority of my ICP tests also came from ATI. However I did have a hand full done via ICPAnalysis.com during the same time which also showed elevated Iodine right around the same levels as ATI. One odd bit about the Iodine was I was dosing per ATI's recommendation and it showed undetectable for a few weeks (Weekly testing) until the following (3rd) test came back at 687 ug/l. So I somehow went from no Iodine to 10 times the recommended amount even under the watch of ICP testing. Furthermore, I have done well over a 300% water change over the months since then and the Iodine and Aluminum levels are stuck. I have since removed every last piece of Marine Pure in this tank, began dosing Microbacter7 during the transition and will send out another ICP test here in a week or sure. I just tossed in some fresh Cuprisorb, so I will give that some time to work.

 

[Edgecrusher28]

I cannot imagine a process where Marinepure spheres cause elevated iodine.

Which ICP company? It may just be test error. FWIW, high phosphate can interfere and cause false high iodine readings if the company doing it is not very careful.

No idea if what happened to my levels has any relation to the Marine Pure balls; however. After fully removing this media from my tank and completing a 20% water change I sent off another ICP test and the results are back. As expected, my aluminum levels went from 20µg/l to 8µg/l with that small water change (to be expected right). However, what strikes me as odd was, even though I have done well over 300% worth of water changes previously throughout a few months time. Aluminum never went below 20µg/l until the marine pure was removed. Secondly, what I found very interesting was that the most recent ICP test results came back with detectable Manganese 2.11 µg/. This was an element that was never detectable even after adding over 100ml off ATI Mangan over the course of a few moths, until magically the Marine Pure was removed (Haven't dosed Manganese in months before this test).

 

[Kirkfrey]

I’m in the same boat. just did a water change. Going to send off an ICP in the morning then take the marine pure out. I’ll do a couple water changes and in a few weeks send off another ICP to see what happens. see What happens….

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

No idea if what happened to my levels has any relation to the Marine Pure balls; however. After fully removing this media from my tank and completing a 20% water change I sent off another ICP test and the results are back. As expected, my aluminum levels went from 20µg/l to 8µg/l with that small water change (to be expected right). However, what strikes me as odd was, even though I have done well over 300% worth of water changes previously throughout a few months time. Aluminum never went below 20µg/l until the marine pure was removed. Secondly, what I found very interesting was that the most recent ICP test results came back with detectable Manganese 2.11 µg/. This was an element that was never detectable even after adding over 100ml off ATI Mangan over the course of a few moths, until magically the Marine Pure was removed (Haven't dosed Manganese in months before this test).

I certainly do not doubt the Marinepure may have been impacting aluminum.

 

[Edgecrusher28]

I certainly do not doubt the Marinepure may have been impacting aluminum.

Well I was not very surprised at the Aluminum levels coming down; however. What I was surprised by was the fact that Manganese was finally detectable, keeping in mind I had already gone through 100ml of Magan over the course of a few months. Despite that amount of dosing, that element was never detectable until the marine pure was gone and magically it was there, even though I haven't dosed Mg in months.