My corals are starving ICP-MS

[Rixar]

Hello friends

I've been struggling for several weeks to keep my corals colorful; they're all slowly bleaching.

I ran an ICP-MS and was amazed.

I have several problems.

- Density is a bit low (I measure with Hanna)
- Low phosphate (I measure phosphorus with Hanna and always get the correct readings)
- Some heavy metals

I don't know if I should check for anything else. I'd like some help, as I don't know how to interpret it properly.

I measure nitrate, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and carbonate weekly, and everything is stable and correct week after week.

Even so, my corals aren't growing, algae isn't growing, and my tank is too clean.

I change 2 gallons of water a week. I have a 10-gallon waterbox, remove the sand, and clean my filter twice a week. I have activated carbon 24/7.

I have some 3D-printed parts in the water.

My osmosis water test is correct.

Sorry if my English isn't very good; it's not my language.

Thank you all very much.

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels? How often do you do water changes? Also, what are you using for lighting and flow? A full tank picture would help too.

Off hand, I would lean towards not enough nutrients in the water or possibly to much light. (or not enough flow)

 

[Rixar]

What are your phosphate and nitrate levels? How often do you do water changes? Also, what are you using for lighting and flow? A full tank picture would help too.

Off hand, I would lean towards not enough nutrients in the water or possibly to much light. (or not enough flow)

This is my waterbox



- My nitrates fluctuate 10 - 15 ppm
- My phosphate, after measuring with Hanna Phosphorus: Fluctuates between 0.04 and 0.12
- I light 12 hours a day with an Ai prime, I have had aquariums for many years, the lighting is correct.
- The movement is smooth and pleasant throughout the aquarium.

My biggest concern, and I believe the main problem, is understanding why I have phosphorus in the aquarium, but it's not being converted into available phosphate.

I don't know if this can be corrected by adding bacteria or by cleaning the aquarium less.

The metals aren't alarming, and I can manage them by doing several extra water changes to monitor them.

 

[Pod_01]

Hello friends

I've been struggling for several weeks to keep my corals colorful; they're all slowly bleaching.

I ran an ICP-MS and was amazed.

I have several problems.

- Density is a bit low (I measure with Hanna)
- Low phosphate (I measure phosphorus with Hanna and always get the correct readings)
- Some heavy metals

I don't know if I should check for anything else. I'd like some help, as I don't know how to interpret it properly.

I measure nitrate, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and carbonate weekly, and everything is stable and correct week after week.

Even so, my corals aren't growing, algae isn't growing, and my tank is too clean.

I change 2 gallons of water a week. I have a 10-gallon waterbox, remove the sand, and clean my filter twice a week. I have activated carbon 24/7.

I have some 3D-printed parts in the water.

My osmosis water test is correct.

Sorry if my English isn't very good; it's not my language.

Thank you all very much.

Just my opinion based on the ICP-MS results.

I would try to bring the PO4 higher, at the levels shown in the ICP some corals may starve. I like 0.1ppm and your Hanna values look good but perhaps try to reduce these dips to 0.08ppm. I had seen negative responses from corals when PO4 was trending down to the 0.04ppm threshold.

Also your Zn (zinc) and Cu(copper) seems high. I am not sure if those could be cause for concern but I would try to reduce these two values. Al is elevated as well, may not be an issue.

Your osmosis water looks good to me.

Also I believe there is no P in reef tank, most of P is in PO4 form. Hanna checker and most titration test only check for OrthoPhosphate. Phosphorus tends to burn…

Good luck,

 

[rtparty]

There are many phosphate additives on the market so you could check around and see what’s available in your area. A DIY phosphate additive is very easy and usually much cheaper than pre made. Check Amazon or whoever else is available for trisodium phosphate. Food grade or some other high purity grade is good enough for our use.

You could try dosing a little bit to see if you see any improvements

You can also back off on the water changes. 10% weekly is plenty. What do you mean by “remove the sand”?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My biggest concern, and I believe the main problem, is understanding why I have phosphorus in the aquarium, but it's not being converted into available phosphate.

I don't know if this can be corrected by adding bacteria or by cleaning the aquarium less.

I’m not sure that such a situation ever occurs, and I see no evidence of it in this case. You just have phosphate on the low side.

 

[Rixar]

There are many phosphate additives on the market so you could check around and see what’s available in your area. A DIY phosphate additive is very easy and usually much cheaper than pre made. Check Amazon or whoever else is available for trisodium phosphate. Food grade or some other high purity grade is good enough for our use.

You could try dosing a little bit to see if you see any improvements

You can also back off on the water changes. 10% weekly is plenty. What do you mean by “remove the sand”?

I remove the sand with a turkey baster, so that the detritus comes out into the water column and my filter sponge collects it, I do this twice a week and remove the detritus when I clean the sponge.

I'm adding potassium phosphate, and my phosphate levels are correct according to my Hanna Phosphorus ULR. I'm thinking of taking measurements at different times of the day.

I've also thought about removing the activated carbon.

 

[Rixar]

I’m not sure that such a situation ever occurs, and I see no evidence of it in this case. You just have phosphate on the low side.

Could the marine fauna measurement be incorrect?

My Hanna Phosphor URL test indicates phosphorus, and even though the checker was defective, I also see the vial turning slightly blue.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Could the marine fauna measurement be incorrect?

My Hanna Phosphor URL test indicates phosphorus, and even though the checker was defective, I also see the vial turning slightly blue.

What measurements are you thinking do not coincide? Just icp vs your Hanna?

Phosphate is a known issue which can change on storage on its way to icp, by, say, algae or bacteria growing in the sample if it is not filtered during collection.

 

[Rixar]

What measurements are you thinking do not coincide? Just icp vs your Hanna?

Phosphate is a known issue which can change on storage on its way to icp, by, say, algae or bacteria growing in the sample if it is not filtered during collection.

I think the marine fauna test may be failing. I did filter my water when I collected the samples, as indicated in the instructions.

However, my Hanna readings may not be 100% reliable, but they clearly indicate that there is phosphate in the water.

I feed my fish twice a day.
I feed them twice a week with reef roids.

I have several ideas:

- Measure a full day at different times to see how the phosphorus levels behave throughout the day (I always take my measurements first thing in the morning before the lights come on).
- Only clean my filter once a week.
- Remove my activated carbon for a while to see the effect.
- Increase the PO4 levels I detect with Hanna by adding phosphate.

I don't quite understand why my corals are showing signs of starvation. I started using Pohl's Coral Vitalizer this week to see if it helps.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I think the marine fauna test may be failing. I did filter my water when I collected the samples, as indicated in the instructions.

However, my Hanna readings may not be 100% reliable, but they clearly indicate that there is phosphate in the water.

I feed my fish twice a day.
I feed them twice a week with reef roids.

I have several ideas:

- Measure a full day at different times to see how the phosphorus levels behave throughout the day (I always take my measurements first thing in the morning before the lights come on).
- Only clean my filter once a week.
- Remove my activated carbon for a while to see the effect.
- Increase the PO4 levels I detect with Hanna by adding phosphate.

I don't quite understand why my corals are showing signs of starvation. I started using Pohl's Coral Vitalizer this week to see if it helps.

What value did you get from Hanna when you sent out for icp?

 

[Rixar]

What value did you get from Hanna when you sent out for icp?

Phosphorus: 46ppb

Converting to phosphate, it would be 0.14

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’d stick with the Hanna number. As mentioned, phosphate by icp often does not match.

 

[Rixar]

So what do you think the problem could be? The AI says it's a lack of organic carbon due to the constant use of activated carbon.

 

[Rixar]

I’d stick with the Hanna number. As mentioned, phosphate by icp often does not match.

So what do you think the problem could be? The AI says it's a lack of organic carbon due to the constant use of activated carbon.

 

[Troylee]

So what do you think the problem could be? The AI says it's a lack of organic carbon due to the constant use of activated carbon.

I’d stop cleaning the sand twice a week to start lol.. once every few months maybe and don’t remove it! A gravel vac works just fine.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

So what do you think the problem could be? The AI says it's a lack of organic carbon due to the constant use of activated carbon.

Lol

I was just listening to a podcast where someone asked whether Malcolm Jamal Warner had recently died, and ChatGPT emphatically said no. When pressed with “ are you sure” it changed its answer and cited the multiple reliable sources just as it had for the fake info.

Low organics is not causing coral problems.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I don’t see an obvious problem
In the icp. Some metals are elevated, but not enough that I’d expect bleaching.

Feeding more in case the Hanna is way off is a fine plan.

 

[Rixar]

Perfect, thanks everyone! Tomorrow I'm going to a store to have my phosphorus measured with their hanna, so I can check if mine is wrong. I'll report back in a few weeks.

 

[Rixar]

I’d stop cleaning the sand twice a week to start lol.. once every few months maybe and don’t remove it! A gravel vac works just fine.

Hahaha, I don't remove the sand from the tank. I just can't find the word in your language. I direct a stream of water with a turkey baster. The sand releases the detritus into the water column.