Never done an ICP test.... Normal?

[jermzisurmom]

Have u ever done an ICP test? I have never done an ICP test in three yrs now and I have had things like rusty hose clamps to sea hares dying and going into my wave maker, and still have what I would call a successful mixed reef tank. I may be extremely lucky... How many others r like myself in this hobby??

 

[Utubereefer]

I used to. I didn’t think it was cost effective.

 

[CHSUB]

I do ICP regularly, few times a year. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it is fun and interesting to see the results. So why not?

 

[jermzisurmom]

https://youtube.com/@jermzisurmom?si=b9-xh3WgJA3FBh-D

 

[Reef Jedi]

I’ve never done one, in my experience it hasn’t been needed.

 

[EricR]

I do roughly 2 per year,,, just to look for anything significantly out of whack,,, and also to keep an eye on any trace elements I might be dosing experimentally.

 

[Slider162]

I have never done one, but I like the idea of doing one when everything is doing great so you have a baseline. To me, it is just a snapshot in time. By the time you get your results back, things could have changed.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I do it every 30 days. But I would like to get to quarterly. Not sure that will be realistic for me though.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I've never done, its not for me, not interested. Even if it was free, I wouldn't know what to do with all that info, most of which I don't understand.

 

[Peer.Boerner]

Just submitted my first. Interested in using trace elements but wanted to get an idea about where some of them stand along with other macro level ions.

 

[commod0re]

Never done one

 

[jcdeng]

Never done it since when I started my tank these things weren't available. I base my tank's health on how well my sps' are doing, if I see PE on them I am at ease. But curious to do one though.

 

[BryanM]

Have u ever done an ICP test? I have never done an ICP test in three yrs now and I have had things like rusty hose clamps to sea hares dying and going into my wave maker, and still have what I would call a successful mixed reef tank. I may be extremely lucky... How many others r like myself in this hobby??

There are tons just like you in the hobby. I would hazard a guess you're a regular water changer.

I am not, I don't do them at all, and as such I tend to use ICP results to validate what I am doing is actually working.

 

[jermzisurmom]

There are tons just like you in the hobby. I would hazard a guess you're a regular water changer.

I am not, I don't do them at all, and as such I tend to use ICP results to validate what I am doing is actually working.

Well said and yes every week 30gl!! 6 effin buckets, and I don't have a rodi system so I drive 30 min away to fill them up. It's a Saturday thing.... I love it.

 

[rtparty]

There are tons just like you in the hobby. I would hazard a guess you're a regular water changer.

I am not, I don't do them at all, and as such I tend to use ICP results to validate what I am doing is actually working.

Water changes aren’t doing anything for trace element replenishment. They may keep some elements from bottoming out but unless you’re doing 100% daily changes, they can never keep up with consumption

 

[exnisstech]

I think they could be useful if a tank is struggling and a person can not figure out what the problem is. Other than that I see no need. If my tanks are doing well I don't know why i would bother. Some people love solving problems and look for things wrong. Others just do them out of curiosity or to track changes over time or verify home test result. They have a purpose its just not something I've ever felt the need for so I don't do them.
I did once out of curiosity years ago and sent two RODI samples pulled from the same container since I was testing two tanks and an RODI test was included. The RODI tests came back with totally different results so any confidence i had in the testing was destroyed but my curiosity was also gone lol.

PS
Multiple votes aren't an option or I would have also picked I just do regular testing. I only test Alk, NO3 and PO4 regularly and calcium every few months. I randomly test tank salinty.

 

[BriDroid]

I've done a few of them and I'm not 100% convinced that they are necessary. All it did was make me start chasing numbers for elements that were low or missing. Did the coral benefit? Not that I could see. I'll probably do one once a year moving forward. It's nice to see what is coming out of the RODI filter as much or more than what is in/or missing from the tank.

I'm really interested in doing one of those biome tests, again I'm not sure if it's needed, it's more just for my info. They are just expensive.

 

[Reginald Reefer III]

1 every month as part of RMS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I’m not a fan of the choices, since they may mean different things to different people.

I tested by icp ms and plan to again in the future but not what would be called regularly,

I have never tested calcium or magnesium and home and do not plan to, but I do test alk once every few weeks.

 

[BriDroid]

I’m not a fan of the choices, since they may mean different things to different people.

I tested by icp ms and plan to again in the future but not what would be called regularly,

I have never tested calcium or magnesium and home and do not plan to, but I do test alk once every few weeks.

I wish I had your confidence that everything is going right. It kills me to not check alk at least once every 2nd or 3rd day