Opinions on ICP test

[Rpc07]

One odd thing about ICP-Analysis.com is that they don’t show your salinity on the report screen. However, if you click the “Share Results” button it will download a jpg image that does show the salinity at the upper right corner. Here’s mine:

Check what it reported for you salinity.

Wow you may have just saved my tank! My Hanna pen reads 1.025 but the Icp test says 38.48.

and to answer the other questions I run a small amount of carbon changed every 2-3 weeks, no gfo and 10% water change every 8-10 days

 

[Rpc07]

Never mind, I recalibrated the Hanna salinity pen and it’s reading 1.024, I broke out the refractometer and calibrated that and my salinity was dead on 1.025. I’m not sure how they came up with the number they did, maybe some water evaporated and gave them an elevated reading?

 

[SuncrestReef]

Never mind, I recalibrated the Hanna salinity pen and it’s reading 1.024, I broke out the refractometer and calibrated that and my salinity was dead on 1.025. I’m not sure how they came up with the number they did, maybe some water evaporated and gave them an elevated reading?

How long ago did you send the water sample for ICP? It's possible your salinity was off at that time and has since been corrected. Just to be safe, I'd recommend you ask your LFS to check your salinity to confirm your Hanna readings.

 

[Rpc07]

How long ago did you send the water sample for ICP? It's possible your salinity was off at that time and has since been corrected. Just to be safe, I'd recommend you ask your LFS to check your salinity to confirm your Hanna readings.

Very possible, I’ve triple checked at this point. I have 2 different 35ppt calibration solutions which I checked the refractometer with and still the tank was bang on 1.025

 

[joseserrano]

Never mind, I recalibrated the Hanna salinity pen and it’s reading 1.024, I broke out the refractometer and calibrated that and my salinity was dead on 1.025. I’m not sure how they came up with the number they did, maybe some water evaporated and gave them an elevated reading?

running into the same issue with salt reading and ICP, I have had issues with them in the past with not the best customer service in response. I'm double checking with a friend's refracto to confirm.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Never mind, I recalibrated the Hanna salinity pen and it’s reading 1.024, I broke out the refractometer and calibrated that and my salinity was dead on 1.025. I’m not sure how they came up with the number they did, maybe some water evaporated and gave them an elevated reading?

Based on their comments in this forum, they do not, IMO, have a good understanding of chemistry. Maybe they did not do it correctly.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How long ago did you send the water sample for ICP? It's possible your salinity was off at that time and has since been corrected. Just to be safe, I'd recommend you ask your LFS to check your salinity to confirm your Hanna readings.

Evaporation from a closed container seems pretty unlikely to be detectable in this fashion.

 

[joseserrano]

Based on their comments in this forum, they do not, IMO, have a good understanding of chemistry. Maybe they did not do it correctly.

hey randy, is there one you recommend/prefer?

 

[Rpc07]

Evaporation from a closed container seems pretty unlikely to be detectable in this fashion.

I thought the same thing but I was just trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[h2so4hurts]

Not sure I agree this was caused by something that happened weeks ago that you can't fix. If that was the case, every time you bought a frag, it'd die. It also hasn't been my experience that you can't stop STN once you get your params back in range and stable. Have you checked the skeletons for red bugs, black bugs, or flatworms? Have you added any undipped corals in the last few weeks?

 

[Rpc07]

Not sure I agree this was caused by something that happened weeks ago that you can't fix. If that was the case, every time you bought a frag, it'd die. It also hasn't been my experience that you can't stop STN once you get your params back in range and stable. Have you checked the skeletons for red bugs, black bugs, or flatworms? Have you added any undipped corals in the last few weeks?

Yeah o overlook the skeletons when I pull them and they are sparkling white with nothing on them. I also have never added any coral into this system without dipping it and if it’s an acro I Glue it to a new frag plug.

 

[h2so4hurts]

Any fish nibbling on them? I have a couple Angels in my tank that get an eye for a frag once in a while and once that happens it's bright white within a few days

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

hey randy, is there one you recommend/prefer?

I don’t have any comparative data on the others. There are disturbing differences in values when the same water is sent to multiple vendors, but I do not know who is best. Just that I would avoid this one.

 

[h2so4hurts]

ICP testing is a great way to get you to do more ICP testing. It's a self fulfilling prophecy and there's a lot of upside if you do it badly. My recommendation would be to stick to your Hanna, salifert, red sea standbys.

 

[joseserrano]

I don’t have any comparative data on the others. There are disturbing differences in values when the same water is sent to multiple vendors, but I do not know who is best. Just that I would avoid this one.

Ty. I have also noticed differences in tests. I have sent multiple samples all taken at the same time and ran into this issue. I appreciate your honesty and assistance

 

[Rpc07]

Any fish nibbling on them? I have a couple Angels in my tank that get an eye for a frag once in a while and once that happens it's bright white within a few days

Not that I know of but I also don’t have any fish known to nibble.

 

[Rpc07]

Just ran a full test on the tank.
Sg 1.025 calibrated Hanna pen & refractometer
Ph 8.1 Hanna pen
Temp 78.8 Hanna temp probe
Alk 8.4 Salifert
Cal 480 Salifert
Mag 1440 Salifert
N03 6ppm Salifert
P04 0.18 Hanna ultra low range phosphate

the only test I am skeptical about is p04, i tested about 30 minutes after feeding frozen food so that may have thrown it off I will retest tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Rpc07]

Hmm, what’s your tank size and what lights are you running? Have you checked PAR? Do you perform water changes?

I’m running the Reef breeder photon v2+ and the sps are getting between 250-350 par, I have an apogee 210.

 

[DeniableArc]

When your acros start dying chances are it was something that happened weeeks, if not a few months ago. What did you change? when my po4 was bottomed out it took 3 months for my tank to crash (F U Red Sea ph osphate test showiong me .08)

G’day from Australia! That was my crash as well Red Sea p04 showing 0.08 it wasn’t till I got Dino’s I had a icp and came back 0.003.

 

[Rpc07]

And here they are this morning.