Lasse
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My Tank Thread
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Hi
I start this thread because I think it could be a good thing to report results of Organo-MS tests and how they reflect one's own aquarium and what conclusions one can draw from the tests. I welcome everyone else to publish their results - preferably with a small description of how the aquarium is maintained - in this thread so it could help how to evaluate the result of this new tool we get from Oceamo
I´ll start with my own test I did a week ago (got the result yesterday)
My tank is more than 9 years old. Since 7,5 years I have not done any regular WC. I have replace some lost water from analyses and from my skimmer and done two larger WC. One just before I stop doing regular WC (I changed around 80 % of the water - using Red Sea Blue bucket) and one around 2.5 years ago (90 L in nine 10 L batches using Oceamo corrector). I also did a smaller WC of 4 * 5 L 2 weeks ago (Oceamo Corrector).
I send in a Organo-MS analyses to OCEAMO 1 week ago and considering my tanks long history of no regular WC - I expected a disastrous result – especially since I also use an artificial background that my sea urchins - in particular - gnaw on from time to time (the background is based on plastic – including a polyurethane foam). I also have problems with my skin so I use quite a lot of strong ointments (I don’t always use gloves).
I have also never dosed amino acids and during these more than 9 years I have only fed Ocean Nutrition frozen adult artemia and their frozen freshwater cyclops.
One can perhaps summarize that my care of my aquarium has been extreme and should show an accumulation of all these dangerous substances which according to all fears will be concentrated over time. At the same time, other important organic substances (read amino acids) and vitamins should be zero.
What was the result then?
Yes - this surprised me a bit. As for vitamins and amino acids - yes they were low but only one vitamin - Cyancobalamine - and one amino acid - Lysine - were not present in the sample.
Considering that I only feed natural frozen food (adult brine shrimp and freshwater copepods), the lack of Cyancobalamine is not surprising or worrisome as it is a synthetically produced vitamin B12 and is not found in natural food. Lysine is more important however as it is essential for fish. Fortunately, both brine shrimp and freshwater cyclops contain high levels of lysine but there is no excess of this substance in the water.
Although I use a protein skimmer (very dry skimming though) and have never added extra of them (neither in dry food nor as a supplement), they are still there as an excess in the water. Some are certainly produced in the aquarium itself by algae and microorganisms - some is certainly brought in with the food.
Of those that turned green in my test, all can be produced by bacteria - Pyridoxine is produced via fermentation which probably occurs in my deep sand bed with reverse flow. As far as I understand, Taurine is not produced by bacteria but by microalgae.
For all "green" substances in these two groups (Pyridoxine, Glutamic acid, Valine, Leucine + Isoleucine and Taurine) the internal production seems to be sufficient. The others - yellow and red - the internal production or the supply from adult frozen artemia and adult frozen cyclops is not sufficient to achieve the OCEAMO limit values but a certain supply must be present. Only one amino acid - Lysine - does not seem to give any excess in the water.
I had expected even worse since I do not add these substances either as a dosage or as an excess in dry food
Herbicides/Pesticides and Marine Toxins
Can´t be greener
I was a little bit concerns for Cyanobacteria toxins – although Organo-MS not quantify these toxins they can detect them in non-target-screening and they did not detect any known toxins from cyanobacteria as I know it
No other known pesticides were found
Neither were Antibiotics and Pharmaceutical residues found. I have a strict – no “medicenes” into the aquarium – however I had suspected Diclofenac to show up. Sometimes when my hands are affected by eczema that hurts, I use an ointment containing diclofenac and I am especially careful about washing and using gloves.
As expected, Plasticizers/plastic additives show up – but surprisingly - at low levels. @Christoph wrote that it was much lower than most tanks they have analyzed
Environmental Contaminants, Preservatives, PFAS - "Forever-chemicals" and other looks good too. I have no idea where the Butylparaben comes from but it can have entered by hands when I use cortisone cream
Untargeted Analysis. This is a mystery. From what I can gather, it is used in laboratories to produce more complex aromatic compounds, especially in research and education, but it also seems to be approved as a flavoring in food, but how it got into my aquarium - only the gods know.
I hope more people can report their Organo-MS results and their own conclusions in this thread so we can put together a good knowledge bank.
Sincerely Lasse
I start this thread because I think it could be a good thing to report results of Organo-MS tests and how they reflect one's own aquarium and what conclusions one can draw from the tests. I welcome everyone else to publish their results - preferably with a small description of how the aquarium is maintained - in this thread so it could help how to evaluate the result of this new tool we get from Oceamo
I´ll start with my own test I did a week ago (got the result yesterday)
My tank is more than 9 years old. Since 7,5 years I have not done any regular WC. I have replace some lost water from analyses and from my skimmer and done two larger WC. One just before I stop doing regular WC (I changed around 80 % of the water - using Red Sea Blue bucket) and one around 2.5 years ago (90 L in nine 10 L batches using Oceamo corrector). I also did a smaller WC of 4 * 5 L 2 weeks ago (Oceamo Corrector).
I send in a Organo-MS analyses to OCEAMO 1 week ago and considering my tanks long history of no regular WC - I expected a disastrous result – especially since I also use an artificial background that my sea urchins - in particular - gnaw on from time to time (the background is based on plastic – including a polyurethane foam). I also have problems with my skin so I use quite a lot of strong ointments (I don’t always use gloves).
I have also never dosed amino acids and during these more than 9 years I have only fed Ocean Nutrition frozen adult artemia and their frozen freshwater cyclops.
One can perhaps summarize that my care of my aquarium has been extreme and should show an accumulation of all these dangerous substances which according to all fears will be concentrated over time. At the same time, other important organic substances (read amino acids) and vitamins should be zero.
What was the result then?
Yes - this surprised me a bit. As for vitamins and amino acids - yes they were low but only one vitamin - Cyancobalamine - and one amino acid - Lysine - were not present in the sample.
Considering that I only feed natural frozen food (adult brine shrimp and freshwater copepods), the lack of Cyancobalamine is not surprising or worrisome as it is a synthetically produced vitamin B12 and is not found in natural food. Lysine is more important however as it is essential for fish. Fortunately, both brine shrimp and freshwater cyclops contain high levels of lysine but there is no excess of this substance in the water.
Although I use a protein skimmer (very dry skimming though) and have never added extra of them (neither in dry food nor as a supplement), they are still there as an excess in the water. Some are certainly produced in the aquarium itself by algae and microorganisms - some is certainly brought in with the food.
Of those that turned green in my test, all can be produced by bacteria - Pyridoxine is produced via fermentation which probably occurs in my deep sand bed with reverse flow. As far as I understand, Taurine is not produced by bacteria but by microalgae.
For all "green" substances in these two groups (Pyridoxine, Glutamic acid, Valine, Leucine + Isoleucine and Taurine) the internal production seems to be sufficient. The others - yellow and red - the internal production or the supply from adult frozen artemia and adult frozen cyclops is not sufficient to achieve the OCEAMO limit values but a certain supply must be present. Only one amino acid - Lysine - does not seem to give any excess in the water.
I had expected even worse since I do not add these substances either as a dosage or as an excess in dry food
Herbicides/Pesticides and Marine Toxins
Can´t be greener
I was a little bit concerns for Cyanobacteria toxins – although Organo-MS not quantify these toxins they can detect them in non-target-screening and they did not detect any known toxins from cyanobacteria as I know it
No other known pesticides were found
Neither were Antibiotics and Pharmaceutical residues found. I have a strict – no “medicenes” into the aquarium – however I had suspected Diclofenac to show up. Sometimes when my hands are affected by eczema that hurts, I use an ointment containing diclofenac and I am especially careful about washing and using gloves.
As expected, Plasticizers/plastic additives show up – but surprisingly - at low levels. @Christoph wrote that it was much lower than most tanks they have analyzed
Environmental Contaminants, Preservatives, PFAS - "Forever-chemicals" and other looks good too. I have no idea where the Butylparaben comes from but it can have entered by hands when I use cortisone cream
Untargeted Analysis. This is a mystery. From what I can gather, it is used in laboratories to produce more complex aromatic compounds, especially in research and education, but it also seems to be approved as a flavoring in food, but how it got into my aquarium - only the gods know.
I hope more people can report their Organo-MS results and their own conclusions in this thread so we can put together a good knowledge bank.
Sincerely Lasse
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