Ph and metals.

[Miller535]

I have been fighting a issue with some unwanted metals in my water. Triton specifically said low ph could be the cause of the Iron in my water. But I also have some copper in my water. I have read a few articles that talked about how low ph can basically make metal in the aquarium become available in the water column. How does that happen? I have no rusted magnets or parts in my tank that I can see. I even drained and vacuumed out my sump. At one point I did have 2 rusty locks on my hood that I realized were really rusty and I could see rust powder on the rimm of the tank. I removed them. Have been doing 20% water changes weekly WITH using triton's detox since about October. I have had my water tested 3 times and while they have gone down a good bit, I am at a loss of how to remove them the rest of the way. What I am doing currently does not seem to be fixing the problem. Is it possible the low ph I had was allowing the metal to become available in the water column? Ph was 7.7-7.9 (This has been corrected and now I maintain between 8.08-8.2. Or as I am removing it and the levels lower, that allows for more metal to leach out of my sand and rock work? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Some tank info, system is a 125 gallon tank with a 55 gallon sump, I believe system water volume is 125 gallons. I was running biopellets which I stopped after my last triton test (Triton says biopellets could be a cause). Currently I am running Carbon and GFO. Here is my first Triton test, https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/94919. Here is my second, https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/93615. Here is my third, https://www.triton-lab.de/en/showroom/icp-oes/93670. Thank you

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Your metals (e.g., copper at 40 ppb, elevated zinc) are not from low pH at 7.7 or above. There is some other source. Iron is also not something typically to worry about. The others are.

did you previously use tap water on that rock?

 

[Miller535]

The tank has been running for about 7 years. Some of the rock was in a tank before that for about 2. So let's say the rock is about 9 years old. I did use tap water on it for probably the first 3 years. And I do have copper pipes in my home. After the first 3 years, I have been using a ro/di unit

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Might be copper in the rock, but the pH now is likely similar to what it has been for years and is not unusually low.

Low pH can desorb metals and phosphate from calcium carbonate, but it seems a substantial stretch to think it is now a problem.

 

[Miller535]

Triton detox with water changes has lowered my levels a lot. Mainly the copper and zinc, but they are still high. Do you think I should keep doing what I'm doing and it'll just take time? Or should I be doing something else?

 

[Miller535]

Also my tank currently has some kind of red algae issue. It does not look snotty to me like what I see in pictures of dino. And it does not look sheet like like cyano. I have zero nitrates according to my red sea test which I believe is why I have this algae. Not trying to change subjects, just wanted to give this information also in case it is related.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Detox is fine but you can also you other products such as cuprisorb, metasorb ir a polyfilter.

 

[Miller535]

I tried polyfilters and cuprisorb in between test 2 and test 3. I expected the polyfilter to change color to either the copper color or the iron color and it did not. I used them for probably 2 or 3 weeks in between water changes. As well as cuprisorb in a bag in a reactor. I am at a loss of what to do, other then staying the course of what I am already doing.

 

[Miller535]

I do not dose any trace elements. I use kalk and little bits of 2 part. IO salt (although I just changed to red sea blue bucket). And I use IO marine conditioner in my water even though I'm using rodi.