Riddle me this one

[64Ivy]

Been having some interesting issues as of late: Receding ‘SPS’, no PE, browning, and a blue tinted Polypad; all the classic signs of rising copper levels, right? BUT three separate test kits (including Triton) come back at zero for copper and an attached ‘LPS’ tank is thriving! Any other guesses?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I’d ask @mods to move this to chemistry.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Has the poly pad been in the tank prior to the samples being sent to triton?

 

[64Ivy]

Yep.

 

[MTBake]

Maybe something is leaching copper and the poly pad removed detectable copper from the water column? Kinda curious on this one myself.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

@Randy Holmes-Farley , do we know what makes the poly pad blue?
Po4, copper? Both?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What trace elements does the Triton show? Many can be blue (cobalt, chromium, nickel, etc.)

Phosphate won't color a pad.

As noted, the polyfilter may have removed copper before the Triton test, or it came later.

Methylene blue or other colored dyes or medications would also color it blue.

A creature that someone dyed blue might also, like an anemone. Not very common, but it happens.