Suggestions for ICP

[vittpsu21]

Hey all,

Still new but am about, 5-6 months into my tank, was considering getting my first ICP test just to confirm the things I know and also see the things I don't? I am getting close to getting some LPS so figured it might be the right time? I saw a lot of options out there, any experiences from those wiser and more seasoned I would love to hear!

Thanks in advance

 

[eggie]

Oceamo MS will give you more readings then other ICP test

 

[rtparty]

Honestly, you don’t need any of them

 

[areefer01]

Honestly, you don’t need any of them

This is an honest answer.

 

[vittpsu21]

oh ok? still too early?

Honestly, you don’t need any of them

 

[rtparty]

oh ok? still too early?

I mean they’re cool…if we assume they’re accurate. If they aren’t accurate - are they at least consistent? If they are consistent then one would need to run an ICP on a consistent schedule to get an idea of what the trace elements are doing. This way you could make an educated decision on what trace elements to dose and how often.

Do you plan to run a system/method that would utilize the information and dose accordingly?

I’d get more corals into the tank, dose your tank with whatever 2 part or All For Reef you’ve chosen, and see if you “need” an ICP test in 6-12 months.

 

[vittpsu21]

oh ok? still too early?

I mean they’re cool…if we assume they’re accurate. If they aren’t accurate - are they at least consistent? If they are consistent then one would need to run an ICP on a consistent schedule to get an idea of what the trace elements are doing. This way you could make an educated decision on what trace elements to dose and how often.

Do you plan to run a system/method that would utilize the information and dose accordingly?

I’d get more corals into the tank, dose your tank with whatever 2 part or All For Reef you’ve chosen, and see if you “need” an ICP test in 6-12 months.

Fair enough in judging biaonic 2 part for last few months. My alk had plummeted so used that to bring it back up! Appreciate the feedback though

 

[slingfox]

Hey all,

Still new but am about, 5-6 months into my tank, was considering getting my first ICP test just to confirm the things I know and also see the things I don't? I am getting close to getting some LPS so figured it might be the right time? I saw a lot of options out there, any experiences from those wiser and more seasoned I would love to hear!

Thanks in advance

Modern Reef provides the most cost effective ICP-MS on the market right now. There was a 15% off sale during winter break. I assume they will have that sale again eventually but these tests rarely go on sale.

I have also had good experience with ATI, Reeflab and Fauna Marin—historically I just picked up whatever was economical. ATI recently came out with an ICP-MS test. I used it once and it was great since it gave specific readings on traces which were undetectable previously with prior ICP-OES tests from various vendors (including ATI).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Repeating some lost posts...

I would not choose ICP based on cost any more than I would do that for a doctor or barber.

Oceamo is a good choice, as may be others.

I did ICP at a similar time in my tank history as the OP in an effort to try to understand why I was having some issues. I did not get clear info to solve that issue, but I did find a couple of trace elements I wanted to raise by dosing.

Needed? No. Potentially helpful? yes.

 

[BryanM]

Oceamo MS will give you more readings then other ICP test

This is what I've been using.

 

[landlubber]

I did one when I was in a similar place in my reefing as OP. It was cool to get readings back if i'm being completely honest, unless something imperative is missing you might not get a whole lot out of it.
Flash forward to a place where I have a jammed acropora system, there's a strong chance i'd be doing one or more a year.

 

[areefer01]

Oceamo is also one of the more expensive choices.

Whatever one chooses, just use the same one consistently so you can compare across reports, and trend. Also pay attention to machine/test type (OES, MS). You will want to use the same test type here as well so that you can compare. You may, or may not, need that level of sensitivity. Manually dosing single trace elements, no water changes, you may want that level of sensitivity.

Holidays, some offer their kits on sale. I've seen them as low as 23 USD.

Most vendors may be using the same ICP manufacture / hardware. The difference may be in their reports, sample handling, and our posts here or on other social media platforms and hobbyist bias.

One ICP vendor the community typically agreed upon to NOT USE, is no longer in business.

As noted above you do not need them. This hobby did perfectly fine without them. They do check the curiosity box and if we trust the output do provide an insight as to the current state of our water chemistry.

 

[eggie]

Oceamo is also one of the more expensive choices.

Whatever one chooses, just use the same one consistently so you can compare across reports, and trend. Also pay attention to machine/test type (OES, MS). You will want to use the same test type here as well so that you can compare. You may, or may not, need that level of sensitivity. Manually dosing single trace elements, no water changes, you may want that level of sensitivity.

Holidays, some offer their kits on sale. I've seen them as low as 23 USD.

Most vendors may be using the same ICP manufacture / hardware. The difference may be in their reports, sample handling, and our posts here or on other social media platforms and hobbyist bias.

One ICP vendor the community typically agreed upon to NOT USE, is no longer in business.

As noted above you do not need them. This hobby did perfectly fine without them. They do check the curiosity box and if we trust the output do provide an insight as to the current state of our water chemistry.

I stay away from the cheap ones. I mention the Oceamo because of a couple of reasons its indeed the first one to have MS were it reads lower in the minor elements that other test dont read. Its has a Doc reading aswell. So you have a better Element test for the money.
Years back there was no test and yet great tanks but also problems that we never knew what was happening and why we were losing corals We called it old sindrom or whatever was making tanks crash in the time. ICP helps in my opinion. You dont need to dose the tank if dont want to but its good to see how the tank is running.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Useful when things are way off to see if there are any pollutants.