Sulphur huh?

[michael giordano]

Got an ATI test completed and I have high sulfur and not sure why. My ro water sample says it has no sulfur in it. does anyone know if my level of sulfur is an issue for my reef? Really looking to maybe lower sulfur and if anyone has ideas how to lower it or is this bad level lol?

 

[michael giordano]

I don’t have a denitrator so not sure why I have the sulfur

 

[Dan_P]

Got an ATI test completed and I have high sulfur and not sure why. My ro water sample says it has no sulfur in it. does anyone know if my level of sulfur is an issue for my reef? Really looking to maybe lower sulfur and if anyone has ideas how to lower it or is this bad level lol?

The sulfur probably includes sulfate sulfur which would mean that your system has low sulfates.

 

[Shinister]

Sorry to revive an old thread but did you ever figure out why you had high sulfur? I just got my ICP results and have sulfur at 1287

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Generally, elevated or depleted sulfate is not a big concern.

High sulfate would be from your salt mix, unless you have used a sulfur denitrator for a very long time or use a lot of Epsom salt for magnesium for a very long time.

 

[michael giordano]

No I never figured it out, are you noticing any issues in you tank with fish or corals because of it?

 

[Shinister]

Generally, elevated or depleted sulfate is not a big concern.

High sulfate would be from your salt mix, unless you have used a sulfur denitrator for a very long time or use a lot of Epsom salt for magnesium for a very long time.

Thank you!

No I never figured it out, are you noticing any issues in you tank with fish or corals because of it?

No issues. Everything is thriving. My ICP came back with elevated sulfur and lithium. I've read Randy's previous posts about lithium not being a concern but I couldn't find the same info on sulfur. Now I have the info.

 

[HuduVudu]

H2S from anaerobic decomposition ... most likely in your live rock. It is not a real issue your tank will quickly convert to FeS or SO3 which won't cause anyone any grief.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

H2S from anaerobic decomposition ... most likely in your live rock. It is not a real issue your tank will quickly convert to FeS or SO3 which won't cause anyone any grief.

There is zero evidence he has hydrogen sulfide. Sulfate is the third most abundant ion in seawater by weight (after sodium and chloride), so seawater always has a massive amount of sulfur.

 

[Shinister]

Not sure if the whole report tells the entire story but here it is.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Not sure if the whole report tells the entire story but here it is.

access is blocked

 

[Shinister]

access is blocked

Apologies. It should be viewable now but in case its not, I attached photos.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The sulfate is pretty high, but I don;'t have reason to think it is a problem

 

[Shinister]

The sulfate is pretty high, but I don;'t have reason to think it is a problem

For a few weeks about 8 months ago, I've been using only epsom salt to raise the Mg on my water change mix. That's the only reason I can think of. I've been using your formula of Mg chloride + epsom since then and this may just be "residue" from that. From now on, I'll be using only Mg Chloride as I've learned from one of your earlier posts that the only way to lower sulfate is to raise chloride.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For a few weeks about 8 months ago, I've been using only epsom salt to raise the Mg on my water change mix. That's the only reason I can think of. I've been using your formula of Mg chloride + epsom since then and this may just be "residue" from that. From now on, I'll be using only Mg Chloride as I've learned from one of your earlier posts that the only way to lower sulfate is to raise chloride.

That's a fine plan.

The ratio i specify doesn't raise sulfate (by design), but epsom salt alone boosts sulfate by 4 ppm (sulfur by 1.3 ppm) for each 1 ppm boost to magnesium. BUT, once you correct for the salinity rise, some of that sulfate boost disappears.

 

[HuduVudu]

There is zero evidence he has hydrogen sulfide. Sulfate is the third most abundant ion in seawater by weight (after sodium and chloride), so seawater always has a massive amount of sulfur.

For there to be a rise in sulfate (or any ion) there needs to be a sink and and source. Yes sulfur is ubiquitous so the source could be anything from food to a dead snail. Sulfur in the form of sulfate can then be sunk into any porous material to be later released. Live rock would be one such material and because of the anoxic/anaerobic nature it is likely to be reintroduced into the water column as hydrogen sulfide which will be re-converted as I have stated. Water changes might take quite some time to deplete the sink leaving the sulfur levels elevated during the time that it is happening assuming that the source of "excess" sulfur has been depleted.

Just my thought on how the sulfate came to be elevated. I also believe that elevated sulfur levels are if anything a minor issue.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

For there to be a rise in sulfate (or any ion) there needs to be a sink and and source. Yes sulfur is ubiquitous so the source could be anything from food to a dead snail. Sulfur in the form of sulfate can then be sunk into any porous material to be later released. Live rock would be one such material and because of the anoxic/anaerobic nature it is likely to be reintroduced into the water column as hydrogen sulfide which will be re-converted as I have stated. Water changes might take quite some time to deplete the sink leaving the sulfur levels elevated during the time that it is happening assuming that the source of "excess" sulfur has been depleted.

Just my thought on how the sulfate came to be elevated. I also believe that elevated sulfur levels are if anything a minor issue.

I don't think this makes logical sense. Seawater contains a massive amount of sulfate ( about 2700 ppm) and no other type of sulfur at 1 ppm or more.

Where would the sulfur come from to make hundreds of more ppm of sulfate?

The source if either the salt mix, or massive addition of a sulfate-containing additive such as Epsom salt.