Just got back my first ICP test on a tank that's just starting to hit a year old and started with dry rock from BRS. Most of the numbers came back fine, but a few were so far off that I have to question them. I know the idea is generally that ICP is correct and your home test is wrong, I'm just not sure here.
I've been using a Hanna Phosphate ULR tester since the beginning. Through every batch of reagent I've used, it's always returned numbers that were right in line with the most recent tests. I don't have my notes in front of me, but off the top of my head, I believe it's been in the .03-.04 range. ICP gave me a result of 133 µg/l for Phosphorus and 0.40698 mg/l for Phosphate.
The Hanna Phosphate ULR tops out at .9, so I wasn't even close to pegging it and, like I said, I've never had any issues going from one batch of reagent to the next, so I don't think the reagent is an issue.
I know the ICP tests tend to read higher (free vs bound elements or something along those lines), but from what I've read, they tend to be about double, but if I'm reading and understanding everything correctly, one of us is wrong by an order of magnitude.
While I'm here, the other ones that Triton seemed concerned with are Tin at 17, Antimony at 27, which my reading suggests this tends to be due to something electronic that's in contact with the water or something corroding. I'll check my heaters but I don't think either of them are broken or rusting. I do have one metal hose clamp on part of the return pump line that developed a white dust on it, but it's probably 18 inches above the water.
Lithium is at 397
Barium is at 46
Silicon is at 540 (but I don't have any big algae outbreaks)
In fact, here's the entire report if anyone wants to see it.
It's probably also worth noting that everything appears to be doing fine. Corals are getting bigger, fish/shrimp/snails/crabs also appear to be growing. In other words, I did the ICP test more out of curiosity (and to have a baseline) than to solve a problem.
I've been using a Hanna Phosphate ULR tester since the beginning. Through every batch of reagent I've used, it's always returned numbers that were right in line with the most recent tests. I don't have my notes in front of me, but off the top of my head, I believe it's been in the .03-.04 range. ICP gave me a result of 133 µg/l for Phosphorus and 0.40698 mg/l for Phosphate.
The Hanna Phosphate ULR tops out at .9, so I wasn't even close to pegging it and, like I said, I've never had any issues going from one batch of reagent to the next, so I don't think the reagent is an issue.
I know the ICP tests tend to read higher (free vs bound elements or something along those lines), but from what I've read, they tend to be about double, but if I'm reading and understanding everything correctly, one of us is wrong by an order of magnitude.
While I'm here, the other ones that Triton seemed concerned with are Tin at 17, Antimony at 27, which my reading suggests this tends to be due to something electronic that's in contact with the water or something corroding. I'll check my heaters but I don't think either of them are broken or rusting. I do have one metal hose clamp on part of the return pump line that developed a white dust on it, but it's probably 18 inches above the water.
Lithium is at 397
Barium is at 46
Silicon is at 540 (but I don't have any big algae outbreaks)
In fact, here's the entire report if anyone wants to see it.
It's probably also worth noting that everything appears to be doing fine. Corals are getting bigger, fish/shrimp/snails/crabs also appear to be growing. In other words, I did the ICP test more out of curiosity (and to have a baseline) than to solve a problem.