Tin in Icp test

[Clownfishy]

Just had my 6 monthly icp test and I seem to have high Tin levels. Anyone seen this before and what may cause this?

Triton Applied Reef Bioscience are the world leaders in professional sea water analysis.

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[dank reefer]

I had a ICP test from ATI and they found TIN in my RODI water. Recommendation was to change DI resin.

 

[stiffljp]

I had a very similar experience, showed I had pretty high tin but no other metals were elevated. I scoured my tank for something rusting but couldn't find anything. Some of the posts theorized that since only tin was elevated it wasn't rust but rather residuals from tubing, glass etc.. so the test was likely picking up organotin.

For me, my SPS were acting funny for the last couple weeks but my water parameters were pretty good. I added activated carbon to remove the Organotin and the SPS that weren't happy, improved.

 

[TexasReefer82]

Tin is elevated because you have a source of Tin adding it to your tank. If the tank is new Tin can come off the glass itself but this is transient and will go away with water changes and skimming within a few months. Organic Tin compounds can also leach from plastics (like PVC) but this is also transient and will go away over time. Tin can be in tap water and if the RO membrane doesn't remove all of it and/or the DI resin is exhausted or undersized for the flowrate through it Tin can enter your tank through top off water and water changes. Tin can also come from corrosion of metal items able to get into the water; these corroding items could be: screws used to mount things over the tank or sump, pump shaft impellers, ball-mason jar lids used as dosing containers, metal needle valve knobs, etc, etc. You should perform a thorough inspection of the entire setup and look for any metal item that is corroding - and then replace it with a material that doesn't corrode.

ATI ICP tests include an RO water sample as part of the test - very useful!

Some people have success removing Tin from the tank water using Cuprisorb and others do not. Same story for TLF Metasorb - works for some not for others. Cuprisorb is not very expensive and is probably worth a try.

Tin has a couple different oxidation states and can be incorporated into a multitude of organic compounds. This is probably why these sorbant materials work for some but not others depending on what form the Tin is in.

Tin is definitely bad for SPS corals and I've observed it to have a detrimental affect on scolymia as well. I'm sure it's bad for all corals and perhaps these genus just show the effects sooner.

 

[TexasReefer82]

also... CORROSION CAN BE THE SOURCE even if Tin is the only metal elevated.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I had a ICP test from ATI and they found TIN in my RODI water. Recommendation was to change DI resin.

The tin may have come after the DI, not from the potable water.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Just had my 6 monthly icp test and I seem to have high Tin levels. Anyone seen this before and what may cause this?

Triton Applied Reef Bioscience are the world leaders in professional sea water analysis.

Empowering aquarists around the world since 2008. Click to view shared sea water analysis.

www.triton-lab.de

I don't think that tin level is high enough to be an issue based on the fact that many people see it without issue.

 

[Dr. Jim]

My SPS frags weren't doing well. I know there could be a million reasons, but 3 ICP tests showed Sn levels of 18, 22, then 45 and I am fairly convinced that it is causing a problem. I started a thread about this a couple of months ago and will add comments soon. I've tore down my tank and set up temporary "make-shift" tanks to soak various items separately, like: live rock, artificial rock, pvc piping and pvc products, protein skimmer, kalk reactor, RO/DI filter, Salt and salt mixing tank, RO/DI mixing tank, hang-on algae filter, etc. I cleaned and rinsed the tank and sump with RODI, filled them with new saltwater and tested each separately. Those tests from the tank and sump ruled out tin coming from the glass.

Note that many believe that when Sn is elevated without any other metal being elevated, then it isn't likely that the Sn is coming from corroding metal, but rather, from plastic or glass (and I'm not sure if acrylic is included with "plastic.")

I've run 19 ICP tests so far (awaiting for 4 to come back next week). This will sound crazy, but at the moment I've narrowed it down to two completely unrelated sources:

A. Protein skimmer and/or Sched 80 piping that came with Red Sea Reefer. (These were soaked in a 10 gal tank, known to be "free" of tin. (Of course, out of all the variables, one needs to be being able to believe the results). Sn came back around 150!
AND
B. Kalkwasser and/or Kalk reactor. Sn came back also around 150!
(Everything was brand new 7 months ago).

I've separated each of the above 4 items, soaked them for 4 days, and sent out samples recently. (These are the ones I am waiting for). So, I will receive separate results for:
1) Kalkwasser (in RODI)
2) Kalk Reactor (soaked with RODI)
3) Sched 80 PVC and green tubing that came with Red Sea Reefer
4) Protein skimmer (minus the pump; a similar DC pump was previously ruled out)

Some things I found along the way:
-I have strong reason to believe that rock can adsorb the tin (and release it) similar to how rock adsorbs phosphates or copper, probably. (This has added a small degree of confusion to interpreting results).
-I used Cuprisorb, Continuum Power Cleanse, Polyfilter, MetaSorb and carbon, not all at the same time, but many overlapped, for 7-8 days. During that time I performed major water changes. The Sn should have decreased from 22 to about 7, just from the water changes, (even if these products did nothing) but it came back higher, around
45. (This doesn't necessarily mean these products didn't work, the leaching may have been occurring faster than it could be removed).

-From a lengthy discussion with Jack Kent (CEO of Continuum and owner of Brightwell) I learned:
-Nobody to his knowledge has studied the ability of any of these products to remove tin, but he felt there is a very good chance that they should. (You will notice that none of these products lists tin as a metal it will remove).
-There is a "pecking order" as to which metal/element is removed first, second, etc but nobody knows what this order is.
-His product, Power Cleanse, is similar, if not the same, as Cuprisorb. (It looks identical to me). It consists of 2 resins that bind metals without affecting pH. I would recommend his product over the Cuprisorb: you get a whole lot more of it and he recommends using a much larger volume than what you get with Cuprisorb. He feels that, if it is going to work, it should "work" in just 24 hours. (Remember that any of these problems will throw off most of the trace elements so it might be prudent to perform huge water changes after finsishing with any of these products).
- He has no idea what is in MetaSorb. (I opened it and found a white powder; definitely not a resin). Polyfilter is a resin-like material sprayed on the "sponge".

I'll post again after I get the results.

Good thing I've got a lot of free time these days!! :) This has definitely been a frustrating challenge....but I'm determined to figure this out!

 

[Clownfishy]

Many thanks for all the replies and Dr. Jim, I look forward to seeing your next set of tests. I change my RO resin every 6 weeks and have just changed the RO membrane and the pre filter and carbon blocks so will be interesting to see if that helps. I will check all the magnets and pumps/heaters etc but if something was rusting, I assume I would be seeing increases in other elements? The theory of it coming from plastics is an interesting one. I have eggcrate and some acrylic so maybe consider how I can replace these.
I do use a lot of Rowaphos but only passively so maybe that is something to also consider.
A while ago, I had high levels of Zinc and that turned out to be the salt and as soon as I switched to DD salt, it went away.
I perform a 1 percent water change a day using a doser and I also dose a lot of Limewater.
Looks like this maybe quite a challenge to narrow this down.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My SPS frags weren't doing well. I know there could be a million reasons, but 3 ICP tests showed Sn levels of 18, 22, then 45 and I am fairly convinced that it is causing a problem. I started a thread about this a couple of months ago and will add comments soon. I've tore down my tank and set up temporary "make-shift" tanks to soak various items separately, like: live rock, artificial rock, pvc piping and pvc products, protein skimmer, kalk reactor, RO/DI filter, Salt and salt mixing tank, RO/DI mixing tank, hang-on algae filter, etc. I cleaned and rinsed the tank and sump with RODI, filled them with new saltwater and tested each separately. Those tests from the tank and sump ruled out tin coming from the glass.

Note that many believe that when Sn is elevated without any other metal being elevated, then it isn't likely that the Sn is coming from corroding metal, but rather, from plastic or glass (and I'm not sure if acrylic is included with "plastic.")

I've run 19 ICP tests so far (awaiting for 4 to come back next week). This will sound crazy, but at the moment I've narrowed it down to two completely unrelated sources:

A. Protein skimmer and/or Sched 80 piping that came with Red Sea Reefer. (These were soaked in a 10 gal tank, known to be "free" of tin. (Of course, out of all the variables, one needs to be being able to believe the results). Sn came back around 150!
AND
B. Kalkwasser and/or Kalk reactor. Sn came back also around 150!
(Everything was brand new 7 months ago).

I've separated each of the above 4 items, soaked them for 4 days, and sent out samples recently. (These are the ones I am waiting for). So, I will receive separate results for:
1) Kalkwasser (in RODI)
2) Kalk Reactor (soaked with RODI)
3) Sched 80 PVC and green tubing that came with Red Sea Reefer
4) Protein skimmer (minus the pump; a similar DC pump was previously ruled out)

Some things I found along the way:
-I have strong reason to believe that rock can adsorb the tin (and release it) similar to how rock adsorbs phosphates or copper, probably. (This has added a small degree of confusion to interpreting results).
-I used Cuprisorb, Continuum Power Cleanse, Polyfilter, MetaSorb and carbon, not all at the same time, but many overlapped, for 7-8 days. During that time I performed major water changes. The Sn should have decreased from 22 to about 7, just from the water changes, (even if these products did nothing) but it came back higher, around
45. (This doesn't necessarily mean these products didn't work, the leaching may have been occurring faster than it could be removed).

-From a lengthy discussion with Jack Kent (CEO of Continuum and owner of Brightwell) I learned:
-Nobody to his knowledge has studied the ability of any of these products to remove tin, but he felt there is a very good chance that they should. (You will notice that none of these products lists tin as a metal it will remove).
-There is a "pecking order" as to which metal/element is removed first, second, etc but nobody knows what this order is.
-His product, Power Cleanse, is similar, if not the same, as Cuprisorb. (It looks identical to me). It consists of 2 resins that bind metals without affecting pH. I would recommend his product over the Cuprisorb: you get a whole lot more of it and he recommends using a much larger volume than what you get with Cuprisorb. He feels that, if it is going to work, it should "work" in just 24 hours. (Remember that any of these problems will throw off most of the trace elements so it might be prudent to perform huge water changes after finsishing with any of these products).
- He has no idea what is in MetaSorb. (I opened it and found a white powder; definitely not a resin). Polyfilter is a resin-like material sprayed on the "sponge".

I'll post again after I get the results.

Good thing I've got a lot of free time these days!! :) This has definitely been a frustrating challenge....but I'm determined to figure this out!

FWIW, the idea that a white powder cannot be not a resin is untrue. I have made hundreds of different resins that are white powders).

One massive issue with making any statements about tin and how it behaves is there are a huge assortment of tin chemicals that may be in the tank that will have wildly different chemical properties, as different as making claims about oxygen in general when it is part of a water molecule vs part of calcium carbonate in a coral skeleton. The properties depend entirely on the chemical form, and the form if tin in any reef aquarium is unknown, with many possible sources that themselves are very different forms (e.g., organo tin compounds in plastics, tin on glass, tin from solder or metal parts, etc.).

 

[Dr. Jim]

FWIW, the idea that a white powder cannot be not a resin is untrue. I have made hundreds of different resins that are white powders).

One massive issue with making any statements about tin and how it behaves is there are a huge assortment of tin chemicals that may be in the tank that will have wildly different chemical properties, as different as making claims about oxygen in general when it is part of a water molecule vs part of calcium carbonate in a coral skeleton. The properties depend entirely on the chemical form, and the form if tin in any reef aquarium is unknown, with many possible sources that themselves are very different forms (e.g., organo tin compounds in plastics, tin on glass, tin from solder or metal parts, etc.).

Thanks for the correction about the "white powder", Randy....and for your additional info.

 

[TexasReefer82]

I used Cuprisorb, Continuum Power Cleanse, Polyfilter, MetaSorb and carbon, not all at the same time, but many overlapped, for 7-8 days. During that time I performed major water changes. The Sn should have decreased from 22 to about 7, just from the water changes, (even if these products did nothing) but it came back higher, around
45.

This is a huge observation... You ran all those sorbant materials as well as performed massive water changes and your Tin doubled? Am I reading that correctly?

If I perform a simple conceptual mass balance on Tin this scenario suggests to me that 1) possibly your RODI water is massively contaminated, 2) one or more of those sorbant materials leached Tin into your system, or 3) you have a different independent source providing an ongoing addition of Tin that's increasing over time (18, 22, 45ppb).

I doubt it's #'s 1 or 2. Have you inspected your system for corroding metal items? Hinges, screws, nails, impeller shafts, clips, knobs, filter sock rings - anything metal whatsoever. Corrosion of metal is a process that starts slowly and then increases with time. However, leaching of Tin from glass and plastics decreases over time. It's plausible to me that our calcium carbonate rocks may adsorb Tin - but even if they did they wouldn't release what they stored to a level twice (45) what it was before (22) after a massive water change with presumably 0ppb Tin. That's not how adsorption equilibrium works.

 

[Dr. Jim]

This is a huge observation... You ran all those sorbant materials as well as performed massive water changes and your Tin doubled? Am I reading that correctly?

If I perform a simple conceptual mass balance on Tin this scenario suggests to me that 1) possibly your RODI water is massively contaminated, 2) one or more of those sorbant materials leached Tin into your system, or 3) you have a different independent source providing an ongoing addition of Tin that's increasing over time (18, 22, 45ppb).

I doubt it's #'s 1 or 2. Have you inspected your system for corroding metal items? Hinges, screws, nails, impeller shafts, clips, knobs, filter sock rings - anything metal whatsoever. Corrosion of metal is a process that starts slowly and then increases with time. However, leaching of Tin from glass and plastics decreases over time. It's plausible to me that our calcium carbonate rocks may adsorb Tin - but even if they did they wouldn't release what they stored to a level twice (45) what it was before (22) after a massive water change with presumably 0ppb Tin. That's not how adsorption equilibrium works.

Yes, despite all those products being used AND massive water changes, the Sn level increased. (The following is a little more accurate compared to what I wrote yesterday. Sorry I rushed a little last night):

5/11/20--Triton ICP: Sn = 18 (set pt is 0.1) I then performed 4 water changes over the next 5 days: 25%, 30%, 30%, 30% which should have brought the level to about 4.8. I then used TLF Metasorb for 5 days (placed in sump mesh sock so had good water flow on/thru it). I then performed another 20% water change, so even if the Metasorb did nothing, the level should have been around 3.9. On 6/1, I sent water to Triton and ATI. Triton showed 22 and ATI showed 45.84 (set point is 0.47 for ATI) (when I was expecting < 3.9).
Next......After 8 days of a combination of Polyfilters, Seachem Cuprisorb, MetaSorb, carbon and Power Cleanse (3 days)…..and enough water changes to lower the tin from 22 (Triton) to about 8.5 (even if other products didn’t work)….the ICP showed the tin at 18 (Triton) on 6/22.

RO/DI, RODI holding tank, and salt mixing tank were all confirmed, more than once, to be free of tin.

Now it was time to disassemble my tank and I started testing "components" individually or in groups, in separate tanks. (ATI was used for all tests to follow since they run 2 samples per kit). These "trials" included:

-GROUP "A" (first set of "trials"; "soaked" for 5 days before sampling):

A-1. Live Rock Tank. 25 lbs of live rock and all livestock (fish), including 30+ SPS frags were moved to a 29 gal tank for the duration of "trials". Sn = 13.73
A-2. Artificial Rock. 40 lbs soaked in new saltwater; aerated). Sn=30.55
A-3. Hang-on Algae filter. Run on 10 gal tank. Sn=N.n.
A-4. Sump (of Red Sea Reefer 170; also contained GHL probes, magnets and ATO apparatus) after thorough cleaning with RO/DI and filled with new saltwater. Sn= N.n.
A-5. Main tank (after similar cleaning as sump) Sn=7.61
A-6. Misc Tank "A": In a plastic storage container, I ran the protein skimmer and soaked the main pump, Echotech pumps, pvc pipes and misc pvc items, magnets, etc. Sn=201.3
A-7. Kalk water (from reactor) and ATO water run thru GHL doser (50:50 mix): Sn=125.1
A-8 New Saltwater (80% TM + 20% IO); Sn=25.53

The A-8 value is very disturbing because this is the water that was used in all the tests above (except A-7) so how can Sn in A-3 and A-4 be "undetectable"? I'm forced to temporarily ignore this value and look at the extremely elevated values in A-6 and A-7.

Next batch of tests, GROUP "B" (to further explore A-6 and A-7):
B-1-New salt mix (used in these Group B trials; TM only) Sn=N.n
B-2 Main pump (I took the pump from A-6 above so I could see if I can use it when I start up main system again): Sn=N.n
B-3 Misc Tank "B"- I took only the skimmer (minus its pump) and Red Sea pipes/tube from Group A and tested them olone, this time in the 10 gal glass tank from A-3 (shown to be N.n.). I was concerned that the high Sn in A-6 may have come from the plastic tub. Sn=199.0
B-4 Kalk water (this time I eliminated the ATO water and all tubing from A-7 and just sampled water directly out of the Kalk reactor. Sn=150.3

From GROUP B it appears that there are 2 independent sources of the tin (B-3 and B-4).
This is why I set up Group "C" (Results pending for this group--8/13). (C-1 and C-2 will narrow down B-3; and, C-3 and C-4 will narrow down B-4)
C-1 Skimmer (soaked in 10 gal glass tank)
C-2 Plumbing from Red Sea Reefer (Sched 80 pipes and green plastic hose)
C-3 Kalkwasser (newly mixed kalk in RO/DI)
C-4 Kalk reactor. (Reactor was flushed with garden hose, towel dried, rinsed with RO/DI, dried; then filled with RO/DI and allowed to sit for 5 days.

MISC COMMENTS:
-I seriously doubt that there is metal causing the problem, being that no other metal was elevated on the ICP tests, everything was brand new 7 months ago, and since I "broke down" the system, it was easy to look for metal. Also, the results tend to suggest otherwise.
-I know a lot of people say "don't worry about tin" and/or "take ICP results with a grain of salt". I agree that one should not jump to conclusions from just one elevated element from a single test. But with all the "positive" values I have gotten, it has to be significant. And, yes, I do believe that my SPS are being affected.
-I think glass as a source can be ruled out given the results above. (The slight level of Sn in A-5 could be from leftover water I didn't get out when I cleaned the tank, or possibly from Sn that was adsorbed and released by the plastic overflow box. In any case the relative low value of 7.6 compared to the 150-200 values makes me put the "glass idea" on the back-burner for now.)
-I'm fairly convinced that rock can adsorb AND release tin. This would make sense and may explain A-1 and A-2. (We know rock can do that with phosphates and copper, so why not with tin?)
-I'm very curious to see if the tin sources are the two acrylic/plastic reactors: skimmer (from B-3) and kalk reactor (from B-4). (I don't want to mention brand names at this time but I think they are made by the same mother company; both purchased in 12/19).

Anybody still following this??

I just jokingly told my wife that "Everybody is going to think I'm crazy!" Her reply of "They're not the only one" was not much appreciated! :) So.....do you guys agree with her or do you think I'm 'on to something'?

 

[Clownfishy]

I have just cleaned out my tank and I can rule out any metal fragments on the bottom of my bare bottom tank. Next, I will inspect all the magnets and pump shafts.

 

[TexasReefer82]

I have just cleaned out my tank and I can rule out any metal fragments on the bottom of my bare bottom tank. Next, I will inspect all the magnets and pump shafts.

Also look for corroded metal items not only in the water but above or adjacent to the water. Examples could be rusted cabinet hinges or a rusty screw inside the tank stand used to mount a power strip or hang a light. Very fine particles of corrosion (I.e. Metal oxides) can crumble off these items into the water or be dispersed into the air with movements such as opening the cabinet door.

 

[Dr. Jim]

Yes, despite all those products being used AND massive water changes, the Sn level increased. (The following is a little more accurate compared to what I wrote yesterday. Sorry I rushed a little last night):

5/11/20--Triton ICP: Sn = 18 (set pt is 0.1) I then performed 4 water changes over the next 5 days: 25%, 30%, 30%, 30% which should have brought the level to about 4.8. I then used TLF Metasorb for 5 days (placed in sump mesh sock so had good water flow on/thru it). I then performed another 20% water change, so even if the Metasorb did nothing, the level should have been around 3.9. On 6/1, I sent water to Triton and ATI. Triton showed 22 and ATI showed 45.84 (set point is 0.47 for ATI) (when I was expecting < 3.9).
Next......After 8 days of a combination of Polyfilters, Seachem Cuprisorb, MetaSorb, carbon and Power Cleanse (3 days)…..and enough water changes to lower the tin from 22 (Triton) to about 8.5 (even if other products didn’t work)….the ICP showed the tin at 18 (Triton) on 6/22.

RO/DI, RODI holding tank, and salt mixing tank were all confirmed, more than once, to be free of tin.

Now it was time to disassemble my tank and I started testing "components" individually or in groups, in separate tanks. (ATI was used for all tests to follow since they run 2 samples per kit). These "trials" included:

-GROUP "A" (first set of "trials"; "soaked" for 5 days before sampling):

A-1. Live Rock Tank. 25 lbs of live rock and all livestock (fish), including 30+ SPS frags were moved to a 29 gal tank for the duration of "trials". Sn = 13.73
A-2. Artificial Rock. 40 lbs soaked in new saltwater; aerated). Sn=30.55
A-3. Hang-on Algae filter. Run on 10 gal tank. Sn=N.n.
A-4. Sump (of Red Sea Reefer 170; also contained GHL probes, magnets and ATO apparatus) after thorough cleaning with RO/DI and filled with new saltwater. Sn= N.n.
A-5. Main tank (after similar cleaning as sump) Sn=7.61
A-6. Misc Tank "A": In a plastic storage container, I ran the protein skimmer and soaked the main pump, Echotech pumps, pvc pipes and misc pvc items, magnets, etc. Sn=201.3
A-7. Kalk water (from reactor) and ATO water run thru GHL doser (50:50 mix): Sn=125.1
A-8 New Saltwater (80% TM + 20% IO); Sn=25.53

The A-8 value is very disturbing because this is the water that was used in all the tests above (except A-7) so how can Sn in A-3 and A-4 be "undetectable"? I'm forced to temporarily ignore this value and look at the extremely elevated values in A-6 and A-7.

Next batch of tests, GROUP "B" (to further explore A-6 and A-7):
B-1-New salt mix (used in these Group B trials; TM only) Sn=N.n
B-2 Main pump (I took the pump from A-6 above so I could see if I can use it when I start up main system again): Sn=N.n
B-3 Misc Tank "B"- I took only the skimmer (minus its pump) and Red Sea pipes/tube from Group A and tested them olone, this time in the 10 gal glass tank from A-3 (shown to be N.n.). I was concerned that the high Sn in A-6 may have come from the plastic tub. Sn=199.0
B-4 Kalk water (this time I eliminated the ATO water and all tubing from A-7 and just sampled water directly out of the Kalk reactor. Sn=150.3

From GROUP B it appears that there are 2 independent sources of the tin (B-3 and B-4).
This is why I set up Group "C" (Results pending for this group--8/13). (C-1 and C-2 will narrow down B-3; and, C-3 and C-4 will narrow down B-4)
C-1 Skimmer (soaked in 10 gal glass tank)
C-2 Plumbing from Red Sea Reefer (Sched 80 pipes and green plastic hose)
C-3 Kalkwasser (newly mixed kalk in RO/DI)
C-4 Kalk reactor. (Reactor was flushed with garden hose, towel dried, rinsed with RO/DI, dried; then filled with RO/DI and allowed to sit for 5 days.

MISC COMMENTS:
-I seriously doubt that there is metal causing the problem, being that no other metal was elevated on the ICP tests, everything was brand new 7 months ago, and since I "broke down" the system, it was easy to look for metal. Also, the results tend to suggest otherwise.
-I know a lot of people say "don't worry about tin" and/or "take ICP results with a grain of salt". I agree that one should not jump to conclusions from just one elevated element from a single test. But with all the "positive" values I have gotten, it has to be significant. And, yes, I do believe that my SPS are being affected.
-I think glass as a source can be ruled out given the results above. (The slight level of Sn in A-5 could be from leftover water I didn't get out when I cleaned the tank, or possibly from Sn that was adsorbed and released by the plastic overflow box. In any case the relative low value of 7.6 compared to the 150-200 values makes me put the "glass idea" on the back-burner for now.)
-I'm fairly convinced that rock can adsorb AND release tin. This would make sense and may explain A-1 and A-2. (We know rock can do that with phosphates and copper, so why not with tin?)
-I'm very curious to see if the tin sources are the two acrylic/plastic reactors: skimmer (from B-3) and kalk reactor (from B-4). (I don't want to mention brand names at this time but I think they are made by the same mother company; both purchased in 12/19).

Anybody still following this??

I just jokingly told my wife that "Everybody is going to think I'm crazy!" Her reply of "They're not the only one" was not much appreciated! :) So.....do you guys agree with her or do you think I'm 'on to something'?

I have moved my post, and a continuation of my tin problem to this thread:

Another Triton ICP "High Tin" Case

I know elevated Tin levels have been discussed many times, but I would like to ask some specific questions pertaining to my situation involving Sn = 18 ug/l. (Set point is 0.1 ug/l) My tank (Red Sea Reefer 170L/40gal) and all equipment was brand new 4 months ago. Over the past 4-8 weeks, 30...

www.reef2reef.com

After posting, I felt like I was highjacking Clownfishy's thread.....so I apologize. (I got carried away answering someone's question....Sorry!).
But, I'm guessing Clownfishy won't be offended..... we "Tin-Problem Reefers" need to stick together!! :)

 

[Clownfishy]

After posting, I felt like I was highjacking Clownfishy's thread.....so I apologize. (I got carried away answering someone's question....Sorry!).
But, I'm guessing Clownfishy won't be offended..... we "Tin-Problem Reefers" need to stick together!!

Dr. Jim, no problems. In fact, I will follow you on your thread as you are doing far more research into this so your information is far better than I can provide in this thread.
Are you using only Triton testing? I know it is a stretch but I am using them and just wonder if they need to re-calibrate for Tin.

 

[Dr. Jim]

Dr. Jim, no problems. In fact, I will follow you on your thread as you are doing far more research into this so your information is far better than I can provide in this thread.
Are you using only Triton testing? I know it is a stretch but I am using them and just wonder if they need to re-calibrate for Tin.

I've been using Triton for years and have confidence in them. I started my recent testing with my "new" tank with Triton, but used ATI to "confirm" that there is a tin problem. Then, with all my subsequent "trials", I continued using ATI because they offer two tests per kit where the second one is for testing your RO/DI water. I contacted them to ask if I can substitute something other than RO/DI water for the second sample, explaining my tin problem. They said "yes." I'm not sure if you really have to ask though. It might be good enough to stick a note on the RO/DI tube if it is something other than just RO/DI, like saltwater, or RO/DI plus something else.
20+ tests can get expensive so getting 2 samples tested by ATI for the same price as Triton's one test is very helpful!

 

[Greg Goby]

You're like a tin Sherlock Holmes, it's inspiring! I look forward to reading your conclusions.

 

[Dr. Jim]

You're like a tin Sherlock Holmes, it's inspiring! I look forward to reading your conclusions.

I know my lengthy posts aren't something many people will want to read. But for anyone having a heavy metal problem, perhaps they might get some ideas as to how to go about designing a trouble-shooting plan.