Triton Results - high iron, high zinc, low levels of aluminum/molybdenum - thoughts?

[The JLP Experience]

Hey guys, was hoping to get some advice on my triton lab results that just came in. For background, the tank is a Reefer 250 that is about 6 weeks old. I've got a mix of acropora with some random softies. Aside from a few acropora losses when they were first added (which I expected) things seem to be stable. I'm getting reasonable poly extension and the softies have grown significantly in the ~4-5 weeks I've had them. The fish all seem happy.

I'm mainly wondering about the iron (214 ug/l), zinc (17 ug/l), and aluminum (70 ug/l).

Here are my thoughts about potential sources and what I've investigated:

1. pumps/hardware - everything in this tank is new including pumps/wavemakers/heaters. there is no metal lid.
2. radions - used and one of them does look like I could coat it in plasti-dip but I've only had it a few weeks. there has never been contact with the water and it's very very mild.
3. RODI water - I'm using a new spectra pure 90 GPD system. I always flush the membrane before/after. the TDS always reads 0 before I start filling my 5 gallon jugs. Input TDS is around 160 average. I am always paranoid about my house's water, sometimes the bath will have some visible discoloration when initially turned on that clears after a few seconds. Not very legit but I did try a household dipstick test on my RODI water that didn't pick up anything (such as chlorines). I mix w TM bio actif.
4. Marinepure blocks - I've heard these can leech some aluminum, I'm not excited to remove these if that aluminum level isn't a big deal as they're clearly pretty seeded by this point and part of my tanks filtration. My refugium has also always had some miracle mud.
5. ChaetoGRO - I started using this to give my chaeto/caulerpa a boost. it almost worked TOO well (I've got some GHA to reel back in) and I've stopped using it.
6. Chemipure blue - I doubt the GFO in this would raise iron that much? I feel like I would've found more on this topic while reading about my problem
7. TM All-For-Reef - I'm dosing a tiny amount of this until my alkalinity actually drops, and there is definitely no siphon happening

The above are my strongest suspicions. Beyond that, a couple weeks ago I did have to place some epoxy (Instant Ocean HoldFast Epoxy Stick) underwater which ticked my skimmer off for a while. I fixed this with a few wet skimmate water changes. I always wash my hands and generally use gloves if I'm putting my hands in the tank (which I try to minimize in general). I feed with LRS herbivore frenzy, I give some reef frenzy maybe 1-2 times a week.

Here are yesterday's parameters (with a generally happy looking tank) if it helps:
1) Nitrate 20 (Red Sea, I've been feeding a bit more to bump this and also recently added a wrasse)
2) Phosphate 0.04 (Hanna ULR)
3) Calcium 540 (Hanna)
4) Alkalinity 9.6 (Hanna) (if anything this has actually crept up from 8.7 on 11/10) despite weekly water changes ranging 5-10 gallons with TM bio-actif
5) Magnesium 1350 (salifert)
6) Salinity 1.025
7) pH 8.1 (Red Sea)

Really appreciate you guys' thoughts. Let me know if you have any questions, tried to provide the appropriate background. Should I send my RODI for a ICP test? I'd be pretty frustrated to find there's an issue w the RODI water since my setup is new and the TDS of incoming water isn't terrible. Is the creeping alkalinity a sign of anything?

Ultimately, is this much ado about nothing?

 

[2una]

I'm only guessing but i think you've probably OD'd the Chaeto gro dosing for the iron - it will lower quickly.
The zinc perhaps also but maybe ask them if there's zinc in it.
The Al will likely be the Marine pure blocks but its only ever really seen to affect leathers that i know of, i don't think that level is much to worry about.
Next time if you use ati icp you can check the zinc ain't coming from your rodi as perhaps another source.
Don't let the iodine sit there.

 

[The JLP Experience]

I'm only guessing but i think you've probably OD'd the Chaeto gro dosing for the iron - it will lower quickly.
The zinc perhaps also but maybe ask them if there's zinc in it.
The Al will likely be the Marine pure blocks but its only ever really seen to affect leathers that i know of, i don't think that level is much to worry about.
Next time if you use ati icp you can check the zinc ain't coming from your rodi as perhaps another source.
Don't let the iodine sit there.

There is definitely at least some zinc in it:

Brightwell Aquatics - ChaetoGro

0-0-1.30; Potassium (K) as Soluble Potash (K2O) (min) 1.30%; Boron 0.009%; Carbon 0.005%; Calcium 0.14%; Chlorine 0.39%; Cobalt 0.0004%; Iron 0.1%; Magnesium 0.4%; Manganese 0.0475%; Molybdenum 0.004%; Sulfur 0.16%; Zinc 0.002%.

I ordered an ATI test which will take several days to get here. I can send the RODI and a repeat of the tank to make sure things aren't trending inappropriately. Really don't know what I'll do if my RODI is the problem. Hopefully this is just me being overzealous with the ChaetoGro. I'm wanting to try the reef moonshiners method mainly for fun so I'll be watching these parameters on a fairly regular basis.

 

[pochaxoo]

The biobriicks are very likely the cause of the aluminum. I had the same thing until I removed them.

 

[2una]

Really don't know what I'll do if my RODI is the problem.

Think about the DI resin side cos if that's fine it shouldn't be coming from there

 

[The JLP Experience]

The biobriicks are very likely the cause of the aluminum. I had the same thing until I removed them.

I guess what I could do is start removing them one by one so I don't throw off tank's equilibrium. The current level of aluminum is only mildly elevated and not an emergency I would think

Think about the DI resin side cos if that's fine it shouldn't be coming from there

Here are some pics of my RODI's cartridges. Not sure if you're able to infer anything from this but I see some color change but I wouldn't call this exhausted. Let me know if I'm misinterpreting. I guess it's worth mentioning that the PSI has gone from around 45 when it was brand new to 35. The output is a bit slower but when I calculated expected GPD I was still ok. I don't need to make so much RODI that I felt like I had to spend on a pump to boost the output.

 

[Cory]

Id say chaetogro for iron and zinc elevation

 

[The JLP Experience]

I’m leaning toward that as well right now. I have an ATI test that will be here in anywhere from 1-10 days. It’ll be interesting to see where my levels go with no further chaetogro dosing.

do you guys feel the aluminum levels warrant removal of the marine pure blocks? If it’s likely to affect SPS growth in the long run then I have no issue phasing it out

 

[The JLP Experience]

Do you guys have any thoughts on my upwards alkalinity drift? Would any of the above variables be a smoking gun?

I’m reading up on the side about aluminum now. I’ve convinced myself pretty quickly that I want the marine pure out and I’ll go grab some live rock rubble today to replace it

 

[Cory]

Do you guys have any thoughts on my upwards alkalinity drift? Would any of the above variables be a smoking gun?

I’m reading up on the side about aluminum now. I’ve convinced myself pretty quickly that I want the marine pure out and I’ll go grab some live rock rubble today to replace it

Id remove it. Do you have a nitrate problem? I never put anything that has potential to leak something that can cause problems in my tank for extended periods of time. Not worth the risk. Nitrate is probably less toxic than aluminum anyway.

 

[The JLP Experience]

Nitrates are 20 in the context of some extra feeding and a new wrasse. But I’ve never had a problem. I’m going to grab some extra live rock and seed it with some microbacter then I’ll exchange the marinepure

 

[hsosa]

you can add a poly filter to remove the high metals in the water. aluminum can be also from gfo if your running that media. iron over dose did it make all your corals greener ?

 

[Cjeippert]

Why does chaetogro have chlorine? Isn’t that bleach? We use carbon block and ro di to strip that out of our water