ATI ICP-OES testing compared to my own testing

WarDog · #1 08-30-2018, 08:19 PM

I have so much to say but so little time. Let's discuss at Macna.

Frogger · #2 08-30-2018, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WarDog

I have so much to say but so little time. Let's discuss at Macna.

Like I said its a lot more than 2 cents.

gregzz4 · #3 08-31-2018, 12:45 AM

Glen, are you running dosers on your 75g?
Mine never fluctuates like yours, but I don't bother to test daily. I test weekly and adjust my timers accordingly and this keeps things stable.

Frogger · #4 08-31-2018, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzz4

Glen, are you running dosers on your 75g?
Mine never fluctuates like yours, but I don't bother to test daily. I test weekly and adjust my timers accordingly and this keeps things stable.

I have a Kamoer doser but I haven't set it up. Currently I am dripping (Tunze auto top off) kalkwasser and supplementing with 2 part when necessary. My house is quite dry (air conditioner) and I lose a lot of water a day to evaporation and I can almost keep my levels correct with the kalkwasser.

gregzz4 · #5 08-31-2018, 03:24 AM

Hmm. I'd get away from adding kalkwasser in conjunction with your ato, and I'd probably stop the kalk altogether. You don't need it. I've never used it.
It's too aggressive and hard on pumps.
This may be why your alk is swinging, because it's tied into your ato, which is not consistent.

Separate your ato from everything, remove the kalk, and start testing daily for Alk and Ca. Then you'll see some stabiblity and can move forward with your 2-part additives.
I bet you see stability and your dosing will balance out.

Then set up your doser and you'll be much happier with weekly testing.

gregzz4 · #6 08-31-2018, 03:29 AM

Oh, and don't worry about the results you got back from ATI.
As long as you're close to the proper results with your kits, as I see you were, it's not worth worrying about. Your kits are doing just fine.

I think your Kalk addition is what's stressing out your corals as your ATO will fluctuate, so then will your Alk.

Frogger · #7 08-31-2018, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregzz4

This may be why your alk is swinging, because it's tied into your ato, which is not consistent.

Only started adding Kalk in the past couple months or so because my phosphates and nitrates shot through the roof when my large yellow tang died and I couldn't find the body. I have been having stability issues for well over a year and a half basically since I started dosing nitrates.

I added the Kalk to help stabilize the phosphate. I didn't want to have to get too aggressive with the GFO.

I have added Kalk before without too much problem.

Frogger · #8 08-31-2018, 04:32 PM

The purpose of this post was to show how imprecise the home test kits.

I know I have issues and I am working on efforts to stabilize my tank. But because I have issues the short term solution is to test the parameters and make adjustments daily.

I was hoping that my use of test kits was precise enough to give me a close enough reading. Apparently not.