Latest lab results

[DonW]

I got the latest lab results for fresh IO and my tank. Only did P and N since thats all I care about at the moment.

Fresh IO mixed with water supplied by the lab. P 1.2ppm N 5ppm
My Tank same IO and rodi water prefilter with gfo and lanthanam chloride P .02 N 2.

Interesting to see IO so high in P. Usually its .5 or lower. I'll update this next time I send water it.


Don

 

[jezzeaepi]

The increase in P makes since given what I observed in my own tank. When I have been doing waterchanges lately, immediatley after my skimmer goes nuts pulling out mostly clear water. This is because my tank is really low on P, but high on N. As soon as this fresh source of P comes in, my bacteria go nuts and overloads the skimmer. Gerenally ill pull out two or three skimmer cups full before things return to normal.

Is there some less P laden salt out there? We need a new salt roundup =\

 

[Herefishyfishy]

What made you feel the need to have it tested?
The other Q is if this is the norm for IO or a fluke. Hope it's just a poor batch...

Don, send a copy of the lab results to the manufacturer and ask for a response.

 

[DonW]

The increase in P makes since given what I observed in my own tank. When I have been doing waterchanges lately, immediatley after my skimmer goes nuts pulling out mostly clear water. This is because my tank is really low on P, but high on N. As soon as this fresh source of P comes in, my bacteria go nuts and overloads the skimmer. Gerenally ill pull out two or three skimmer cups full before things return to normal.

Is there some less P laden salt out there? We need a new salt roundup =\

Its cheaper to just get rid of the P before using the fresh mix. I'm sure some of the expensive salts may be less but I refuse to pay the prices. Oceanic, redsea and ocean pure have all tested much higher so I'll just stick with IO.

Don

 

[DonW]

What made you feel the need to have it tested?
The other Q is if this is the norm for IO or a fluke. Hope it's just a poor batch...

Don, send a copy of the lab results to the manufacturer and ask for a response.

I test on a regular basis its inexpensive and cheap insurance. This is why I use gfo and lanthanam chloride prior to using the mix. I think just gfo would do the trick but lanthanum chloride works quicker.

Don

 

[Herefishyfishy]

This is why I use gfo and lanthanam chloride prior to using the mix. I think just gfo would do the trick but lanthanum chloride works quicker.

Don

As your basic cretin, not familiar with either. Are they basically resins?

 

[DonW]

As your basic cretin, not familiar with either. Are they basically resins?

You know what gfo is! Phosban and many others are gfo granular ferric oxide. A simplicity reactor works great for this. Lanthanam chloride is a liquid by Blue Line, been around for years. Basicly it causes P to precip out as a solid so it can be filtered. It will settle to the bottom of the mixing barrel or can be filtered either way it will knock the alk of IO down to 11.5 to 11 and precip out the P.

Don

 

[Herefishyfishy]

"gfo granular ferric oxide"

Thanks. I admire your pro-activeness on keeping things out that don't belong in the first place in lieu of battling it later

 

[Boomer]

Don

How was that P and N give, as PO4 and NO3 or as total P and N. There is a big difference. Every assay ever done by any lab is well below those levels. Even those done with HACH, Hanna, LaMotte kits or spectro's are nowhere even near your tests of 0.5 PO4. Even AWT tests are lower than that.

Something is wrong with those tests

Fresh IO mixed with water supplied by the lab. P 1.2 ppm N 5 ppm

 

[DonW]

Don

How was that P and N give, as PO4 and NO3 or as total P and N. There is a big difference. Every assay ever done by any lab is well below those levels. Even those done with HACH, Hanna, LaMotte kits or spectro's are nowhere even near your tests of 0.5 PO4. Even AWT tests are lower than that.

Something is wrong with those tests

Fresh IO mixed with water supplied by the lab. P 1.2 ppm N 5 ppm

Nope those test were done to verify my Hanna that just came back from warranty repair and to verify that my expired N packets were bad. Just po4 and no3. So spectra labs, Me(hanna), LFS (salifert) and Friend (Eleos) all come up with the same number.

I took back three buckets of IO to Petsmart and the new buckets are measuring .09 which is still higher than normal.

Now that you mention total po4. I just bought a Hatch PO 24 kit on ebay real cheap. I'd like to experiment with that a little when it comes in. Not sure if I can find a good use for it but for $2 I couldnt pass it up.

Don

 

[Boomer]

Ah, Ok now I see what is up

A PO -24. Yes for sure for $2. That is a ~ $140 test kit. I will tell you now it is a pain in the ass to use to measure Organic P and other P's but if you have time and patients it is a nice kit. This is the kit I gave Randy. How old are the reagents ? I would only be concerned with measuring PO4 and Organic P. O-P is really the culprit in many systems as some plants/animals can covert or use O-P. O-P will also break down in time to PO4. It may also may be a way to see how good a skimmer is removing O-P running vs non-running.

However, where it did come in nice for me once was when a friend was telling me that IO was loaded with many ppm PO4 in new IO. What he did know at the time was he was using tap water, that showed almost zero PO4. And when he added the IO the PO4 was very high the next day. What he did not know was that the water supply company uses Poly-P in their treatment for scale control, which the PO4 part does not see for like 24 hrs. and his test kit can not see that. I told him I'll prove it. Make up a batch with DW water and the next day it will still be ~ zero PO4. I told him the Poly-P takes a few hrs to break down/convert into PO4 in seawater through hydrolysis so his test kit could read it. My PO-24 also showed the Poly-P in the tap water but about zero PO4 just like his.

 

[DonW]

Nobody was bidding on it so I just thought $2 was worth it. The guys says it was purchased 60 days ago direct from hatch so I think I got a pretty good deal. When it get here I'll get together with you and play with some skimmate or something.

Don