highpockets
Member
Just received my water testing results from aquariumwatertesting.com (see below). I have 4 components that rated high. What do I need to do to bring the values down to an acceptable level? The only things I see are as follows: I switched from instant ocean about 12 months ago to marine enterprises intnl "crystal sea". Should I change back to Instant Ocean? I do not run carbon, gfo, filtersocks/floss etc. on my return water in the sump etc.. Just a protein skimmer. Do I need to add these things to my setup? I change my 3 stage ro/di water filters once a year, so it is hard for me to believe the rodi top off/water change water is the issue, but I am open to suggestions. Lastly, the only chemicals I use are 2 dosing pumps for bulfreefsupply 2 part calcium alk drip and their magnesium solution once a month. Thanks for your help. Besides the bleaching and fading of my corals over the last 6 months I just lost 3 seven year old clown fish, a large monticap coral, and a large colony of pulsating xenia all in the last 2 weeks.
Ammonia (NH3-4) Good=0.000
Nitrite (NO2)Good=0.005
Nitrate (NO3)Good=0.6
Phosphate (PO4)Good=0.01
Silica (SiO2-3) High=0.6
Potassium (K)Good=403
Calcium (Ca)Low=229
Molybdenum (Mo) High=0.2
Strontium (Sr)High=12.3
Magnesium (Mg)Good=1175
Iodine (I ̄)High=0.14
Copper (Cu++) Good=0.02
Alkalinity (meq/L)Good=2.80
Silica (Sio2-3) Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/L Tested: 0.6 mg/L
(HIGH) Your silica level is too high. We recommend that you use a silica specific R/O membrane in addition to deionization resin for your make-up/top-off water. You may also use a commercially available phosphate absorber, as these will also remove some silicate. Silicate is required by many types of sponges for growth/reproduction, but will also encourage brown diatom algae growth. Any level above 0.3 mg/L may cause a diatom bloom in the aquarium.[/COLOR]
[Molybdenum (Mo) Natural Seawater Value: 0.01 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.03 to 0.12 mg/L Tested: 0.2 mg/L
(HIGH) Your molybdenum level is too high. Molybdenum is found in many common additives and at highly elevated levels in most salt mixes and so a vast majority of reef tanks demonstrate a level 10 to 50 times higher than natural levels. 0.12 mg/L is the upper toxicity limit for Molybdenum, the point at which negative effects can begin to manifest themselves. You should suspend the use of any additives containing molybdenum. If your level is significantly higher than acceptable you may benefit from a partial water change to reduce this level, though your salt mix may be a contributor to the elevated level itself. Molybdenum is important for the biological processes of bacteria, and may be of some benefit to corals as well. High levels of molybdenum are known to encourage blooms of slime algae or cyanobacteria.[/COLOR]
Strontium (Sr) Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/L Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/L Tested: 12.3 mg/L
(HIGH) Your strontium level is too high. We recommend you suspend any chemical additives containing strontium. You may also wish to perform a partial water change to help alleviate this problem. Strontium is important for coral and coralline algae growth, especially among the "œSPS" corals. Too much strontium can be detrimental to coral calcification processes, and may cause coral mortality.
Iodine (I ̄) Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/L Tested: 0.14 mg/L
(HIGH) Your iodine level is too high. We recommend a reduction in chemical additives containing iodine. You may also wish to reduce the feeding of any shellfish-type, or red- algae based feeds, and increase protein skimming. Iodine is known to be required by many soft corals, marine macro algae, and is a component of many of the colorful pigments in stony corals. Iodide is a strong oxidizer however, and an overabundance can damage coral tissues, and has been implicated in algal blooms.
Ammonia (NH3-4) Good=0.000
Nitrite (NO2)Good=0.005
Nitrate (NO3)Good=0.6
Phosphate (PO4)Good=0.01
Silica (SiO2-3) High=0.6
Potassium (K)Good=403
Calcium (Ca)Low=229
Molybdenum (Mo) High=0.2
Strontium (Sr)High=12.3
Magnesium (Mg)Good=1175
Iodine (I ̄)High=0.14
Copper (Cu++) Good=0.02
Alkalinity (meq/L)Good=2.80
Silica (Sio2-3) Natural Seawater Value: 0.040 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.000 to 0.500 mg/L Tested: 0.6 mg/L
(HIGH) Your silica level is too high. We recommend that you use a silica specific R/O membrane in addition to deionization resin for your make-up/top-off water. You may also use a commercially available phosphate absorber, as these will also remove some silicate. Silicate is required by many types of sponges for growth/reproduction, but will also encourage brown diatom algae growth. Any level above 0.3 mg/L may cause a diatom bloom in the aquarium.[/COLOR]
[Molybdenum (Mo) Natural Seawater Value: 0.01 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.03 to 0.12 mg/L Tested: 0.2 mg/L
(HIGH) Your molybdenum level is too high. Molybdenum is found in many common additives and at highly elevated levels in most salt mixes and so a vast majority of reef tanks demonstrate a level 10 to 50 times higher than natural levels. 0.12 mg/L is the upper toxicity limit for Molybdenum, the point at which negative effects can begin to manifest themselves. You should suspend the use of any additives containing molybdenum. If your level is significantly higher than acceptable you may benefit from a partial water change to reduce this level, though your salt mix may be a contributor to the elevated level itself. Molybdenum is important for the biological processes of bacteria, and may be of some benefit to corals as well. High levels of molybdenum are known to encourage blooms of slime algae or cyanobacteria.[/COLOR]
Strontium (Sr) Natural Seawater Value: 8.1 mg/L Acceptable Range: 5.0 to 12.0 mg/L Tested: 12.3 mg/L
(HIGH) Your strontium level is too high. We recommend you suspend any chemical additives containing strontium. You may also wish to perform a partial water change to help alleviate this problem. Strontium is important for coral and coralline algae growth, especially among the "œSPS" corals. Too much strontium can be detrimental to coral calcification processes, and may cause coral mortality.
Iodine (I ̄) Natural Seawater Value: 0.060 mg/L Acceptable Range: 0.030 to 0.090 mg/L Tested: 0.14 mg/L
(HIGH) Your iodine level is too high. We recommend a reduction in chemical additives containing iodine. You may also wish to reduce the feeding of any shellfish-type, or red- algae based feeds, and increase protein skimming. Iodine is known to be required by many soft corals, marine macro algae, and is a component of many of the colorful pigments in stony corals. Iodide is a strong oxidizer however, and an overabundance can damage coral tissues, and has been implicated in algal blooms.
