Is there a quick way to get obnoxiously high Potassium levels down?

[deputydog95]

I recently did an ICP test. My Potassium levels are double what they should be. The troubling part is, I have no idea why.

I use the following to maintain the tank:

Red Sea salt (blue buck) https://www.redseafish.com/red-sea-salts/red-sea-salt/
Reef Chem Fusion A&B https://www.seachem.com/reef-fusion.php
Korallen Amino Acid https://www.korallen-zucht.de/en/Salt-Water-Aquarium-Care/Elements/Amino-Acid-High-Concentrate.html

I tested a freshly mixed batch of salt this week (Red Sea kit) and it came in at around 440 for Potassium.

I emailed both SeaChem and Korallen, and both claimed that their products do not contain Potassium.

The tank looks like hell right now... Burnt tips, pale colors, etc etc...
I've reduced dkh from 10 to 8. The rest of the numbers seem to be ok.

Any idea where I could be getting these excessive Potassium levels from?
What is the best way to reduce them? It's an almost exclusively SPS tank so I'm obviously cautious about doing anything too rapidly.

 

[miralami]

Is there a quick way to get obnoxiously high Potassium levels down?

I don't think the test is right. It takes a lots of dosing of pure potassium to get it that high (I mean Gallons), I suggest get a Salifert test to confirm the number.
Even if it's that high I think you better leave it alone.

Look into correcting your salinity first

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[deputydog95]

I don't think the test is right. It takes a lots of dosing of pure potassium to get it that high (I mean Gallons), I suggest get a Salifert test to confirm the number.
Even if it's that high I think you better leave it alone.

Look into correcting your salinity first

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Disregard the salinity

I don't how valid the ICP test is for that... The last time I sent in a sample, it wasn't even an option. I have a milwaukee that is regularly calibrated and checked against a 35ppt reference solution. Even my goofy apex probe is pretty darn close to the milwaukee, so I'm throwing their PPT reading out the window.

I haven't tested my tank yet with the new Red Sea kit, but I'm going to try it now. It does have all the symptoms of high K though...

 

[miralami]

Well, if their results in salinity is that screwed how are you trusting the rest?

I had elevated Potassium, obviously not that much, and never saw a negative effect.


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[deputydog95]

Well, if their results in salinity is that screwed how are you trusting the rest?

I had elevated Potassium, obviously not that much, and never saw a negative effect.


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You bring up a good point. It might be a "bonus reading" they just throw in there. But if it's not going to be accurate... Why bother listing it?

That being said, something is definitely wrong with my tank and it's exhibiting symptoms of high K.

 

[deputydog95]

I don't think the test is right. It takes a lots of dosing of pure potassium to get it that high (I mean Gallons), I suggest get a Salifert test to confirm the number.
Even if it's that high I think you better leave it alone.

Look into correcting your salinity first

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The red sea kit is a nightmare.... I've tried it twice and still can't get a reading. Not only that, it takes about 25 mins from start to finish (including cleaning).