Water chemistry for Randy

[Paul B]

Randy recently a member who works for a water testing company tested my water for free and came up with this.
They wanted to see what 40 year old water looked like (and so did I)
I really don't test for anything and was surprised by some of the readings like Iodine for instance which is zero even though I do add Lugols.

The reading is the last number on every line, what do you thing of the readings.

Analysis Atomic Symbol Units
(ppm) Acceptable Range
(Assumes Corals) Natural Seawater Value Your
Sample Results
Aluminum Al mg/L <0.2 0.001 <0.02
Arsenic As mg/L 0.0023 - 0.0037 0.002 0.07
Barium Ba mg/L 0.01 -0.03 0.015 0.040
Boron B mg/L 3 - 15 4.4 1.76
Calcium Ca mg/L 350 - 422 418 516
Cadmium Cd mg/L <0.0003 0.000114 <0.0003
Cobalt Co mg/L 0 - 0.002 0.0000068 0.0023
Chromium Cr mg/L <0.05 0.0001â€"œ 0.0005 <0.05
Copper Cu mg/L 0 - 0.01 0.000212 <0.05
Iron Fe mg/L <0.1 0.00014 - 0.045 0.05
Potassium K mg/L 380 - 500 399 468
Magnesium Mg mg/L 1200 - 1350 1280 1320
Manganese Mn mg/L 0.000275 - .05 0.000275 - .002 <0.001
Molybdenum Mo mg/L 0.008 - 0.01 0.01 0.015
Sodium Na mg/L 10800 10800 9390
Scandium Sc mg/L <0.005 0.000001 <0.005
Nickel Ni mg/L 0.000633 - 0.01 0.000633 <0.01
Lead Pb mg/L 0.000002 - .001 0.000035 0.006
Lithium Li mg/L 0.15 - 0.3 0.178 0.02
Selenium Se mg/L 0.0000085 - 0.15 0.000085 <0.1
Silicon Si mg/L <5.5 2.8 0.26
Strontium Sr mg/L 7.7 - 13 7.7 - 13 6.38
Sulfur S mg/L 30 - 930 904 861
Titanium Ti mg/L 0.0000009 - 0.003 0.000014 <0.01
Uranium U mg/L 0.0025 - 0.005 0.0032 0.0010
Vanadium V mg/L 0.003 - 0.02 0.0012 - 0.002 <0.003
Zinc Zn mg/L 0.000529 - .01 0.000529 <0.1

Bromide Br 60 - 75 66 78
Chloride Cl 1500 - 19345 19345 20000
Fluoride F 0.5 - 1.5 1 0.24

Sulphate SO4 <2701 2701 2600



Sample Temperature For Remaining Analysis: 73.7F
Analysis Acceptable Status Results
Iodide mg/L 0.02 to 0.04 Reef Low 0.002
Iodine/Iodate mg/L Reef Low 0.00
Ammonia mg/L 0 (below surface) Normal - Client will see 0 <0.15
Alkalinity Total dKH 8 - 13 dKH Good 11.462
Alkalinity Borate dKH Good 2.236
Alkalinity Carbonate dKH 8 - 9dKh Good 9.225
Nitrate mg/L 0.1 - 2.5 Reef High 5
Nitrite mg/L 0 Good 0
Phosphate mg/L 0.07 High 0.2
Silicate mg/L 0.02 High 0.5

Salinity ppt S=35 Perfect 35
Specific Gravity 1.025 - 1.026 Perfect

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

The numbers mostly look good to me. As you may figure, phosphate may be high for hard corals.

Ever dose any potassium? It is a bit elevated, perhaps at odds with the trendy idea that it gets depleted.

I don't understand their borate alkalinity comment or calculation. They report low boron but very high borate alkalinity, which is not possible. I'll just assume they made a mistake calculating borate alkalinity (or maybe they used the unreliable Seachem kit).

Assuming that's also how they got the carbonate alkalinity, I'd ignore it.

Iodine is rapidly used, so it doesn't surpris me it is low. Many organisms, especially micro and macroalgae, suck it up rapidly. When I used to dose iodide, I found it depleted from NSW to undetectable in 1-2 days.

Interesting the bromide is also not depleted (which is probably good).

What supplements, if any, do you add?

 

[Paul B]

Randy, Thank you.
I don't know how they tested but it is a water testing facility, not just for aquariums.
As you know, I rarely change water so the readings surprised me also. I only dose your Dowflake formula but I have not added Epsom Salt in about 6 months. I do add a couple of drops of Lugols every week or so but I think I will increase that.
I will ask them about the boron.
I have not added any NSW since last summer and I only change 20% of the water maybe five times a year.
What do you think of the zinc figure?
My town adds zinc orthophosphate to the water and I do use RO/DI but the last time they did that, I lost almost all my corals, worms, pods all the inverts but not fish.
I now have a RO/DI that is supposed to eliminate more zinc and lead which I think is also a little high, for people anyway, I don't know what lead does to aquariums if anything.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I only dose your Dowflake formula but I have not added Epsom Salt in about 6 months.

The sulfate is a tad low, and maybe that is why.

Are you using the new Dow material with bromide in it?

In Ron's water study, zinc was typically elevated, if you believe it to be accurate, at 0.19 to 0.26 ppm. Yours is less than 0.1 ppm, but the NSW level is way lower than that, so it doesn't tell much about it.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-02/rs/feature/index.php

 

[Paul B]

I am using Dow Flake from when you first discussed it, it must be 4 years old.
I guess my zinc is low now which is good. I ran a lot of Poly filters and carbon after I had a problem so it seems fine.
Thanks for the answer Randy, I sent your question to them about the Borate.
Paul

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:thumbsup:

Let us know what they say on the borate.