nanotrigger's AWT water test results

[nanotrigger]

Ammonia (NH3-4) ........................Good ......................................... 0.004
Nitrite (NO2)................................Good ......................................... 0.012
Nitrate (NO3)...............................Good .............................................1.5
Phosphate (PO4) .......................... High............................................ 0.91
Silica (SiO2-3) ............................. High..............................................1.0
Potassium (K) ...............................Low............................................. 216
Calcium (Ca)................................ High............................................. 442
Boron (B) ....................................Good .............................................3.4
Molybdenum (Mo)......................... High..............................................0.2
Strontium (Sr) .............................Good .............................................8.0
Magnesium (Mg) ..........................Good .......................................... 1183
Iodine (I¯)...................................Good ........................................... 0.05
Copper (Cu++) ............................Good ........................................... 0.03
Alkalinity (meq/L).........................Good ........................................... 2.92

[nanotrigger]

I know my Phosphate is high. i'm going to move my phosphate reactor to this tank and feed the tank less. any other suggestions guy?

I don't know about potassium. should i just add a slice of banana?

[spleify]

Thanks for sharing, I have heard good things about these tests.
DO you have a link or address, or a way to get in touch with these folks, to get this done?

Thanks

Spleify

[nanotrigger]

http://www.aquariumwatertesting.com/

it's pretty easy.. i got the 4 pack. and i'm going to check my waterh like this every 3 months.

[spleify]

Thanks nano, thats what I was looking for.

Spleify

[PSam]

Hm, low K and high Si...

what a surprise ;)

[nanotrigger]

i don't understand... do i just throw a banana in it?

[PSam]

I wouldn't worry about the potassium, personally. I got a low K reading from them also, but a home kit (which is verified against 2 known standards) reads my fresh salt mix at 350, and tank at 425 (I do dose K). I found it very hard to believe AWT's potassium level. Seems most results people post from them have low K and high silicates.

[bertoni]

I agree that those numbers are similar to other people's results, except that the calcium level looks very different, and a lot more accurate. I would keep the dosing as is, and ignore the potassium.

[Boomer]

I have heard good things about these tests.

Not here you haven't :D. Do a search on AWT ;)

[HowardW]

<<< Calcium (Ca)................................ High............................................. 442 >>>


Have they changed their method for testing calcium? Most everyone was recently getting low readings.

[Boomer]

I have no clue. Maybe they are just asking their number and apply a constant to it.:lol:

[nanotrigger]

This is what they sent me.


NOTE: AquariumWaterTesting.com has made a significant leap forward in the way we test calcium. Our senior staff has developed a new background solution to calibrate the calcium ion electrode that eliminates more interferences than ever. Though this was a fundamentally small adjustment, the values measured following the new calibration process do yield results that are much closer to the values you are used to seeing from home titration kits. So if you notice a jump in your calcium level from your last round of results, it will be due to this improvement in our ability to eliminate interferences from other ions in the complex chemical soup that is sea water.



As has always been true, the measurement process that we use selects only free calcium ions. The total calcium can be estimated by multiplying the ion concentration by a value between 1.1 to 1.2. The reason for the variability is that the total calcium concentration depends on things like abiotic precipitation rates and magnesium concentrations. The product of this calculation should be close to the values you get with a titration process. Your home titration kit is limited in its accuracy by the size of the drops, the consistency of the size of drops and human error so there is an inherent margin of error in both methods for arriving at total calcium concentrations. We encourage you to be consistent with how you choose to measure calcium and concentrate on the periodic changes and trends as the most meaningful information to apply to your routine.



Thank you for your business and let us know if you have any questions!

[bertoni]

Okay, so they've fixed their calibration solutions, or at least fixed them somewhat. That's good. I don't know where they're getting the 1.1 to 1.2 factor, though. The comments about magnesium and abiotic precipitation make no sense in that context.

[billsreef]

Sounds like they finally figured out they needed to calibrate with a sea water standard, and a fudge factor :lol:

[Boomer]

That is called a constant Bill, not a fudge factor :D

[billsreef]

My bad :lol: