Just wanted to share my ICP results with All For Reef

[Necrodaemus]

I started using All For Reef a year and a half ago when I had a little 25g lagoon. I liked the simplicity so well, that I decided to continue using it in the 90g I set up back in October ‘23.
I just received the results of my first ATI ICP and I’m honestly impressed with how well AFR is maintaining everything. I’m currently dosing 36ml/day in one dose every 24 hours, just as the lights come on. My dosage is set to maintain a dKH of 8 (the ICP result was 8.9 but that was due to pH dropping after the CO2 scrubber media depleted without me realizing it…I’ve since switched from BRS to Jorvet which is last much longer and easier to see the color change.)
Now, I haven’t done a water change since mid December as I haven’t felt the need to…nutrients staying at 5-10ppm NO3, PO4 testing at 0.07-0.1 (ICP says 0.03). I had anticipated Potassium dropping a bit lower than the 400 range I want to keep but I hadn’t been dosing it, AFR doesn’t supply it, and the lack of water changes wasn’t replenishing it. Now that I know where it sits, I’m dosing it back up to 400ish (Salifert test coming).
Iron and Manganese weren’t detected but I chalk this up to the chaeto sucking it up. Not sure where the elevated Tin came from but I suspect potentially from the PVC plumbing and the lack of water changes hasn’t fully diluted/exported it out. Aluminum is also a wee bit high but I’m pretty sure that was from running PhosGuard a few times in the beginning to help with some PO4 that was leaching from the rocks.
All in all, I feel really good about these results and feel confident continuing with the All For Reef, however, once all of these acros become colonies, I may have to change gears…we shall see.

ATI Aquaristik Lab

Default Description

lab.atiaquaristik.com

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Now, I haven’t done a water change since mid December as I haven’t felt the need to…nutrients staying at 5-10ppm NO3, PO4 testing at 0.07-0.1 (ICP says 0.03). I had anticipated Potassium dropping a bit lower than the 400 range I want to keep but I hadn’t been dosing it, AFR doesn’t supply it, and the lack of water changes wasn’t replenishing it. Now that I know where it sits, I’m dosing it back up to 400ish (Salifert test coming).

I agree it looks good.

Keep an eye on the tin.

On the potassium comment, IMO there should not be an assumption that potassium depletes, and it does not always do so. It really depends on whether the foods (tissues) used are deficient in K relative to the tissues made in the tank from the N and P coming from the foods.

 

[Necrodaemus]

I agree it looks good.

Keep an eye on the tin.

On the potassium comment, IMO there should not be an assumption that potassium depletes, and it does not always do so. It really depends on whether the foods (tissues) used are deficient in K relative to the tissues made in the tank from the N and P coming from the foods.

Thanks!
I’ve inspected everything that could potentially be leaching metals, and nothing appears out of the ordinary, so I’m not sure on what the source is for the Tin. I’m hoping it’s just residuals from the PVC plumbing that hasn’t been fully diluted/removed through lack of water changes. Is there anything I could use to remove it? When should I send in another ICP sample to see if it’s creeping up?

 

[exnisstech]

This is encouraging. A few weeks ago I switched from two part to AFR on one of my tanks that is mostly acro frags. I'm only at 10ml a day and it hasn't been long but I haven't seen any negative effects. I switched mostly just because I like to try different methods to see what works best. In addition to the AFR tank I have another on two part and another that gets kalk. To be honest they all look decent but the AFR is easier. I haven't started extending my WC intervals yet. If I'm able to do that I may move from kalk to AFR on my new build when I move everything just to make things easier. By easier I mainly mean no brute container full of kalk in the living room where all equipment will be on this tank. I currently dose into a basement sump.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

As I have discussed many times and with TM folks as well, no all in one product can hope to be optimal for every situation since it ties alk dosing to trace elements, and yet many consumers of trace elements use no alkalinity.

So it’s great if it works out well in one setup, but that does not mean it will provide everything needed by other setups with a different trace element to alk demand ratio.