Do you test for Strontium?

[reefnjunkie]

Actually it should be a two part poll. It should have asked-If you dose for strontium AND do you test for strontium if you dose for it.

Disregard the spelling errors-LOL

I have always read, don't dose it if you done test for it.

Curious if you test for Strontium-I was going to order a kit and at 38.00 for 25-40 tests it seems the more expensive kit.

I have been using Kent Marine Strontium & Molybdenum for dosing for the last year but don't test-shame on me?????

 

Just curious

[andy]

I don't test or dose, regular water changes are enough to keep up with uptake IMO.

[reefnjunkie]

I don't test or dose' date=' regular water changes are enough to keep up with uptake IMO.[/quote']

 

Sorry had to laugh a little on that one-How do you know-(laugh)

 

Just having fun, but.....

[huskerduck]

Yes I bought the $40 kit and its a real pain in the rear, the instructions need to be read very clearly and theres one part where they break up a sentence in a way that made me have to re-perform the test and its about a 30 minute test to begin with.

 

Without digging up the test and finding the part that was confusing, I remember they put a period or a red dash or something at the end of a sentence with a space and far to the right, then starting another step that refers back to a previous step.

 

Not only is the test long and caustic, instructions werent proof read well before going to print

 

I dose

[reefnjunkie]

Yes I bought the $40 kit and its a real pain in the rear, the instructions need to be read very clearly and theres one part where they break up a sentence in a way that made me have to re-perform the test and its about a 30 minute test to begin with.

 

Without digging up the test and finding the part that was confusing, I remember they put a period or a red dash or something at the end of a sentence with a space and far to the right, then starting another step that refers back to a previous step.

 

I dose

 

You did not vote then-

I just read the instructions-it they were not a clear. I'll shoot youa pm later I'd be interested in what you dose with and what levels you are finding.

 

+1 karma for testing what you dose

[huskerduck]

heres the instructions and its a red asteric that got me

 

Go to support, manuals, instructions then strontium at the bottom

 

 

http://www.seachem.com/Library/Instructions/0922-StrontiumWE-4.pdf

[huskerduck]

When looking at the intructions go to 5. first line and all the way right is a red asteric, which is basically repeating an entire step but it doesnt tell you this until the test is done, the print is very small and the red asteric is missed with ease

[reefnjunkie]

Salifert test kit I was reading;

Salifert Strontium Test Kit-LOL copy n paste

 

 

 

Salifert Strontium Profi-Test

In a marine aquarium strontium plays an important role in accelerating the growth of coral and calcareous algae and natural sea water contains approx. 7 - 9 mg/L strontium.

Strontium is very difficult to test for, but if there is found to be a depletion of calcium in the aquarium then strontium levels are likely to be very low as well.

It is advisable to maintain a strontium concentration of between 5 and 20 mg/L.

Salifert was the first to introduce a strontium test kit and this test measures both ionically free and moderately complex strontium in increments of 5 mg/L.

Sufficient for up to 40 tests.

For marine use only.

 

Warning!

 

Reagent Sr-1 is caustic. In case of contact with eyes rinse immediately with plenty of water and contact a physician immediately. In case of ingestion do not induce vomiting but contact a physician immediately. In case of contact with skin wash with plenty of water. Keep out of reach of children.

 

Instructions:

 

1. Fill test vial with 5ml of water (use 5ml syringe).

 

2. Add 12 drops Sr-1 (caution caustic) and swirl gently for 10 seconds.

 

3. Add 1 level scoop of Sr-2 and swirl gently for 5 seconds. The color should be red/pink.

 

4. Fit the 1ml syringe without the yellow label with the small plastic tip. Ensure that the tip is mounted firmly. Fill this syringe with 1ml of Sr-3 (lower end of black rubber ring at 1.00ml mark). Dose this amount in the test vial and swirl gently for 20 seconds. If the color has changed to blue and remains so even after an additional 30 seconds then the calcium concentration is far too low (approx. 300mg/l or less) and should be corrected first before doing strontium testing.

 

5. Again fill this syringe with 1ml of Sr-3. Add this drop wise to the test vial. Swirl gently for a few seconds after each drop until the color changes to blue. If the color has changed to blue then swirl gently for 15 seconds. It is very likely that the color will revert back and will not be pure blue. In that case add one more drop of Sr-3 and swirl again for 15 seconds. Repeat this until the color remains blue.

 

6. Hold the syringe with the plastic tip facing upward. Read the value at the upper part of the black rubber ring. Look for this value in the calcium table to get the calcium concentration.

 

7. Fill the 1ml syringe with the yellow label (no plastic tip needed and is not supplied) with 0.5ml Sr-4 (lower end of black rubber ring at 0.50ml mark). Add this to the test vial and swirl gently for 10 seconds. The color will now be red/pink.

 

8. Add two levels scoops of Sr-5 and swirl gently until this powder has dissolved. Let it stand for 12-15 minutes (use a clock).

 

9. Fill the 1ml syringe without the yellow label and fitted with the plastic tip with 1ml of Sr-3 . Add this drop wise to the test vial. Swirl gently for 20 seconds (should definitely not be less that 20 seconds) after each drop until the color changes to blue.

 

10. Hold the syringe with the syringe with the plastic tip facing upward. Read the value at the upper part of the black rubber ring. Look for this value in the strontium table to obtain the strontium concentration.

 

Calcium Table

Reading from Step 5 Calcium mg/l

0.96 308

0.92 320

0.88 332

0.84 344

0.80 356

0.76 368

0.72 380

0.68 392

0.64 404

0.60 416

0.56 428

0.52 440

0.48 452

0.44 464

0.40 476

0.36 488

0.32 500

0.28 512

0.24 524

0.20 536

0.16 548

0.12 560

0.08 572

0.04 584

0.00 596

 

Strontium Table

Reading from Step 10 Strontium mg/l

1.00 40 or higher

0.99 34

0.98 28

0.97 22

0.96 16 good

0.95 10 good

0.94 4

0.93 0-3

 

Note: Error in strontium measurement is approx. +/- 5mg/l. Error in calcium measurement is approx. 2%.

[huskerduck]

While everyone seems a huge fan of Salifert, I have owned alot of Salifert test that basically test clear or are so close to clear you need laboratory calibrated lighting to distinguish the results. Im not a big fan, not sure where they became the test kit of choice other than " if its expensive, it must be good" theory.

 

Too me, Salifert test kits seem cheap, like some guy is sitting in his parents basement printing the instructions on a 1992 printer. ( not that Seachems instructions should win an Oscar either) and I like definitive color changes and counting exact numbers coresponding to those changes. with Salifert it seems you are looking at clear to partially blue depending on the light

 

I do like this paragraph in Seachems test

 

Interpretation

This kit is capable of at least 50 strontium determinations and is designed specifically for seawater. The sample is treated and filtered

through an adsorbent to selectively remove the strontium from solution. The filtrate is discarded and the adsorbent is washed to

remove residual sample. The strontium is then eluted from the adsorbent and measured. Natural seawater concentration for

strontium is approximately 8 mg/L. By contrast, magnesium is present at about 1,300 mg/L and calcium at about 400 mg/L; together

they exceed strontium by over 200 fold. Magnesium and calcium are chemically quite similar to strontium, thus, the measurement of

strontium in the presence of high concentrations of magnesium and calcium with this kit requires meticulous attention to the

instructions. To get the correct perspective, imagine that you are trying to find and count 8 lavender marbles in a jar containing

1,300 purple and 400 magenta marbles.

[reefboy]

I havnt for years

[reefnjunkie]

I havnt for years

 

Hey Jody,not sure if you are following if not I'll PM you-LOL you have been warned...

Do you dose Strontium-

 

This poll is flawed and I need to close it and start an accurate one-Coffee had not kicked in earlier

[andy]

Sorry had to laugh a little on that one-How do you know-(laugh)

 

Just having fun, but.....

 

It's a fair question. My answer is a question in response: How do YOU know where to stop? If you are going to test strontium, why not iodine? Why not bromine and cobalt and iron and fluoride? Why not lithium, aluminum and barium?

 

I choose to draw the line at magnesium. The concentration of minor ions is significantly less (orders of magnitude less)... Magnesium is the knee of the curve. This decision is supported by the fact that the concentration of calcium, carbonate, and magnesium have a significant and measurable impact on the health of our tanks. There are serious, obvious and measurable implications of any of the big three being out of whack. Not so for the lesser ions. In fact, several popular salt mixes deviate SIGNIFICANTLY from NSW with respect to the concentration of the lesser ions and yet hobbyists have great success with them.

 

So, with all that in mind here's my line of reasoning: The salt I buy claims to provide the necessary ions in sufficient amounts. Given my satisfaction with the overall health and growth of my fish and corals, I'm comfortable that the amount of the various minor ions and trace elements is sufficient and that regular water changes provide adequate refreshes. YMMV

 

Some interesting related reading:

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-11/rhf/index.php#7

[jason7504]

i never have tested or dosed strontium and all of my tanks are doing good

[reefboy]

Hey Jody,not sure if you are following if not I'll PM you-LOL you have been warned...

Do you dose Strontium-

 

This poll is flawed and I need to close it and start an accurate one-Coffee had not kicked in earlier

 

no I don't but I use a calcium reactor so it does get added from that.

[reefnjunkie]

It's a fair question. My answer is a question in response: How do YOU know where to stop? If you are going to test strontium, why not iodine? Why not bromine and cobalt and iron and fluoride? Why not lithium, aluminum and barium?

 

 

I do dose Iodine too-bad for me, I dont test for that either-I had read somewhere in the hours of reading and reading ....

 

Iodine and strontium get dosed because when I see awesome tanks, I ask what do you supplement, and Mag, Stron. and Iodine ar eon those lists as well as recently I have been hearing alot of Potassium??????

 

Arg more reading.

 

No really I MAY re-order the Strontium/Molybenium once my bottle ends. But I think I do more than what is needed.

 

I agree where do you draw the line-is it time to add ozone and .. and ... and...

 

I'm done-time to save for my "new tank" and family room remodel-The last comes first before the tank-since it will be an in wall 220

 

 

no I don't but I use a calcium reactor so it does get added from that.

 

I do as well, plus the Kalk reactor-so maybe I am over doing it-Hmm

[pledosophy]

If you do the math, water changes that have trace elements consistent with sea level will not replace the lost elements unless you are doing a 100% water change. The percentage of water changes we do as hobbyists (10%, 20%, 30%) replace that much of the trace elements. Eventually if the tank gets old enough the only elements that will be present will come from the water change (so once the argon is gone if you do a 10% change you will then have 10% AR of normal seawater).

 

That said, I don't think argon does jack for my corals. Some thigns are helpful, but I do believe there is a lot of snake oil in this hobby.

 

Iodine for instance is not actually good for corals, and does get replenished in there food. They sold us iodine for years, recently *(maybe 5 or 6 years back) switching to Iodide which is beneficial for our systems.

 

Iodide is definetly something you should test for if you are adding as certain levels are toxic to inverts. Strontium is a bit different in my mind, as far as I know there is no ill effects of over dosing. I also supplement iron in my systems which I don't have a test kit for, but I do know the first sign of an abundance of iron is a diatom algae so when I see that algae I lay off dosing.

 

Just my ramblings.

[undrtkr_00]

Do you dose iron for plant health, or....?

[pledosophy]

IME I have not seen a benefit from dosing Iron on planted systems.

 

I have read several articles where people have run side by side experiments and no known benefit has been shown from dosing iron.

 

When you are dosing Iron there is a definite indication when there is to much present as a slime algae forms. When this happens, you just stop dosing for awhile.

 

I

[huskerduck]

I would be willing to donate my strontium test kit as sort of a PNWMAS kit everyone could pass around if they are curious. I would say those that had over 6 months on their Tanks and did small to no water changes may be interested.

 

Those that dose may be interested too

 

The one requirement would be a thorough breakdown of your maintenance and your results ( Type of salt you use, how often you do water changes, and %, Dosing....etc.

 

this way we could see the results club wide and come to our own conclusions