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Best ICP Test for Reef Tanks
Last updated on February 9th, 2024
Best ICP Test for Reef Tanks
Though many reef tank parameters can be measured with home test kits, many minor and trace elements such as Iodine, Iron, Molybdenum, Vanadium, Nickel, Cobalt, Zinc, Manganese, and Selenium either don't have test kits available or the cost doesn't make sense as you only need to test the parameter a few times per year. Even for the parameters that have test kits available, how do you know if your test kits are accurate? This is where an occasional ICP test kit comes in!
How Do ICP Tests Work?
ICP tests are where you purchase a test kit that includes a few vials or containers for aquarium water. You will then send these water samples to a lab that will use high accuracy measuring equipment to determine the concentration of a number of parameters you would not be able to measure other ways.
An ICP, or Inductively Coupled Plasma, Spectroscopy test is then conducted in the lab by ionizing each element using extremely high temperature plasma, generally argon. After ionizing, the samples are analyzed with either Mass Spectroscopy Analysis or Atomic Emission Spectroscopy. Hopefully this high level understanding is enough to understand why this needs to be done in a lab, because that's about all I know. And I can't say I fully understand it.
How Often Should you Get a Reef Tank ICP Test?
Ideally, you should get a Reef Tank ICP Test at least twice per year, roughly every 6 months. This lets you know where everything in your tank is, and allows you to keep your parameters in check. If you are able, it would be better to test every 3 or 4 months. Then you will be able to make corrections to your reef tank more frequently, making a more stable environment for your fish and coral.
Best ICP Test for Reef Tanks
From the research I've done, there are 5 tests that I would consider the Best ICP Test for Reef Tanks. They all have their own benefits, and most are quite similar in the end. But there are some that really stand out for their own reason. Here are the tests we will cover.
ATI Labs ICP Test
ATI currently tests 42 aquarium parameters. This includes Salinity, Alkalinity, Nitrate, and 39 individual elements! ATI Labs will also conduct a test on your RO water being used in your reef tank for a better understanding of the big picture.
ATI Labs ICP Test Parameters
- salinity
- alkalinity
- nitrate
- chloride
- sodium
- sulphur
- magnesium
- calcium
- potassium
- bromine
- strontium
- boron
- fluoride
- aluminum
- antimony
- arsenic
- barium
- beryllium
- bismuth
- cadmium
- chromium
- cobalt
- copper
- iron
- iodine
- lead
- lanthanum
- lithium
- manganese
- mercury
- molybdenum
- nickel
- phosphorus
- selenium
- silicon
- silver
- thallium
- tin
- titanium
- tungsten
- vanadium
- zinc
ATI will provide the results of the test online, and recommend products that they offer to help correct the parameters accordingly.
Get Your ATI ICP Test
Triton Labs ICP Test
Triton lab is one of the most popular ICP test kits known. Triton uses ICP-OES technology and has a facility in California, making turnaround time in the USA MUCH quicker. Roughly 1 week! Currently Triton is testing 45 reef tank parameters, 42 of which are individual elements.
Triton Labs ICP Test Parameters
- Salinity
- Phosphorus
- Phosphate (PO4)
- Boron
- Bromine
- Calcium
- Fluoride
- Chloride
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Sulfur
- Strontium
- Aluminum
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Caesium
- Copper
- Gallium
- Indium
- Lanthanum
- Lead
- Mercury
- Scandium
- Selenium
- Silver
- Tellurium
- Tin
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Iodine
- Iron
- Lithium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silicon
- Vanadium
- Zinc
Triton Labs will provide the results of the test online, and recommend products that they offer to help correct the parameters accordingly.
Get Your Triton ICP Test
ICP-Analysis Water Analysis
With 56 individual parameters tested, ICP-Analysis provides the largest amount of information about what elements are in your reef tank! They are the only ICP test mentioned that use ICP Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) technology, giving greater accuracy. They have a fast turnaround time, about a week. One thing to remember is that while there are more elements tested, it's important to know if there is anything you can do to raise or lower these elements, or if it is more information than you can use.
- Chlorine/Chloride
- Sodium
- Magnesium
- Sulphur
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Bromine
- Strontium
- Boron
- Phosphorus
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Iodine
- Iron
- Lithium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silicon
- Vanadium
- Zinc
- Aluminium
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Cesium (Caesium)
- Copper
- Gallium
- Lanthanum
- Lead
- Selenium
- Silver
- Tellurium
- Tin
- Titanium
- Cerium
- Dysprosium
- Erbium
- Europium
- Gold
- Holmium
- Iridium
- Niobium
- Osmium
- Platinum
- Palladium
- Rhenium
- Rubidium
- Ruthenium
- Samarium
- Tantalum
- Thorium
- Uranium
- Zirconium
ICP-Analysis will provide the results of the ICP test online, however they do not offer the range of products that the other two offer in terms of recommendations.
Get Your ICP-Analysis Test
Reef Labs ICP Test
I'll be honest, Reef Labs, or reef*labs, is a newer kid on the block for ICP tests. They are far less commercial and a little harder to get ahold of. That doesn't mean they're not great though! This may be a newer option, but it has already mad the list of top ICP test! They use ICP-OES and are in the US, meaning turnaround time is roughly only a week! This is a great contender in the ICP race! With 39 Parameters tested, this ICP test is one of the best.
Reef Labs ICP Test Parameters
- Chlorine/Chloride
- Sodium
- Magnesium
- Sulphur
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Bromine
- Strontium
- Boron
- Phosphorus
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Iodine
- Iron
- Lithium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silicon
- Vanadium
- Zinc
- Aluminium
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Cesium (Caesium)
- Copper
- Gallium
- Indium
- Lead
- Selenium
- Silver
- Titanium
- Rubidium
- Thallium
- Uranium
Reef Labs ICP will provide the results of the test online, and recommend products that they offer to help correct the parameters accordingly.
Get Your Reef Labs ICP Test
Fauna Marin ICP Test
I will start by saying I just recently found out that Fauna Marin had an ICP Test available! I'm impressed off the bat seeing that they also test non-standard parameters important to reef aquarist. This includes Salinity, Nitrate, and Phosphate! The only other test to check all of these is ATI. Fauna Marin's ICP also tests some interesting parameters such as odor, color, and CO2 to name a few. This is in addition to the over 40 other parameters measured!
Fauna Marin ICP Test Parameters
- Salinity
- Chlorine/Chloride
- Sodium
- Magnesium
- Sulphate
- Sulphur
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Bromine
- Strontium
- Boron
- Florine/Floride
- Nitrate
- Phosphate
- Phosphorus
- Barium
- Beryllium
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Iodine
- Iron
- Lithium
- Manganese
- Molybdenum
- Nickel
- Silicon
- Vanadium
- Zinc
- Aluminium
- Antimony
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Copper
- Lanthanum
- Mercury
- Scandium
- Selenium
- Silver
- Tin
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Zirconium
Fauna Marin ICP will provide the results of the test online, and recommend products that they offer to help correct the parameters accordingly.
Get Your Fauna Marin ICP Test
Comparison Of Parameters Tested
Likely what you're here for, here is a comparison chart to help you decide what is the best ICP test for your saltwater aquarium!
Let's hear some thoughts from the experts!
Conclusion
Hopefully this article provided you with the insight needed to choose one of the Best ICP Test for Reef Tanks, and start your journey in advanced reef testing. If this article was helpful, please share it with others!
About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
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