ICP test results and dosing options

[Djplus1]

Hey all, I just got back my first ICP test results (attached) and once I get my question answered by them about the accuracy being that it's showing my tank size as 1711006 Liters instead of 171.1006 I was curious on best dosing options seeing that I am "critically low" or "below normal" on a number of trace elements such as Iodine, Zinc, Barium, Boron, Manganese, Iron, Vanadium, etc. I have never dosed, just using kalkwasser, but I did pick up a couple dosers from Isaac last year and I've got a bunch of ESV B-Ionic 2 part laying around. Does this product sufficiently (or at all for that matter)increase any of these listed on the packaging? Obviously it won't be as controlled as following the exact amounts shown to add and also being that my dKH and CA are within "normal" levels, am I even safe to use 2 part if I continue to use kalkwasser?

 

Part 1: Carbonate, sodium, bicarbonate, sulfate, borate, fluoride, iodide, molybdate, vanadate, selenate.

Part 2: chloride, calcium, magnesium, potassium, bromide, strontium, lithium, barium, rubidium, iron, zinc, nickel, copper, manganese, cobalt, chromium.

 

The results also recommend using multi trace element products like ATI Daily Traces A which if used would lessen (or even eliminate) the need to dose for those included in that particular formula, correct? Just a little confused and overwhelmed here so any "easy" multi trace element products that will help would be ideal rather than individually chasing numbers for Iodine, Zinc, Barium, Boron, Manganese, Iron, Vanadium, etc.

 

2026-02-18-363783-ati.lab.results.pdf

[DaJMasta]

Unfortunately, chasing individual numbers often involves individual additive bottles and regular testing.  That said, you can sort of cover a lot of your bases by some baseline dosing of a mix of elements.

 

B-Ionic may help with the levels, but it's designed as a replacement for regular old 2 part, so you'd have to replace at least some of your normal dosing regimen with it.  The combination trace element bottles are often blended with what can keep separate from what, but if there's a particular mix that covers a lot of your bases - in their recommendation "Daily Traces A" - then just dosing that alone should help.  Dosing quantity should scale linearly, so just slide the decimal place over 4 and you should be good.  Iodine/Manganese/Iron has been low in my tank so I dosed some Chaetogro and some lugols iodine on sort of an irregular schedule.  I didn't notice a huge difference, but the numbers on subsequent tests went up a bit.

 

Worth mentioning that the 32.5ppt really will skew your numbers, though.  I don't expect a lot of the "critically low" marked ones in regular salt mix to correct those, but having lower overall salinity will lower all of your primary numbers too (magnesium, calcium, potassium, strontium, etc.)

[ParrotFish]

So I did my first ICP test last year. I wasn't unhappy with how things were, but knew they could be better. I took it as proof I needed to change things. At the time the only things I was doing was WC with reef crystals, alkalinity (and sometimes some calc) from red sea, live phyto and red sea AB+. 

I changed to aquaforest reef salt and started aquaforest Micro E. I was and still am scared of trace elements. Putting stuff in you can't test for at home is worrying. I did a slow transition to AF salt and started the trace element supplement very slowly. I'm still only at 75% of the rec dose. 

I actually plan to do a follow-up test any week now. To see the changes in terms of numbers. But the tank is much happier. Gonis are thriving, pretty much everything is better. (Always going to be some outliers to just make your life difficult.)

Some of this depends how deep you wanna dive both in terms of money and time. I will say I am considering the Triton supplement where you send in a test every month and they make you a custom mix of elements every month. It's a bit pricey, but may be worth it. I need to see what my follow up test shows. 

[Djplus1]

11 hours ago, DaJMasta said:

Unfortunately, chasing individual numbers often involves individual additive bottles and regular testing.  That said, you can sort of cover a lot of your bases by some baseline dosing of a mix of elements.

 

B-Ionic may help with the levels, but it's designed as a replacement for regular old 2 part, so you'd have to replace at least some of your normal dosing regimen with it.  The combination trace element bottles are often blended with what can keep separate from what, but if there's a particular mix that covers a lot of your bases - in their recommendation "Daily Traces A" - then just dosing that alone should help.  Dosing quantity should scale linearly, so just slide the decimal place over 4 and you should be good.  Iodine/Manganese/Iron has been low in my tank so I dosed some Chaetogro and some lugols iodine on sort of an irregular schedule.  I didn't notice a huge difference, but the numbers on subsequent tests went up a bit.

 

Worth mentioning that the 32.5ppt really will skew your numbers, though.  I don't expect a lot of the "critically low" marked ones in regular salt mix to correct those, but having lower overall salinity will lower all of your primary numbers too (magnesium, calcium, potassium, strontium, etc.)

Yeah, I actually knew my salt was a little low because I just checked it for the first time in about 6 months the day I took my sample for the ICP. My refractometer read closer to 33/34 though but that could also be my blurry eyes, lol. I need to change my RO/DI filters as I have a ton of Silicon and I'll mix 5 gallons with 3 cups vs 2.5 cups of coral pro and I should get back up to 35 within a change or three. I do find it weird that they recommend Daily Traces A when highlighting Zinc shortage, but don't mention their Daily Traces B which has Iodine which I am also "critically low" in. Do you personally think if I got a bottle of each and dosed daily for 30-60 days and sent in another test that I would "correct" at least Zinc and Iodine without completely blasting the other trace elements through the roof? I definitely do not want to dose 7-8 elements separately.

[Djplus1]

3 hours ago, ParrotFish said:

So I did my first ICP test last year. I wasn't unhappy with how things were, but knew they could be better. I took it as proof I needed to change things. At the time the only things I was doing was WC with reef crystals, alkalinity (and sometimes some calc) from red sea, live phyto and red sea AB+. 

I changed to aquaforest reef salt and started aquaforest Micro E. I was and still am scared of trace elements. Putting stuff in you can't test for at home is worrying. I did a slow transition to AF salt and started the trace element supplement very slowly. I'm still only at 75% of the rec dose. 

I actually plan to do a follow-up test any week now. To see the changes in terms of numbers. But the tank is much happier. Gonis are thriving, pretty much everything is better. (Always going to be some outliers to just make your life difficult.)

Some of this depends how deep you wanna dive both in terms of money and time. I will say I am considering the Triton supplement where you send in a test every month and they make you a custom mix of elements every month. It's a bit pricey, but may be worth it. I need to see what my follow up test shows. 

Did you just pick Micro-E out of a hat a decide to use that vs any other product? I just looked it up and it has a number of the elements I'm low in minus Iodine and Boron, so not certain that's the "perfect" pick for me, but close. Are you using a doser for it or just adding by hand everyday?

[DaJMasta]

I honestly don't know how much zinc is required or what for, though I know iodine has some known uses in tanks (though the form of which is important for its bioavailability).  I also know my tank has tested low for iodine at every ICP even despite dosing and it's generally been pretty healthy.

 

I think generally covering as many bases is possible is good, but aside from widely-known-to-be-important elements, "critically low" should be taken with a grain of salt.  For example, I don't know if dosing silica would be all that beneficial unless you want diatoms or sponges to grow.  I would pick something that covers as many as possible, then dose something otherwise if you feel like it - iodine specific supplements are easy to find and just a few drops a week is probably plenty, so it's likely not something that needs to be on a doser.

[ParrotFish]

2 hours ago, Djplus1 said:

Did you just pick Micro-E out of a hat a decide to use that vs any other product? I just looked it up and it has a number of the elements I'm low in minus Iodine and Boron, so not certain that's the "perfect" pick for me, but close. Are you using a doser for it or just adding by hand everyday?

I'm struggling to remember now. Doing some searching online and I'm really not sure how I ended up there. Guess it just caught my eye. 

I know I was looking for something that covered at least some, especially manganese (I have heard how that can be important to goni health and I really wanted to keep gonis). 

Part of this was I didn't want to change too many things as I really wanted to see if changing salts solved a lot of issues. 

And I dose by hand. It is in drops and I currently do 3 drops a day. 

Edited February 19 by ParrotFish

[Djplus1]

So just looking around the webs has me looking at a few different options. But the two that intrigue me the most are using All For Reef or skipping the Alk/CA portion and just use Tropic Marin's Trace 1 and Trace 2. I feel while running kalkwasser, All For Reef might be a little much if I can just dose the trace elements? Or are my dKH levels not going to all that effected by the small amounts dosed? All For Reef I believe would be much more cost effective if in powder form also. Anyone see an absolute reason to not do All For Reef?

[ParrotFish]

6 hours ago, Djplus1 said:

So just looking around the webs has me looking at a few different options. But the two that intrigue me the most are using All For Reef or skipping the Alk/CA portion and just use Tropic Marin's Trace 1 and Trace 2. I feel while running kalkwasser, All For Reef might be a little much if I can just dose the trace elements? Or are my dKH levels not going to all that effected by the small amounts dosed? All For Reef I believe would be much more cost effective if in powder form also. Anyone see an absolute reason to not do All For Reef?

AFR in powder form is definitely cost effective. 

I have waffled on doing AFR, I even have a bottle in my cabinet. It works on a different level than a typical 2 part and it makes me a little nervous. Also always worried about overdosing trace elements (which to be fair, I could be doing right now with the micro e) and major elements. Like right now I don't do any supplementation for Cal or Mag so I'd be worried those would get overdosed. 

Quite a few people still have to supplement for Alk with AFR. 

[Djplus1]

16 hours ago, ParrotFish said:

AFR in powder form is definitely cost effective. 

I have waffled on doing AFR, I even have a bottle in my cabinet. It works on a different level than a typical 2 part and it makes me a little nervous. Also always worried about overdosing trace elements (which to be fair, I could be doing right now with the micro e) and major elements. Like right now I don't do any supplementation for Cal or Mag so I'd be worried those would get overdosed. 

Quite a few people still have to supplement for Alk with AFR. 

OK, so that is actually promising if people still need to supplement Alk meaning I SHOULDN'T out of nowhere be at 11+ dKH. It's actually the primary reason I've never set up my 2 part as my numbers are pretty good with Kalk and I've not yet at least seen CA or Alk low enough to attempt it.

[ParrotFish]

3 hours ago, Djplus1 said:

OK, so that is actually promising if people still need to supplement Alk meaning I SHOULDN'T out of nowhere be at 11+ dKH. It's actually the primary reason I've never set up my 2 part as my numbers are pretty good with Kalk and I've not yet at least seen CA or Alk low enough to attempt it.

There are a number of helpful videos out there on the pros and cons to AFR. If you are a Serious Reefs subscriber they made a good video about it recently. 

[BowieReefer84]

One tip would be do an icp test on brand new mixed saltwater. It will give you a good baseline. I was having issues and turned out the salt I was using at the time was the culprit. 

[BowieReefer84]

On 2/19/2026 at 8:57 PM, ParrotFish said:

AFR in powder form is definitely cost effective. 

I have waffled on doing AFR, I even have a bottle in my cabinet. It works on a different level than a typical 2 part and it makes me a little nervous. Also always worried about overdosing trace elements (which to be fair, I could be doing right now with the micro e) and major elements. Like right now I don't do any supplementation for Cal or Mag so I'd be worried those would get overdosed. 

Quite a few people still have to supplement for Alk with AFR. 

I drip kalk 24/7 and still need to supplement with about 50ml of AFR a day in my system.