The global pioneers of ICP testing have made some changes to their ICP tests, to include new parameters as well as releasing new data on their latest machines. The new, upgraded TRITON ICP test now includes Fluoride, Chloride, and Salinity, with no increase in the retail price, and if you buy a four-pack you even get a price reduction versus buying four separately.
Next is the upcoming TRITON Complete Test, which again includes F, Cl, and Salinity as standard, but also includes a reverse osmosis ICP test in the box, and if you buy a four-pack of the Complete Test, there’s a saving versus buying four separately. We welcome multi-packs, as any financial incentive to test more regularly, can only mean better corals.
Increased sensitivity
You may think that not much has changed in ICP testing since TRITON launched it 15 years ago, bar the addition of a few extra parameters. But with more and more companies offering the service now, and fighting over price, number of parameters tested, and waiting times, TRITON founder Ehsan Dashti has brought out the big guns, by putting even more sensitive ICP machines into his TRITON labs than before, along with a load of data sheets from ICP machine manufacturer Spectro Ametek to back it up.
25X Sensitivity
TRITON’s claim of up to 25X increased sensitivity is based on Spectro Amatek’s published “Application Report (REV0)” in the link below. TRITON has also summarised this data separately in the second link, showing a comparison between Spectro’s machines.
Although the data suggests some elements have up to 37X sensitivity, according to Ehsan Dashti when taking into account all of the difficulties measuring saltwater, it is more realistic to report up to 25X as a conservative estimate, so he has rounded it down.
View the reports and ICP-OES-EOP has increased sensitivity on Tin, Lithium, Potassium, Sodium, Iodine, Zinc, Nickel, and Vanadium to name just eight elements and TRITON is so confident of this that they are even stating it on the new product packaging.
We are no experts on ICP machines, but Ehsan Dashti is. So what does it all mean? Ehsan says for the aquarist, it is more important to know which configuration of ICP is used (EOP, SOP, or DSOI) relating to usability in the reef aquarium. This he says is more relevant than the model of the ICP machine (eg. Green, Blue, or ARCOSII).
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