Collection: ICP Testing

How ICP analysis works

ICP-OES is a lab method that measures many elements in a single water sample. For aquarium use it functions as an occasional deep check, not a weekly routine: you take the sample at home, send it in, and receive a report back. It complements hobby test kits rather than replacing them — kits answer what a parameter is right now, ICP shows the wider elemental picture a few times a year.

Choosing between the two versions

• The aquarium-only test examines tank water by itself.
• The combined test adds your RO source water to the analysis.
• Testing source water separates what is coming in from what is building up.
• Each version includes collection and return instructions to follow exactly.

Sampling well

How the sample is taken changes what the laboratory can measure, so the collection steps matter as much as the test itself — wrong container, contamination, or a slow trip to the lab all distort results. Draw the sample at the same point in your maintenance routine each time, avoiding the days right after a water change or a heavy dose, so successive reports can be compared meaningfully.