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Shimek

Here are the numerical results in parts per million (micrograms per gram) of the analyses of two dried foods and Combisan compared with sea water. You can calculate the amount in any given dose of these products by simple arithmetic.

Comparing dried foods and liquids may, at first glance, seem odd, but it is not. Consider that whatever the source whatever is added to our aquarium stays there until it is exported. All of the material in a food will eventually find itself distributed throughout the tank.

In my presentation, I illogically and polemically compared a standard dose of 5 ml or 5 g of each of these items compared with the amount of the same materials in 100 gallons of natural sea water. The standard dose 5 ml or 5 gm was based the suggested dose by the manufacturer of the various items (Combisan's directions suggest starting at 1 drop per gallon; 1 drop is approximately equal to 1/20th ml according to my old chemistry texts, so in 5 ml of that substance would be the approximate dose for 100 gallons). Five grams is the weight of 2 U. S. cent coins, so in a real sense, in the presentation I compared my 2 cents worth.

To find out how much would be in a standard dose of 5 grams or 5 ml: multiply the values below by 5 and divide by 1 million to give the values in grams.

...........BSD Plankton
...........Gold Flakes.....VibraGro.....Combisan...Sea Water
Aluminum.....80.00.........95.00.........0.12......1.9
Antimony.....<0.49.........<0.49........<0.06......0.00001
Arsenic.......2.30..........2.70........<0.06......0.024
Barium........5.20..........6.90.........0.00......0.05
Beryllium.....0.68.........<0.02.........0.00......0.0001
Boron........<2.50.........<2.40.........1.60......4.6
Cadmium.......0.84..........1.30.........0.00......0.00001
Calcium....7200.00......17000.00.........1.50....400
Chromium......5.60.........<0.05.........0.06......0.00001
Cobalt........0.80..........0.80.........0.02......0.0001
Copper.......10.00..........9.50.........0.11......0.09
Iodide.....2900.00.......5000.00........14.00......0.05
Iron.......1700.00........290.00........23.00......0.02
Lead..........1.00..........1.70........<0.06......0.005
Lithium.......0.56..........0.48........<0.03......0.1
Magnesium..1300.00.......1800.00........<0.29...1272
Manganese....23.00.........90.00........18.00......0.01
Mercury......<0.49..........0.49........<0.06......0.0003
Molybdenum....1.80..........0.61.........0.24......0.002
Nickel........1.80..........0.25.........0.15......0.0005
Phosphorus.8300.00......15000.00.........1.80......0.012
Potassium. 4000.00.......4200.00.........7.90....380
Selenium......7.00..........5.80........<0.06......0.004
Silicon.....540.00........440.00.........2.00......4
Silver.......<0.49.........<0.49........<0.06......0.0003
Sodium.....3400.00.......7400.00.........26.00..10561
Strontium....39.00........150.00..........0.01.....13
Sulfur.....5000.00.......4800.00.........27.00....884
Thallium......1.90.........<0.49.........<0.06......0.0005
Tin...........2.50..........1.40..........0.60......0.003
Titanium......2.10..........4.20.........<0.01......0.00001
Vanadium.....<0.25.........<0.24.........<0.03......0.0003
Yttrium.......0.68..........0.04..........0.00......0.0003
Zinc.........63.00........190.00..........5.80......0.014

Metal concentrations were done by:

AM TEST LABORATORIES, INC.
14603 NE 87th Street
Redmond, WA 98052.

The concentrations were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometry or ICP Scan, EPA method 6010.

Values indicated with “<“ indicate a presence below detection limits. The values for Sea Water were from my CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.
Values of materials found in artificial sea water are available in the following article:

Atkinson, M. and C. Bingman. 1999. The Composition of Several Synthetic Seawater Mixes. March 1999 Aquarium Frontiers On-line.