Magnesium Levels???

[RLaForce]

So I was talking with Impur the other day and it got me curious about the magnesium levels in my tank. I have never tested for it before, but I noticed that some of my acans weren't happy. So I went out and bought a test kit and low and behold my levels were really low! I was wondering what keeps levels up in tanks naturally, or is this something that you would have to dose?(scratch)

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

Water changes! Yay! Too bad I'm outta salt!

[RLaForce]

I just did a water change two days before I tested.

[Rick]

You can use Epsom Salts to dose Magnesium. You can buy a big bag at the drugstore for a reasonable price. (I paid $5 for 6 lbs. worth which will last me quite awhile as I only need to dose a little once a month or so) Use a reef chemical calculator to figure out how much you need. Be sure to dose over 2 or 3 days rather than all at once.

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

What salt are you using? I guess instant ocean doesn't add enough.

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

Ahh....epsom! How do you do it?

[Byrd]

Typically something you would have to dose for. Most salt mixes dont have a high enough Mg content to keep it where you want. When I mix a batch of saltwater at 1.025 my Mg is 1200, so I add Mg Sulfate that I got at BRS.

 

They have a calcuater so it tells you exactly how much to add to get to the level you want based on your voume of water-(rock2)

 

I shoot for 1400 MG

[RLaForce]

You can use Epsom Salts to dose Magnesium. You can buy a big bag at the drugstore for a reasonable price. (I paid $5 for 6 lbs. worth which will last me quite awhile as I only need to dose a little once a month or so) Use a reef chemical calculator to figure out how much you need. Be sure to dose over 2 or 3 days rather than all at once.

 

I know your not supposed to add over 15-20 ppm a day. I just went and bought B-ionc to bring my levels back up. Never used Epson before. Whats the break down when you dilute it? I know that it's 1.5 ml per gallon with B-ionc so in a 100 gallon tank I use a lot to bring the levels back up!

[RLaForce]

I was thinking that I should keep it between 1250-1300 ppm is that to low?

[RLaForce]

Any salt out there that would keep the levels up at a decent level without breaking my bank account?

[Byrd]

I know your not supposed to add over 15-20 ppm a day. I just went and bought B-ionc to bring my levels back up. Never used Epson before. Whats the break down when you dilute it? I know that it's 1.5 ml per gallon with B-ionc so in a 100 gallon tank I use a lot to bring the levels back up!

 

I have read on Bulk Reef Supply's site that you 100 ppm in a day is max. I have only gone 75 to be safe.

 

I know alot of folks that use epson, I've read pros and cons- never any cons with the sulfate other than it costs more, there could be though.

it works for me.

 

Look at the tanks of the month on RC and see what their water params are-thats what I shoot for

[RLaForce]

I have read on Bulk Reef Supply's site that you 100 ppm in a day is max. I have only gone 75 to be safe.

 

I know alot of folks that use epson, I've read pros and cons- never any cons with the sulfate other than it costs more, there could be though.

it works for me.

 

Look at the tanks of the month on RC and see what their water params are-thats what I shoot for

 

Ha smart thinking! I never thought to look at the totm to see where they Are at!DOH! I paid $10 for my bottle and I'm about half way through it in 3 days.

[Rick]

I use Ocean Pure which keeps it right around 1210 which is a little low I think (Within recommended levels but on the low side). I dosed a cup worth a few days ago (190gallons) and today it tested at 1340. They say to dilute it in RO water before adding to the tank however I just put it in the first section of my sump a little at a time. I normally use the calculator to figure out the amount and then dose half one day and another half the next. For larger changes though it may need to be spread out over several days.

 

I'm beginning to think it doesn't matter what salt you get that your going to end up dosing something. My first salt had good magnesium and alkalinity but the calcium was way too low. The salt I'm using now has nice calcium levels and the magnesium is okay but not quite where I want it. Alkalinity tends to be low though which is the tradeoff for the higher calcium levels. At least Baking Soda and Epsom Salt are both cheap.

[Rick]

I have read on Bulk Reef Supply's site that you 100 ppm in a day is max. I have only gone 75 to be safe.

 

I know alot of folks that use epson, I've read pros and cons- never any cons with the sulfate other than it costs more, there could be though.

it works for me.

 

Look at the tanks of the month on RC and see what their water params are-thats what I shoot for

 

My bag of Epsom Salt says "Magnesium Sulfate" in big letters right on the front of it.

[Byrd]

Ha smart thinking! I never thought to look at the totm to see where they Are at!DOH! I paid $10 for my bottle and I'm about half way through it in 3 days.

 

You got ot check out BRS, For a bottle Mg supplement I had for 20.00 dollars, I was able to dose like 10x the amount for less money, I think more-some carzy savings-check it it;

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium

 

 

 

My bag of Epsom Salt says "Magnesium Sulfate" in big letters right on the front of it.

 

I know lots who use, I just remeber someone once saying something about using a product that is more used for soaking your feet and not dosing your reef-he was worried about quality control-

Just anothers persons opinion, we run into tons of those in this hobby-(laugh)

 

What ever works for ya-(rock2)

[Byrd]

Ha smart thinking! I never thought to look at the totm to see where they Are at!DOH! I paid $10 for my bottle and I'm about half way through it in 3 days.

 

I was using a Brightwell Mg product, 20 dollars for like 16 ounces, in comparison I bought 8 pounds at BRS for like 16.00 dollars- it was a group buy organized here awhile ago.

 

I did whay you did at first and spent alot of money.

 

Keep in mind you wont be able to get to level of 1300+ unless your SG is at least 1.024

[Rick]

The Heptahydrate form which is what it shows at BRS is the form of Magnesium Sulfate most commonly referred to as Epsom Salt. What I have here is Pharmaceutical Grade (Which BRS also mentions) and it specifically says one of it's uses is a as a Saline Laxative. It also mentions several other uses that are oral for pregnant women and for treating different types of poisoning. I.E. While it may be common to use it for soaking feet it also has several other uses that require even more stringent quality control than a reef tank. While I could be wrong I would bet that they are exactly the same thing.

 

You got ot check out BRS, For a bottle Mg supplement I had for 20.00 dollars, I was able to dose like 10x the amount for less money, I think more-some carzy savings-check it it;

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium

 

 

 

 

 

I know lots who use, I just remeber someone once saying something about using a product that is more used for soaking your feet and not dosing your reef-he was worried about quality control-

Just anothers persons opinion, we run into tons of those in this hobby-(laugh)

 

What ever works for ya-(rock2)

[Byrd]

I'm sure you are right-like I mentioned it was one persons opinion, I had thought about using Epon myself-

[RLaForce]

I keep my sg at 1.026 so I don't think I will have a problem. I think I will check out epsom salt and see how I do. I think I will switch my salt though. I'm going to do a little research and see what I come up with! If I got good info then recommended levels are between 1200-1300.

[Rick]

...Keep in mind you wont be able to get to level of 1300+ unless your SG is at least 1.024

Good to know this. I keep mine at 1.026 but was unaware that Mg levels were tied to the salinity.

[RLaForce]

I knew it was tied, they also say that you should ajust your levels according to your salinity levels. I believe it is 25ppm per .001 you go up from 1.025 salinity.

[Jay]

Funny you should post this. I just picked up a carton of epsom salt at walgreens the other day and ended up useing the entire carton to bring up my mag levels. That was like a half gallon milk carton worth of epsom salt.

 

Here is the mag calk I used and it was dead on accurate. Just go to the kitchen and grab a big measuring cup and add the ounces that the calc tells you to some ro water in a bucket I used about 2.5 gallons of ro h2o and mix with a pump for a couple hours then dump in about a gallon. I just used this mixed water for topp off water for 2 days till it was gone and checked the levels. It was dead on at 1360 on my salifert kit.

 

 

http://reef.diesyst.com/cf/chemcalccf.html

[Kshack]

Read this to understand. You should read the whole thing, but here is the bottom line.

 

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-07/rhf/index.php

 

Conclusion:

"Magnesium is an important ion for reef aquarists to understand and monitor. In addition to its many biological functions, it serves to prevent the excessive precipitation of calcium carbonate from aquarium water. Unfortunately, magnesium often is depleted from reef aquaria as calcification incorporates it into calcium carbonate skeletons and precipitates. Because many ways of supplementing calcium and alkalinity do not adequately supply magnesium to balance this consumption, other means must be found. Commercial additives, such as those from ESV and Kent, are adequate, but aquarists can also use DIY materials that usually can be obtained at a lower cost.

 

Some of these recipes (and even some commercial supplements) may skew the aquarium's ionic balance over time. Using Epsom salts alone, for example, can cause sulfate to rise. While the exact effects of elevated sulfate have not been clearly established, it presents unnatural ionic chemistry to the aquarium's inhabitants. A recipe using magnesium chloride alone or, better yet, a combination of magnesium chloride and Epsom salts, can produce a DIY recipe that is adequately ionically balanced, easy to obtain and easy to use."

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

Where do you get mag chloride?

[Kshack]

If you can not find it local, you can get it here. Page 2.

 

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium