Ca And Magnesium Are Low

[svirid]

Hi guys,

I just bought Ca and Magnesium test kits made by Salifert,
and both of these parameters were low.

I know Ca depends on the Magnesium level so I thought to use Magnesium buffer
to raise it first and see how Ca will behaive.

I found 2 kinds in the LFS

<A href="http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ctl3664/cp18156/si1317268/cl1/seachem_reef_advantage_magnesium_1_kg?&path=c3664-def-CAD-16667%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq6d61676e657369756d%7E%7Ec3664-def-CAD-17323%23%235%23%231o%7E%7Enc3664-def-CAD-18156%23%230%23%2317&query=magnesium&offset" target=_blank>[URL="http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ctl3664/cp18156/si1317268/cl1/seachem_reef_advantage_magnesium_1_kg?&path=c3664-def-CAD-16667%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq6d61676e657369756d%7E%7Ec3664-def-CAD-17323%23%235%23%231o%7E%7Enc3664-def-CAD-18156%23%230%23%2317&query=magnesium&offset"]http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ct...sium&offset[/URL]

<A href="http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ctl3664/cp18156/si3030088/cl1/brightwell_magnesionp__dry_magnesium_supplement_300g?&path=c3664-def-CAD-16667%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq6d61676e657369756d%7E%7Ec3664-def-CAD-17323%23%235%23%231o%7E%7Enc3664-def-CAD-18156%23%230%23%2317&query=magnesium&offset" target=_blank>[URL="http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ctl3664/cp18156/si3030088/cl1/brightwell_magnesionp__dry_magnesium_supplement_300g?&path=c3664-def-CAD-16667%23%23-1%23%23-1%7E%7Eq6d61676e657369756d%7E%7Ec3664-def-CAD-17323%23%235%23%231o%7E%7Enc3664-def-CAD-18156%23%230%23%2317&query=magnesium&offset"]http/www.bigalsonline.ca/StoreCatalog/ct...sium&offset[/URL]

I am not sure which one is better?
Any advice?

Thank you.

 

[steelhealr]

What salt are you using, what is your s.g. and how often do you do water changes? SH

 

[svirid]

What salt are you using, what is your s.g. and how often do you do water changes? SH

I use 'Reef Chrystals', do 10% every 2 weeks.

 

[SkiFletch]

IO and RC are notorious salts for having low magnesium, so you having low mg isn't that surprising. Out of curiosity, how low is "low"? Down into the 1000's, or are you still up in the 1100's?

Either of those suppliments will work to raise mg. Alternatively, you can try and find magnesium chloride and/or magnesium sulphate in bulk. Wouldn't know where to look in canada though

 

[svirid]

IO and RC are notorious salts for having low magnesium, so you having low mg isn't that surprising. Out of curiosity, how low is "low"? Down into the 1000's, or are you still up in the 1100's?

Either of those suppliments will work to raise mg. Alternatively, you can try and find magnesium chloride and/or magnesium sulphate in bulk. Wouldn't know where to look in canada though

1100's, which salt are u using?

 

[SkiFletch]

Sewater's magnesium concentration is in the 1200's ppm, dipping 10% into the 1100 range is by no means out of the question. I personally use Instant Ocean. A batch of mine mixed up to 1.026sg will read about 1220ppm magnesium so low to start with. As such I dose a mixture of Magnesium Chloride and Magnesium Sulphate to get me up to the 1300-1350ppm range that I like to keep my tank at in order to encourage calcification.

When I first tested magnesium on my aquarium it was a whopping 1080ppm and some of my LPS (elegance and frogspawn) were clearly showing stress.

 

[svirid]

Sewater's magnesium concentration is in the 1200's ppm, dipping 10% into the 1100 range is by no means out of the question. I personally use Instant Ocean. A batch of mine mixed up to 1.026sg will read about 1220ppm magnesium so low to start with. As such I dose a mixture of Magnesium Chloride and Magnesium Sulphate to get me up to the 1300-1350ppm range that I like to keep my tank at in order to encourage calcification.

When I first tested magnesium on my aquarium it was a whopping 1080ppm and some of my LPS (elegance and frogspawn) were clearly showing stress.

I just made water change and test it again,

Mg - 1080ppm (same as u had)
Ca - 320 ppm
Phospate - 0.05 mg/L
Salinity - 1.024
pH - 8.2
Alklinity - 3

I also have Elegance, and it does not feel well as it looks to me.
So this is fine for me to start using Mg buffer, right? Should I follow the instructions on the bottle of the buffer, how muc to add?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[SkiFletch]

Yes, start dosing Mg for sure. I'd use more than what's reccomended on the bottle TBH. Once Mg is back up, re-test calcium and alkalinity to see if they drifted their equillibrium

 

[svirid]

Good day,

Yesterday I started to dose Reef Advantage Magnesium by Seachem.
Instruction says:
5g - 80L, 5g raises magnesium by 5mg/L

My current level is 1080mg/L, my tank is about 100L, so I decided to dose 7g every 2 days.
What do u think? Should I increase? and if yes its not dagerous for Alklinity and pH to jump quickly?

Seachem saying no more then 25g per day.

Also I have another question
Lets say I raises magnesium to 1300. To keep this level stable, what should I do?
Lets say I did 10% water change, and added fresh water without that kind of a level of magnesium, I understand that I have
to test and start adding again but there will be a big change in water parameters witch is not good, right?

I have a bucket 100L where I prepare the salt water, can I just test that water and add proper amount of Magnesium right in there?
SO when I do water change I add water with apx amount of magnesium already?

Thank you very much for your help.

 

[SkiFletch]

Add 25mg per day till it gets where you want it IMO. I've corrected Mg very quickly in my tank a few times with no ill effects, in fact always good results in my LPS from doing this.

To keep the level stable, first note how much 25mg addition raises your Mg. Then you'll have an idea of how much your tank needs. Then I'd test weekly to see what happens. If/when it does drop, you'll know how much to add to correct it.

And for your new saltwater, you can certainly add some extra Mg before you add the water. Just make sure you wait to add the suppliment until AFTER the salt has dissolved.

 

[svirid]

Add 25mg per day till it gets where you want it IMO. I've corrected Mg very quickly in my tank a few times with no ill effects, in fact always good results in my LPS from doing this.
To keep the level stable, first note how much 25mg addition raises your Mg. Then you'll have an idea of how much your tank needs. Then I'd test weekly to see what happens. If/when it does drop, you'll know how much to add to correct it.
And for your new saltwater, you can certainly add some extra Mg before you add the water. Just make sure you wait to add the suppliment until AFTER the salt has dissolved.

Thank you veyt much, I just did not want to add 25g because was afraid that Alklinity might jump, but i u think its ok I will start doing it.

 

[svirid]

Good Day,

this is very strange, Mg level does not move at all, it even showed me 1050ppm instead of the 1080 I had before.
Any clue?
Here is my schedule how I add it.

01/March - 7g (had to raise by 5ppm)
02/March - 7g (had to raise by 5ppm)
03/March - 14g (had to raise by 10ppm)
04/March - 21g (had to raise by 15ppm)
05/March - 28g (had to raise by 20ppm)
06/March - 28g (had to raise by 20ppm)

Thanks for your help.

 

[SkiFletch]

Huh, are you adding the powder directly, or mixin with RO and then adding?

 

[svirid]

Huh, are you adding the powder directly, or mixin with RO and then adding?

I mix it with RO water first

 

[SkiFletch]

Wow, well then I'm stumped... About how much is 28grams in volume?