So I am about to start manually dosing two part in my mixed reef and was wondering about magnesium. Do you adjust the magnesium first or get the calcium and alkalinity adjusted first? My calcium and magnesium are low but alkalinity is close to 8.
2 part question
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Part a has cal and mag, dose it every day
ditto, part A? I thought it was Calc and ALK then you add MG once in awhile
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I dosed a waited 5 mins and dosed b. I would dose mag once a week as needed by test results. I dont think part a has mag
I know that Seachem's Calcification additive actually has a small amount of MAG in the mix to compensate for what they say is "normal MAG consumption rates". However most all of us use BRS 2-part because it is much more affordable.
I would say the easiest way to get your MAG where you want it (1250 - 1400, optimally closer to 1400) is to utilize a high end reef salt like Salinity, Reef Crystals, RSCP, etc and mix it out at 1.026 which will give you somewhere in the 1300-1350 range. With consistent 10% weekly water changes you will be able to maintain your MAG.
As for dealing with your MAG before you start 2-part, I think you can do it all at the same time so long as you do it slowly. If your MAG is lower than say 1100 maybe you'd want to take it a bit slower with the ALK/CAL at first as you bump up the MAG, but once you get to 1200 I wouldn't worry about too much precipitation. Just make sure everything is done slowly. I wouldn't raise ALK more than .5-1KH / day or CAL more than 20ppm / day. The important thing is to chart your parameters at day 1 and meticulously chart how much you are dosing and then retest your water the next day. Keep this up for about 5 - 7 days or until you are able to calculate your depletion ratio. At that point you will be able to administer your daily doses with confidence.
Thanks Kirk! That helps a lot. I am going to do exactly what you stated. I currently do 10% water changes weekly and have been from the start. I use Red Sea coral pro salt and alway mix to 1.026 but what is surprising to me is that my levels are so low. Mag is 920 calcium is 325 and alkalinity is 8. Might need to change salts.
what brand is your MAG test? that doesn't seem right if you are using a reef salt. I don't know how big your system is but a few 20-40% water changes would help boost your levels. You should test the MAG level in your new water change water. It should match what RSCP advertises as their mixing levels. If it doesn't than maybe you are not reading your salinity properly. Either a bad hydrometer or refractometer that needs to be calibrated... in my experience if you follow the salt guidelines for mixing a specific salinity you will get that salinity... i have a lot of trust in that.
I use Red Sea test kits. I have a 90 gallon system with about a 25 gallon sump.
I will test some change water and see what it reads. I will try recalibrating my refractometer as well. Only thing I can think of is that the levels have been low for quite some time. I have a mixed reef with mostly softies and Lps but I do have a few sps but not many.
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the original post didn't say anything about brs, I was thinking about seachems product. their part a has magnesium
I'd say the brand of product makes a difference. Typically part A supplements calcium, and B supports alkalinity.
Check your product label to see if A (or B) contains magnesium. Usually to raise magnesium, a separate magnesium product is used.
I concur that using a premium salt should help maintain magnesium but every tank is different and uptake can vary. Monitoring and dosing as is appropriate for your tank, is the way to go, IMO.
Jenn
Check your product label to see if A (or B) contains magnesium. Usually to raise magnesium, a separate magnesium product is used.
I concur that using a premium salt should help maintain magnesium but every tank is different and uptake can vary. Monitoring and dosing as is appropriate for your tank, is the way to go, IMO.
Jenn
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My experience RSCSP is that in a new tank the Mg level diminishes somewhat. Maybe not that low. You might want to get a different brand of test kit to confirm your results. You do want to get the Mg levels up first or you Ca and Alk will precipitate more and be less effective. Also, pay attention to the dosing instructions and don't raise your alkalinity too fast. And when you dose add a few mils of Ca and then same amount of Alk and back and forth until your finished. This is not necessary and is not how it is shown in the BRS video but will help limit precip and make your dosing more effective. One last piece of advice is not to test params everyday if you start chasing numbers and you will get out of whack very easily. And it can be confusing because if you overdose one part it can will actually reduce the levels of another. It is better to make this adjustments slowly and watch the changes over weekly time periods. Try to change your water on the same day every week and do your testing on the same day and you will see your tank level out. The test kits and methods are only good to within 50 ppm so don't stress if your CA is 380 and not 400.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry</a>
This is one of the best articles to read about dosing. Good Luck
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry">http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2002/11/chemistry</a>
This is one of the best articles to read about dosing. Good Luck
