Low MG: Any thoughts

[gmpolan]

So i posted this a ways back and figured id let the tank just run for a while but for some odd reason, the test still show low mag.

Params:
Tank temp : 79 to 80
PH. 8.2x
Calc: 415
Alk: 6
Mg: 1050
Salinity: 1.026

Feeding usually consist of once a day with two cubes, half to a third sheet of nori, and sometimes a sprinkle of pellets before bed. Water changes are about every 12 or so days with salinity, 25 to 30 gallons. Light bulbs were all changed about 2 months ago. Dose iodine about once a month and did recently add a calc reactor and have started to dose mg about once a week, capeful of brightwell.

Also, its ok with me at 415 but even with adding the calc reactor and water changes the calc seems low. I guess i expected it to be alot higher.
Growth is good with all lps and softies, except all the sps, its very slow.

Any thoughts?

 

[gnashty]

holy feeding batman....mine only get about a standard cubes worth of rods and a 1/2 sheet of nori a day and Im trying to cut back - I only feed this about 5 days a week and I still feel like I am over doing it. I only have 2 sizeable tangs and the rest are goby, blenny, clown, damsel and wrasse all small to med.

My mag is always low too, seems everytime I check its around 1100 and I bump it back up using BRS mag. Then test it after every WC and its back to 1100. im using an elos kit.

Whats even more interesting is we are both using the same batch of salt since we split that barrel. Im not saying we got a bad batch or anything but I always have low mag after a WC using salinity despite the analysis on the side, this barrel and the barrel before this one and a couple buckets before that. I need to start testing the change water before I put it in...

As far as iodine - do you test for it? I bought a seachem iodine/iodide kit and some seachem aquavitro vibrance (iodide) and dosed it one time. The test kit said .06 is NSW and mine (after dosing was) .10!! I never used it again and my iodide still reads .10 a year later....I know this is two different things but ive always heard not to mess with it.

Your alk is 6, I struggle to keep mine at 4 and keep the PH below 8.3 - what are you dosing to keep it at 6?

 

[gmpolan]

Agreed its very odd, how are your sps doing? any sig growth? Mine are always healthy with great polyp extension but very few with white tips. Maybe my birdsnest but the rest are all slow growers.

Difference in fish with us gary is... i have all large tangs and an idol that will nip at about everything in site so hints my water changes every 12 days or so. I dont run any gfo or carbo and i have no HA or cyano so im assuming my phosphates are in check with my water changes.

How often you dosing? Im assuming with your dripping with your sl2?

 

[ralph atl]

add magnesium?

 

[gmpolan]

ha, duh why didnt i think of that...
Well im dosing a capful and change once a week, what would be a sig bump to help this out.? Once every monday and thursday? as i know it takes a ton of MG to raise the levels?

 

[ralph atl]

On a side note, I feed the equilivant of 4 cubes per day........

 

[gnashty]

mysterybox;599662 wrote: add magnesium?

HAHAHAHA - I add the BRS mag each week according to the reef calculator at BRS, around 20 fl oz every 2 weeks

 

[ralph atl]

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium/magnesium-supplements-for-aquariums/gallon-bulk-magnesium-chloride-for-aquariums.html">http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium/magnesium-supplements-for-aquariums/gallon-bulk-magnesium-chloride-for-aquariums.html</a>

just use a reef calculator like this one:

[IMG]http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#MagnesiumCalculator">http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#MagnesiumCalculator</a>

 

[ralph atl]

gnashty;599667 wrote: HAHAHAHA - I add the BRS mag each week according to the reef calculator at BRS, around 20 fl oz every 2 weeks

then it's not enough. try every week.

 

[gnashty]

gmpolan;599661 wrote: Agreed its very odd, how are your sps doing? any sig growth? Mine are always healthy with great polyp extension but very few with white tips. Maybe my birdsnest but the rest are all slow growers.

Difference in fish with us gary is... i have all large tangs and an idol that will nip at about everything in site so hints my water changes every 12 days or so. I dont run any gfo or carbo and i have no HA or cyano so im assuming my phosphates are in check with my water changes.

How often you dosing? Im assuming with your dripping with your sl2?

Im light on SPS but what I have is growing and has good PE. Im dosing about 1.5 ml per hour of BRS calcium and alk and add mag by hand after WC's. I will be honest its been a month since I tested....Im gonna do that now..

 

[weaglereefer]

Lots of coraline growth can deplete Mg, that's what I've noticed anyways.

Put some of this in your CA reactor:

http://www.aquacave.com/brightwell-aquatics-brneomag-high-purity-dolomite-br-magnesium-media-for-use-in-reef-br-aquaria-2458.html">http://www.aquacave.com/brightwell-aquatics-brneomag-high-purity-dolomite-br-magnesium-media-for-use-in-reef-br-aquaria-2458.html</a>

Keen Reef used to stock it.

 

[gnashty]

mysterybox;599669 wrote: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium/magnesium-supplements-for-aquariums/gallon-bulk-magnesium-chloride-for-aquariums.html">http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/calcium-alkalinity-magnesium/magnesium-supplements-for-aquariums/gallon-bulk-magnesium-chloride-for-aquariums.html</a>

just use a reef calculator like this one:

[IMG]http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#MagnesiumCalculator">http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/reef-calculator#MagnesiumCalculator</a>[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=][B]mysterybox;599670 wrote:[/B] then it's not enough. try every week.[/QUOTE]

thats the one I use, I agree Ralph - im not using enough. I need to get this on a doser like the others. The directions confuse me, it says to dose along with the others or do it when all the gallons of alk and calc are gone.

that and I am having a hard time calculating actual gal of my system - its a 210 with a 40 breeder sump, but I have alot of rock and the sump is never full to the brim. i always input 230 gal which I figure to be way over - but my levels are never over at all.

 

[ralph atl]

Once you get magnesium where you want it, it doesn't usually deplete that fast. Add just below the max daily amount and do that daily until you hit that level.

So if you want 1250 say for example.

you are at 1000

total dose is aprox:
Need: 2240.4 grams; 79 oz
but don't exceed more than 100 per day.

those directions take me about 1/2 where I want to go by the way.


That should take 3-4 days?

 

[gnashty]

mysterybox;599677 wrote: Once you get magnesium where you want it, it doesn't usually deplete that fast. Add just below the max daily amount and do that daily until you hit that level.

That should take 3-4 days?

Thats why I thought is was my salt - its always low. but your right again - I fall off about day 2 and stop adding - its just soo much liquid you think its not right.

 

[jonboyb]

Took me a long time to get my dosing down, but it takes 60ml of BRS MG <u>per day</u> to <u>maintain</u> my MG. 130 or so system volume heavy SPS and clams. I dosed about 200ml per day for a couple weeks to raise it about 200ppm. MG is aggrevating at best to raise and maintain (and I've noticed the BRS equations aren't even close for me)

Another note is the BRS MG is WAAAYYYY less potent than other supplements like Kent TechM (but the price makes it preferrable to me)

 

[gmpolan]

Jeff, i might actually try that in the my second chamber for the reactor, that way i dont have to dose while im gone.

Well i travel monday thru thursday so i guess its all in on thurs thru sunday.

 

[weaglereefer]

Used to have Mg problems. Not since I added that stuff.

 

[cdub]

i used to struggle with low mag but for the last year i have been testing my wc water after mixing in the salt with each new bucket. this way i know what i'm changing out and i can adjust its parameters to match what i want in the tank. i use seachem reef and it is usually 1200 or so on the mg side. i add brs mgcl/mgso4, na(co4)2, and cacl to my wc water to bump up all of parameters to 8.5dkh, 1400mg, and 450 ca. i really want my mag around 1350 but this way it depletes back down by the next wc.