effects/impact of high magnesium?

jacksonpt

New member
what's the impact of high magnesium levels on a reef? I'm currently fighting bryopsis and have read the best treatment is high magnesium levels with Kent Tech M. unfortunately my magnesium test kit only goes up to 1500, so anything above that I can't test or monitor.
 
im gonna jump in on this one too because I have read about some bryopsis being killed by high magnesium levels but also coming back faster than the origional grew. I guess the big question here would be to what fully gets rid of bryopsis? And sorry jack dont mean to steal the thread just getting sick of my bryopsis as well!
 
I had mine up over 1800 with no issues and I was fighting the same thing. I was treating but also doing manual removal during water changes also.
 
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what's the impact of high magnesium levels on a reef? I'm currently fighting bryopsis and have read the best treatment is high magnesium levels with Kent Tech M. unfortunately my magnesium test kit only goes up to 1500, so anything above that I can't test or monitor.

If you get to 1500 with a salifert, refill the syringe, continue testing until your color turns, look up the result and add it to 1500.

I've massively overdosed Mg twice now, and have just let it come down from around 1600 to a normal reading.

I haven't had luck with it killing bryopsis. There is speciulation that an impurity in the Kent TechM mag supplement is what kill bryopsis. I've had luck letting hungry turbo snails eat it.
 
If you get to 1500 with a salifert, refill the syringe, continue testing until your color turns, look up the result and add it to 1500.

I've massively overdosed Mg twice now, and have just let it come down from around 1600 to a normal reading.

I haven't had luck with it killing bryopsis. There is speciulation that an impurity in the Kent TechM mag supplement is what kill bryopsis. I've had luck letting hungry turbo snails eat it.

the turbos got it off the rocks?
 
Mainly from frag plugs, but I've also had it pop up on rocks and disappear. I assume that it's the turbos removing it from the rock (once they've eaten everything else).
 
I had my Mag up around 1800 for two weeks to help get rid of some algae. Worked like a charm. It threw my Calcium and Alk out of whack for a little while but nothing too major.

Other than that I don't think anything in my tank even noticed the high Mag. I'd say go for it.
 
I took this route in the past and it worked well (with the Tech M). Before the Tech M I tried with my usual BRS magnesium supplement but had no change. The Tech M took care of the bryopsis long term for me. I'll agree with Don, manual removal is also helpful and gradually it stopped growing back for me.

I did lose a couple of turbo snails during the increased Mg. Nothing else seemed to care, including a derasa clam I'd had for a few years.

Good luck!
 
Many have no luck with magnesium per se, but some percieve success with Tech M . The hypothesis is that it contains some unknown impuriity. Some see success with it ;some don't. No way to know if one batch of Tech M or another contains the mystery impruity or not and at what concentration.Not a surprise that a Ken t product would conatin an impurity though, give the debacle with Kent reef carbon metal contamination several months ago.
In any case it's not my cup of tea. I don't like to dose mystery ingredients.
Excess magnesium itself is harmful at some level particulary to the animals Gary noted. BTW, it is used is to make shucking oysters easier as it tends to paralyze their muscle.
 
I tried both the kent product and the brs magnesium. Didn't do anything. The algae cleared up over time with decreasing nutrients and a foxface.
 
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